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Best Gemini Usage Trackers for macOS (2026)
Gemini Code Assist's free tier is the most generous in the industry — but the moment you hit the daily cap mid-task, you stop being productive. Here are the four real ways to track your Gemini CLI and Code Assist usage on macOS, ranked.
Last updated May 2026 · By Soren Starck
Why You Need a Usage Tracker for Gemini
Gemini Code Assist enforces three stacked limits: requests-per-minute, daily request quota, and monthly token cap. On the generous Free tier the daily cap is usually the binding one (historically 240 chat requests/day). On Standard ($22.80/user) and Enterprise ($54/user) the ceilings rise, but a heavy agentic workflow can still blow through hours of free credits in 90 minutes.
Worse: Google Cloud's quota dashboard is buried under IAM & Admin → Quotas → filter to Gemini Code Assist. It lags by minutes and won't tell you “you have 23 chat requests left today.” The CLI's status command is on-demand only.
A real tracker fixes this. We tested four. Here's how they compare.
#1: SessionWatcher for Gemini Editor's Pick
SessionWatcher for Gemini is a native macOS menu bar app that watches your Gemini Code Assist quotas live and notifies before you hit the daily cap.
What it tracks:
- Daily chat/agent request count: Exact requests used out of your tier's daily quota.
- Token-per-minute meter: Live RPM and TPM so you can see if a parallel agent run is about to throttle.
- Monthly token cap: Where you are against the rolling 30-day total.
- Tier-aware: Knows Free, Standard, and Enterprise ceilings and applies the right math.
- macOS notifications: Warn at 70% / 90% so you can pace before the cap hits.
- Reset countdown: Live timer to next quota reset (midnight Pacific by default).
Setup: Download, paste your GCP service-account key with the Quotas read role, choose your project. Tracking in under 60 seconds.
Pricing: $2.99 one-time. $7.99 for the 5-tool bundle.
Limitations: macOS 15+ only. Requires a GCP read-only service account.
#2: Google Cloud Console Quotas Page
Go to console.cloud.google.com/iam-admin/quotas, filter by “Gemini Code Assist” or “Cloud AI Companion API”, and you'll see live(ish) usage of your daily and per-minute quotas.
What it shows:
- Each individual quota (RPM, daily requests, TPM)
- Current usage vs limit, with a percentage bar
- Reset cadence and a request-increase button
Pricing: Free (included with GCP).
Limitations: Buried under IAM & Admin. Lives in a browser tab. Lags by 1–2 minutes. No notifications. No projection. You have to remember to check. The console's UI is overwhelming if you're not a GCP regular.
#3: Gemini CLI Status Command
The Gemini CLI ships with a status / usage command that prints remaining requests for the day and current rate-limit state. The exact flag depends on your CLI version — check gemini --help.
What it shows:
- Remaining requests in today's quota
- Current model and tier
- Project ID being billed
Pricing: Free (built into the CLI).
Limitations: Snapshot only. No notifications. Doesn't show monthly trend or token-per-minute pressure. You have to remember to run it — exactly the failure mode you want to avoid.
SessionWatcherFree tier or not.
Always know how close you are.
Native macOS menu bar app. Track Claude and Codex usage, costs, and rate limits in real-time.
“Fast, simple, and does exactly what it should. Definitely worth it.”
@nicojerome on GitHub
macOS 14+. $2.99 one-time purchase.
#4: DIY Scripts (Cloud Monitoring API + cron)
Google Cloud's Monitoring API exposes per-quota metrics that you can query, alert on, and visualize.
Typical approaches:
- Cron job hitting
monitoring.googleapis.comfor quota usage metrics - Cloud Monitoring alert policies that email you at threshold
- Custom Grafana / Datadog dashboards with GCP exporter
- SwiftBar plugins that hit the API and render to menu bar
Pricing: Free, plus your time. (Heavy Monitoring API usage can incur charges.)
Limitations: Steepest learning curve of the four. Service accounts, IAM scopes, metric paths — getting it right takes hours. Maintaining it across GCP API changes takes more.
Comparison: All 4 Options at a Glance
| Feature | SessionWatcher | GCP Console | CLI status | DIY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live daily-cap meter | Yes | Delayed | On demand | Varies |
| RPM / TPM monitoring | Yes | Yes | No | DIY |
| Tier-aware (Free/Standard/Enterprise) | Yes | Manual | Manual | Manual |
| macOS notifications | Yes | No | No | DIY (email) |
| Always-on display | Menu bar | No | No | DIY |
| Setup time | 60 seconds | None | None | Hours |
| Price | $2.99 once | Free | Free | Free + time |
The Verdict
For anyone using Gemini Code Assist daily — Free, Standard, or Enterprise — SessionWatcher for Gemini is the only tool that gives you tier-aware caps, live RPM/TPM, and notifications without a GCP rabbit-hole.
If you use Gemini once a week, the console is fine. Daily users: $2.99 pays for itself the first time you avoid a 4pm lockout.
SessionWatcherGemini quotas, live in your menu bar.
$2.99. No subscription.
Native macOS menu bar app. Track Claude and Codex usage, costs, and rate limits in real-time.
“Fast, simple, and does exactly what it should. Definitely worth it.”
@nicojerome on GitHub
macOS 14+. $2.99 one-time purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Gemini usage tracker for Mac?
SessionWatcher for Gemini. Menu-bar widget, tier-aware caps, RPM/TPM monitoring, notifications. $2.99 one-time.
Is Gemini Code Assist Free actually free?
Yes — Google offers a generous free tier with a daily request cap and monthly token cap. See Gemini rate limits explained for current quotas.
Can I track Gemini usage for free?
Yes — the GCP Quotas page and the Gemini CLI status command are free. Neither is always-on or notifies you before lockout.
How much does SessionWatcher for Gemini cost?
$2.99 one-time. $7.99 for the bundle (Claude Code + Codex + Copilot + Cursor + Gemini).