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How to Check Your Claude Code Usage
Run /usage (or its documented alias, /stats) inside Claude Code. Anthropic's own docs describe the Session block it shows as detailed token usage statistics for your current session. Here's what it covers, how to read the dollar estimate it includes, and what it does not document about your actual bill.
Last updated 2026-08-20 · Every source below was checked on that date · By Soren Starck
Quick answer
/usage — Anthropic's Claude Code docs describe the Session block it shows as detailed token usage statistics for your current session. /stats is a documented alias for the same command.
The dollar figure inside that view is computed locally from your token counts at standard list rates, so it can differ from your actual bill — for authoritative billing, the docs point to the Claude Console Usage page, not /usage itself. For a comparison of tools that track Claude Code usage, including SessionWatcher, see best Claude Code usage trackers for Mac.
The /usage command (and its /stats alias)
Anthropic's Claude Code documentation describes the Session block shown by /usage as detailed token usage statistics for your current session. The Claude Code commands reference separately documents /stats as an alias for /usage — either command opens the same view.
Documentedcode.claude.com: costs docs, Session block· verified 2026-08-20 Documentedcode.claude.com: commands reference, /stats· verified 2026-08-20
Reading the dollar estimate
The docs are explicit that this number is an estimate, not a bill: Claude Code computes the dollar figure locally from your token counts at standard list rates, so it may differ from your actual bill. For authoritative billing, Anthropic's docs point to the Claude Console Usage page rather than the /usage output.
Documentedcode.claude.com: costs docs, dollar estimate· verified 2026-08-20
Pro and Max plan usage view
For subscribers on a Pro or Max plan, the docs describe Claude Code as also showing plan usage bars, activity stats, and a usage breakdown in the same view.
Documentedcode.claude.com: costs docs, plan usage view· verified 2026-08-20
When the usage view can't load
The docs also describe a fallback: if the usage request fails, Claude Code may show the last usage bars it loaded locally within the previous 60 minutes, and offers a retry by pressing r.
Documentedcode.claude.com: costs docs, failed usage request· verified 2026-08-20
Where this guide stops
This page only answers what /usage (and /stats) shows and how to read it. It doesn't compare tracking tools feature-by-feature — that comparison lives on best Claude Code usage trackers for Mac. It also doesn't re-derive session limit mechanics — that's covered in Claude Code rate limits explained. For SessionWatcher's current Claude Code offering, see SessionWatcher for Claude Code.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check my Claude Code usage?
Run /usage (or its alias /stats) inside Claude Code. It shows a Session block with detailed token usage statistics for your current session. Pro and Max subscribers also see plan usage bars, activity stats, and a usage breakdown.
Documentedcode.claude.com: costs docs, /usage· verified 2026-08-20 Documentedcode.claude.com: commands reference, /stats· verified 2026-08-20
Is the dollar amount shown by /usage my actual bill?
Not necessarily. Claude Code computes that figure locally from your token counts at standard list rates, so it may differ from your actual bill. For authoritative billing, the docs point to the Claude Console Usage page rather than /usage itself.
Documentedcode.claude.com: costs docs, dollar estimate· verified 2026-08-20
What happens if the usage view fails to load?
Claude Code may show the last usage bars it loaded locally within the previous 60 minutes, and offers a retry by pressing r.
Documentedcode.claude.com: costs docs, failed usage request· verified 2026-08-20
Sources
Every claim above links its source at the point it is made. This table collects the same set with the date it was checked for this guide.
| Source | Used for | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| code.claude.com: costs docs | The /usage Session block, the locally computed dollar estimate and its billing caveat, the Pro/Max plan usage view, and the failed-usage-request fallback with retry. | 2026-08-20 |
| code.claude.com: commands reference | /stats documented as an alias for /usage. | 2026-08-20 |
SessionWatcher is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Anthropic.
Measurement note for this page
This is an existing-page rewrite, not a new page. Its success criterion is unique visitors on this exact page who complete the DataFast goal guide_internal_link_clicked with properties source=guide-claude-usage-2026-08 and target=best-claude-code-usage-trackers, measured over the first 56 complete days after this rewrite's first complete indexable day.
The frozen baseline, from DataFast, is 769 visitors, $133.90 revenue, and 12 payments on this exact page over the trailing 30 days, extracted 2026-08-17. The prior version of this page had no tracked outbound link to the trackers guide, so no page-specific tracked-link baseline exists for that goal.
Success requires at least 25 unique goal completions, provided the page received at least 500 DataFast visitors in the window. Below 500 visitors, the result is inconclusive rather than a pass or fail. Full contract, including source verification dates: config/claude-code-usage-guide-experiment.mjs.
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