Claude Fuel Gauge

This tool is only for Claude Desktop users

The gauge stays current because Claude writes to it after each session. It appends a small entry to the HTML file logging the model used, the date, and an estimated usage weight. The gauge reads those entries and draws the level.

That update step requires Claude to have write access to a file on your computer. Claude Desktop with Cowork mode can do this. Claude on the web at claude.ai cannot write files to your computer.

About a minute, once — then it runs itself

1

Download & save it in a Cowork folder

Tap the button above, then save the file inside one of your Cowork project folders so Claude can reach it — for example: ~/Documents/Claude/Projects/fuel-gauge/claude-fuel-gauge.html Then open it in your browser and bookmark the tab.

2

Set it up once — ideally in your profile

Best (set & forget): open Settings → General → Profile, paste the prompt below into "Instructions for Claude", and hit Save changes — then every chat and Cowork session updates the gauge automatically. Just trying it? Paste it into a single Cowork chat instead. Either way, tell Claude where you saved the file.

3

Reopen any time to see your level

Claude updates the file after meaningful work. Open it whenever you want a glance — that's it.

⌨ For Claude — not for you to read

These are instructions Claude follows each session. You don't need to understand them — just copy and paste them to Claude once.

This file is my Claude Fuel Gauge (claude-fuel-gauge.html) — a friendly picture of how much of my weekly Claude usage I've used, shown as a fuel level that refills each week. Help me keep it running, and keep everything you say to me warm and plain — I'm not technical.

The first time you notice this file in a session:
• Say hi and let me know you can see the gauge and where it's saved.
• In a sentence, explain that it fills up weekly and drains as we work, and that you'll jot a quick note after our sessions so it stays current.
• Check PLAN near the top of the file. If it isn't my plan, ask me which I'm on — 'free', 'pro', 'max-5x', 'max-20x', or pay-as-you-go 'api' — and set it. Just ask once.

After we've done real work together:
• Add ONE line to the USAGE_LOG array in the file:
    { d: "YYYY-MM-DD", m: "opus" | "sonnet" | "haiku", ti: INPUT_TOKENS, to: OUTPUT_TOKENS }
  Use today's date, the model you're running as, and your best estimate of the input/output tokens. Keep every existing line.
• Then tell me my level in one friendly line — about how full the tank is and roughly how many "novels" we read and wrote — no jargon, and don't ask permission, just do it.

If you can't find the file, or you're unsure about a number, just ask me in plain words.

Copy the prompt

See an example of how Claude greets you

The gauge is a rough visual, not a precise meter

Claude estimates session cost based on model used and how much work was done. Heavy Opus sessions drain more than light Sonnet sessions. The gauge colour shifts from green to yellow to orange to red as budget depletes.

The gauge refills to full each week, when your plan's weekly limit resets. Settings → Usage shows the day — often Tuesday. Like the real weekly cap, the level only goes down during the week; it does not drift back up mid-week.

This is a glance, not the source of truth. Claude Desktop's Settings → Usage page shows your exact session and weekly limits, live from Anthropic. The gauge is the always-visible companion to it: a felt sense of where you are, with no numbers to read.

The gauge only sees Claude Desktop. Anything you run on claude.ai in a browser, on another device, or through the API still counts against your limits but is never logged here. If you split your usage between the web and the desktop, the gauge will read higher than your real remaining limit. For a reading you can trust, keep your Claude work in one place — and check Settings → Usage for the exact figures.

There are no numbers anywhere on the gauge. That is intentional. The point is a visual sense, not an accounting exercise.