explain-usage

What it does

Breaks down where a Claude session's tokens actually went, instructions, Chrome browsing, connectors, web research, file operations, subagents, everything else, as one simple chart with a plain-language explanation, no jargon.

How it works

Reads the session's own transcript file directly and groups the usage by what actually consumed it, skipping any group that's not present rather than padding the breakdown. It weights the different token types by their real cost instead of a flat count, cache reads at roughly a tenth of the cost of a regular input token, cache writes at roughly double, and output tokens at roughly five times, so the resulting chart reflects what a session actually cost, not just how many tokens got counted somewhere. The explanation that follows is a few short bullet points in everyday language, not a technical breakdown.

Try it

Explain where this session's tokens went. Break it into groups (instructions, browsing, connectors, web research, file operations, subagents, everything else), weighted by actual cost (cache reads count for less, output tokens count for more), skip any group that's empty, and give me one simple chart plus a plain-language explanation.

When to reach for it

After a long or heavy session, when it's not obvious what actually burned through the weekly limit.