Cost Control
Token costs are real. Typical usage runs $1–150/month per agent. But without visibility, it can spiral. Pinchy gives you the tools to stay in control.
The Reality
Most agents running on Claude Sonnet or GPT-4o cost between $1 and $150 per month, depending on usage volume. That's manageable — if you know what you're spending.
Run expensive models without limits, let agents loop on complex tasks, and you'll see bills that make your CFO cry. It happens. We've heard the stories.
OpenClaw doesn't track token usage or costs. You find out what you spent when the API bill arrives. That's not good enough for teams.
The Biggest Lever
The difference between models isn't incremental — it's an order of magnitude.
| Model | Relative Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus / GPT-4 | 10x | Complex reasoning, critical tasks |
| Claude Sonnet / GPT-4o | 3x | Daily work, good balance |
| Claude Haiku / GPT-4o-mini | 1x | Simple tasks, high volume |
| Ollama (local) | Free* | Air-gapped, cost-zero, privacy-first |
* Local models require your own hardware but have zero API costs.
Assign cheaper models to routine tasks and reserve expensive models for complex reasoning. A triage agent doesn't need Opus. Pinchy lets you set the model per agent — this works today.
Pinchy's Approach
We're honest about where we are. Some features work today, some are coming soon. Here's the full picture.
Choose the right model for each agent. Your email triage agent runs on Haiku. Your code review agent runs on Sonnet. Your strategy agent gets Opus. You decide.
Works todayEvery action an agent takes is logged with HMAC-signed integrity. You can see exactly what happened, when, and how many tool calls were made. Not cost tracking per se — but full transparency into what your agents are doing.
Works todayA dashboard that shows token consumption, estimated costs, and usage patterns per agent. See which agents are expensive and why. Make informed decisions about model assignments.
Coming next (#35)Set a monthly token budget per agent. When the budget is reached, the agent pauses and notifies you. No more surprise bills. No more runaway loops eating your API credits.
Coming soon (#36)Book a call and we'll show you how Pinchy helps you manage spending — today and as we ship more.
Book a Call →Or email us: hey@clemenshelm.com