manavarya09 Cost Estimate
Estimate the cost of a coding task before execution, with multi-model comparison.
Process
- Analyze the task description from $ARGUMENTS
- Assess complexity by examining the codebase:
- Count files that will likely need reading (use Glob to find relevant files)
- Count files that will likely need editing
- Estimate number of tool calls needed
- Calculate estimated cost using these heuristics:
Cost Heuristics by Task Type
| Task Type | Typical Tool Calls | Est. Tokens |
|---|---|---|
| Bug fix (single file) | 5-10 | 5K-15K |
| Bug fix (multi-file) | 10-25 | 15K-40K |
| Small feature | 15-30 | 25K-60K |
| Medium feature | 30-60 | 60K-150K |
| Large feature | 60-120 | 150K-400K |
| Refactor (small) | 10-20 | 15K-30K |
| Refactor (large) | 40-80 | 80K-200K |
| Code review | 5-15 | 10K-30K |
- Show multi-model comparison using the estimated tokens:
node "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/pricing.js" compare <est_input_tokens> <est_output_tokens> <current_model>
- Check historical data for context:
node -e "
const store = require('${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/store');
store.initDb();
const daily = store.getDailyBreakdown(30);
if (daily.length > 0) {
const avg = daily.reduce((s, d) => s + d.cost, 0) / daily.length;
console.log('Your avg daily spend: \$' + avg.toFixed(2) + ' (' + daily.length + ' days tracked)');
}
const total = store.getTotalEntries();
console.log('Total tracked tool calls: ' + total);
"
Output Format
Present the estimate clearly:
Cost Estimate: <task description>
Complexity: <Low/Medium/High>
Est. Reads: <N files>
Est. Edits: <N files>
Est. Tools: <N total tool calls>
Est. Tokens: <N total tokens>
Model Comparison:
Model Input Output Total
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Claude Haiku 4.5 $0.04 $0.20 $0.24
Claude Sonnet 4.6 $0.15 $0.75 $0.90 ← current
Claude Opus 4.6 $0.75 $3.75 $4.50
💡 Claude Haiku 4.5 would be 73% cheaper
Based on: <reasoning>
Always include the model comparison table. Be honest about uncertainty — these are estimates, not guarantees.