Usage‑guard plugin warns Claude Code users before quota runs out

Eltony LFGI released usage‑guard, a free local plugin that reads Claude Code’s real 5‑hour and weekly quota percentages and alerts developers before limits are hit [Dev.to][GitHub].

What shipped

The plugin hooks into Claude Code’s Stop event and pulls the rate_limits data from the status line. When a configurable threshold (default 80 % of the 5‑hour window) is crossed, usage‑guard prints a warning in the console, giving the user a chance to pause or reprioritize work. If the quota endpoint is unavailable, the plugin falls back to a weighted‑budget estimate instead of breaking the session. Installation requires adding the plugin via the Claude marketplace command /plugin marketplace add eltonylfgi-blip/claude-code-usage-guard and a one‑line shim to ~/.claude/settings.json. The GitHub repo includes a setup guide and a /usage-guard:usage command that displays current percentages and reset timestamps. The repo recorded 267 installations in the first two weeks, according to the author’s metrics [Dev.to].

Why it matters

Real‑time quota visibility: Claude Code only surfaces quota data on demand, so developers often discover they have exhausted their window after costly calls. Usage‑guard surfaces the same data proactively, turning a post‑mortem problem into a live decision point.

Local, privacy‑preserving design: All calculations happen on the developer’s machine; no telemetry is sent to external services. This matches enterprise policies that restrict outbound data flows while still needing quota awareness.

Community‑driven tooling: The plugin is independent of Anthropic, showing that the ecosystem can extend Claude Code’s usability without official support. The 267 installs indicate demand for better quota management among LLM‑driven development teams.

Editor’s take

Usage‑guard relies on Claude exposing the rate_limits field; if future versions hide that field, the plugin will stop working. As long as the field remains available, the plugin provides a practical way to avoid unexpected quota exhaustion.

Reader poll

Which quota‑monitoring approach do you trust?

• Claude Code built‑in dashboard
• Local usage‑guard plugin
• Third‑party cloud monitoring
• Manual spreadsheet tracking