DevValue — True Cost of AI-Era Software Engineering
What did this feature really cost?
Human focus time × your hourly rate + AI compute cost, tracked per git branch.
Most developers have no idea what a feature actually costs when you factor in both their time and Claude Code API spend. DevValue answers that question automatically.
How It Works
Total Cost = (Focus Time × Hourly Rate) + AI Token Cost
Focus Time is measured intelligently — reading code, reviewing AI output, and debugging all count. Idle gaps are detected and excluded.
AI Token Cost is parsed directly from Claude Code's local session logs (~/.claude/projects/), using published pricing per model.
Everything is scoped to your current git branch — so each feature, fix, or PR has its own cost record.
Features
PTA Flow Detection — dynamically extends the idle timeout (5→20 min) when you're actively reading/debugging, so flow state isn't broken mid-review
Claude Code Token Sniffing — stream-parses local JSONL logs, deduplicates by message ID, and maps tokens to exact model pricing (Sonnet, Haiku, Opus)
Branch Binding — switch branches, cost tracking switches with you; all history preserved per branch
Status Bar — live $(clock) 2h 15m | $(git-branch) main | $12.40 display; click to open dashboard
Dashboard — per-branch cost breakdown showing focus time, token counts (input/output/cache), and total spend
Requirements
VS Code 1.74.0 or later
Claude Code installed and used in the same workspace
Settings
Setting
Default
Description
devvalue.hourlyRate
75
Your hourly rate in USD
devvalue.maxIdleTimeout
300
Seconds before marking you as idle
devvalue.flowThreshold
3
Activity events/min to trigger flow mode
devvalue.claudeLogGlob
~/.claude/projects/*/*.jsonl
Optional override for Claude log path glob (uses workspace auto-detection by default)
devvalue.enableStatusBar
true
Show/hide the status bar item
Commands
DevValue: Open Dashboard — view per-branch cost breakdown
DevValue: Reset Branch Data — clear current branch's records
DevValue: Export Data — export all session data as JSON
Accuracy Note
DevValue uses Claude's published list prices. If you're on an Education or Enterprise plan with negotiated discounts, your actual bill will be lower than what DevValue reports. Token costs are scoped to the current workspace only.
