I kept using AI tools and checking the bill later.
That felt backwards.
TokenBar came from a simple annoyance: I wanted to know what I was spending while I was using the model, not after the invoice landed.
When cost is hidden, you stop noticing it. You ask one more thing. Then one more. Then the monthly number shows up and you have no idea where it came from.
So I built a tiny Mac app that makes the token cost visible in the menu bar in real time.
It is not about guilt. It is about feedback.
If a tool can show me how much I am using, I can make better calls faster. That is the whole point.
I still think AI is insanely useful. I just do not want surprise invoices to be the way I learn about my habits.
That was the seed for TokenBar.
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