Cursor Cost Explorer

A privacy-first analyzer for Cursor IDE usage data. Transforms CSV exports into actionable cost insights and optimization recommendations.

Overview

Cursor IDE users spend $20-$370/month on AI coding assistance but lack visibility into their usage patterns and cost efficiency. This tool helps users:

• Understand costs: See where money is going at a glance
• Optimize spending: Get specific recommendations to save 30-50% on costs
• Improve efficiency: Identify model selection inefficiencies and cache optimization opportunities
• Privacy-first: All processing happens locally - your data never leaves your device

Architecture

Core Principle: One core analysis engine, multiple consumption interfaces.

• Core Domain Logic (src/domain/): Pure JavaScript domain logic with zero external dependencies
• Future Interfaces: Web UI, CLI, and JSON API will consume the core engine

Project Structure

cursor_cost_explorer/
├── src/
│   └── domain/          # Domain logic (pure JS, no dependencies)
├── docs/                # Project documentation
├── backlog/             # Project management and tasks
└── package.json

Requirements

• Node.js >= 24.0.0 (latest LTS)

Installation

Option 1: Install globally (recommended)

npm install -g cursor-cost-explorer

Option 2: Use with npx (no installation required)

npx cursor-cost-explorer <csv-file> [options]

Usage

After installation, analyze your Cursor IDE usage data:

# Basic usage - analyze CSV file
cursor-cost-explorer usage.csv

# Enable ASCII graphs for visual insights
cursor-cost-explorer usage.csv --show-graphs

# Save output to a file
cursor-cost-explorer usage.csv --output analysis.txt

# Export raw JSON for programmatic use
cursor-cost-explorer usage.csv --json --output analysis.json

Command Line Options

• <csv-file>: Path to CSV file exported from Cursor IDE (required)
• --show-graphs, -g: Enable ASCII graph generation (bar charts, trends)
• --output <file>, -o: Save output to file instead of stdout
• --json, -j: Output raw JSON (for programmatic use)
• --help, -h: Show help message
• --version, -v: Show version number

Setup (for development)

# Install latest Node.js LTS (if using nvm)
nvm install --lts
nvm use --lts

# Verify Node.js version
node --version  # Should be v24.x.x

Development

This project focuses on domain logic first with pure JavaScript and minimal dependencies.

Current Focus

• ✅ Project setup with latest Node.js
• 🔄 Domain types and data models
• 🔄 CSV parser and validation
• 🔄 Cost analysis engine
• 🔄 Model efficiency analysis
• 🔄 Plan optimization logic
• 🔄 Cache efficiency assessment
• 🔄 Savings opportunities identification
• 🔄 Usage pattern analysis
• 🔄 Core analysis engine and JSON export

License

ISC