How to check Factory Droid usage in the CLI, the app and on your desktop
Four places show your Droid usage, each answering a different question. Here is when to use which.
By ClaudeGPT Si Newsroom, Editorial team··3 min read
Here is how to check Factory Droid usage: run /limits inside the Droid CLI or open Settings > Usage in the Factory App; for usage over a past period, run /stats with a period. If you want the same numbers on your desktop next to your other coding agents, with an alert before a window fills, connect Factory to UsageAtlas, a free and open-source tracker.
Below are the steps for each place, what each one is good for, and the common reasons a number looks wrong.
Step 1: check your limits in the CLI
Start a Droid session and type /limits. Factory's CLI reference describes it as the place to manage token usage limits and overage preferences. On individual plans you are looking at three rolling windows, 5 hours, 7 days and 30 days. All three need headroom for a request to go through, so the one closest to full is the one that matters.
/limits is also where you act. If a window is spent, you can toggle Droid Core, the separate open-weight pool, or Extra Usage, Factory's prepaid credit, and retry straight away.
Step 2: look back with /stats
/limits is about right now. For history, run /stats followed by a period. Factory says it accepts relative periods and date ranges, so you can ask about last week or a specific stretch of days. /cost shows usage statistics as well.
While you are there, /context shows how full the current session's context window is. A nearly full context means each new turn sends more tokens, which drains your windows faster.
Step 3: check the Factory App
Factory's plan docs name Settings > Usage as the other place to monitor usage. On Enterprise organizations with usage alerts turned on, Settings > Usage > Organization Usage shows the organization's Standard credit use for the calendar month, and owners can set an alert threshold that emails at 80% and 100%. Factory notes that this threshold is informational and never blocks usage.
Step 4: track it on your desktop with UsageAtlas
The built-in views work, but only inside Factory and only when you look. UsageAtlas keeps them visible:
- Download UsageAtlas for Windows, macOS or Linux.
- Open Settings > Sources, find Factory / Droid and expand Connect.
- Paste a Factory API key and choose Save and check. If
FACTORY_API_KEYis already set in your environment or in~/.factory/.env, UsageAtlas can read it from there. - Open Limits. Standard and Core appear as separate meters, with any extra balance and reset times Factory reports.
- Set an alert on the window you hit most often.
Keys are stored with your operating system's encrypted storage and are left out of cloud saves. The app does not read your prompts or responses.
Which method fits which question
| Question | Best place |
|---|---|
| Can I send another request right now? | /limits or UsageAtlas |
| How much did I use last week? | /stats |
| Why is this session so heavy? | /context |
| Am I close to a limit while working in another tool? | UsageAtlas alert |
If Droid is the only agent you use and you check /limits often, Factory's own views may be all you need.
Common reasons a number looks off
- A pool has no percentage. Factory may leave an allowance out or report it as unlimited. UsageAtlas shows it as unknown rather than guessing.
- Old counter names. Some accounts still report older Standard or Premium counters.
- The key is stale. Replace it in Settings and check again.
Questions
Does UsageAtlas import /stats history?
No. Its Factory connection reads account limits and balances, not per-session history.
Can I check Factory Droid usage without the CLI?
Yes. Use Settings > Usage in the Factory App, or connect a Factory API key to UsageAtlas.