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Agent Evaluation & Observability

Argus

Argus is an open-source VS Code extension that reads Claude Code JSONL session transcripts and presents agent activity in an inspectable dashboard. It includes searchable session steps, tool-call and file-operation views, token and USD cost breakdowns, context metrics, and rule-based findings such as duplicate reads, retry loops and failed tools.

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Independent OpenViST project profile, based on linked sources.

Argus — OpenViST project profile in Agent Evaluation & Observability.
OpenViST project illustration. See the linked sources for product details.
Understand the project

Practical overview

When it fits

Use Argus when you have Claude Code session transcripts and want to investigate agent behavior, costs or execution patterns from inside VS Code. Keeping a session dashboard open while Claude Code runs enables the documented live transcript updates.

Who it is for

  • Developers using Claude Code who want to inspect how an agent session unfolded.
  • Teams and researchers reviewing tool use, token consumption, costs or context behavior across sessions.

Documented uses

  • Review a session as a searchable, filterable sequence of agent steps.
  • Inspect tool calls, prompts, subagent activity and file-operation relationships.
  • Break down token and USD costs by step or session, including input, output and cache activity.
  • Find patterns such as repeated reads, retry loops, failed tools and context pressure.
Before you choose

Requirements & limits

The project documents a VSIX installation route and a source-build route. VS Code 1.80 or later is required; Node.js 18 or later is required only to build from source. The repository identifies the project as open source under the MIT license.

  • Argus is specific to Claude Code transcripts stored under ~/.claude/projects/.
  • It runs as a VS Code extension and requires VS Code 1.80 or later.
  • The README says transcripts are not uploaded, while also documenting anonymous usage statistics to Google Analytics; telemetry can be disabled in Argus settings and is off when VS Code telemetry is off.
  • The documented implementation uses TypeScript, with a React 19 webview and Vite 7 bundler.

Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.

Source-based practical guide

Install Argus from a VSIX

Install the extension in VS Code to inspect existing Claude Code sessions.

Before you start

  • VS Code 1.80 or later
  • An existing Claude Code installation that writes sessions to ~/.claude/projects/
  • The Argus VSIX release file

Steps

  1. Download the latest VSIX from the project's Releases page.

  2. Install the VSIX in VS Code.

  3. Open VS Code and select the Argus eye icon in the Activity Bar.

  4. Select a listed session to open its analysis dashboard.

Expected outcome

Existing Claude Code sessions appear in Argus, where a selected session can be opened for analysis.

Guide limitations

  • The documented session discovery path is ~/.claude/projects/.
  • Live updates are described for a dashboard left open while Claude Code is running.
Documentation 1 ↗
Source-based practical guide

Build and install Argus from source

Compile and package the Argus VS Code extension from its repository.

Before you start

  • VS Code 1.80 or later
  • Node.js 18 or later
  • The Argus Git repository

Steps

  1. Clone the repository and change into the argus-vscode directory.

  2. Run npm install.

  3. Run npm run compile and npm run build:webview.

  4. Run npx vsce package, then install the resulting VSIX in VS Code.

Expected outcome

A packaged VSIX is produced for installation in VS Code.

Guide limitations

  • Node.js 18 or later is specified for building from source.
Documentation 1 ↗
Evidence and transparency

Sources & review

Official repository ↗
Source record details
Source availability
Active
Sources checked
12 October 2026
Original website title
yessGlory17/argus · Official homepage title · retained in its source language
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