OpenRouter Monitor

Open source

A native menu bar utility that makes OpenRouter account health and model activity visible without opening a dashboard.

View repository

My role: Product Designer and Developer
Platform: Native macOS utility
Built with: Swift, SwiftUI, OpenRouter API, Keychain

OpenRouter Monitor overview showing account balance, spend and recent usage in a native macOS panel. — The overview prioritises the account signals that are useful during day-to-day model work.

The problem

Balance, spend and model activity were easy to lose inside a browser dashboard.

My approach

Compress the useful account signals into a fast, native menu bar workflow.

The result

An open-source macOS utility available on GitHub, designed for quick account checks.

The decisions
behind the product.

OpenRouter makes a broad model catalogue available through one account, but checking balance, spend and recent model activity usually means returning to a browser dashboard.

Keep the product glanceable

The overview concentrates on balance, spend and recent activity instead of mirroring every dashboard control.

Use the native platform

A macOS menu bar app keeps the account check close to the work without adding another browser tab.

Separate overview from detail

Model and activity views add depth only when it is needed, preserving a quiet default state.

Make the implementation inspectable

Publishing the repository keeps the utility's scope, security choices and current status transparent.

From thinking to making.

Recent account activity

A dedicated activity view turns raw usage records into a compact chronological account of model calls.

OpenRouter Monitor activity view showing recent model usage in a native macOS panel. — Recent activity remains available without overwhelming the account overview.

Model mix made legible

The models view groups usage into a form that is easier to compare than a raw request log.

OpenRouter Monitor models view summarising recent model usage. — Model usage is presented as supporting context rather than a vanity dashboard.

What came out of it.

Open-source macOS utility

The working application and its source are available publicly on GitHub.

Faster account check

Balance, spend, model mix and recent activity are brought into one native, glanceable workflow.

Deliberately bounded scope

The product supports everyday monitoring while sending deeper account management back to OpenRouter.

Constraints, lessons and next steps

The constraints

Credentials needed to remain in the macOS Keychain rather than application preferences or logs.
The utility had to stay useful at menu bar scale instead of reproducing the full web dashboard.
Account data needed honest labels and safe empty, loading and error states.

What I learnt

The first useful slice focused on the account overview rather than broad dashboard parity.
Activity and model views were added as supporting layers once the glanceable hierarchy was clear.
The public repository remains the source of truth for the utility's current implementation and availability.
Product restraint applied to a small repeated workflow.
Hands-on native development across data, security and interface states.
Open-source delivery that makes technical capability inspectable.