Cache Control
Cache hit meter and expiry countdown above the prompt.
Illustration. Actual results depend on the mod, terminal and environment.
Install
Installation is unusual; follow the original author’s instructions
Read the author’s instructions ↗What it accesses
Based on the author’s documentation, checked when listed; use claude plugin validate to check for yourself.
Reads
YesReads per-request cache usage, rate-limit windows, env vars, and a few keys in ~/.claude.json and settings.
Writes files
UnspecifiedREADME has no permissions section; no file-write calls seen in the code.
Runs commands
UnspecifiedREADME has no permissions section; no process-spawn calls seen in the code.
Network
UnspecifiedREADME has no permissions section; no network calls seen, it only reads usage data.
Introduction
Cache Control is a Claude Code function-hooks mod from claude-code-templates. It draws a cache meter above the prompt: per request, how much the cache served, how much was written and how much went uncached, with a countdown to expiry and advice to keep going, /compact or /clear. /cache opens a pane with a time-left bar and a per-turn table; toasts warn as the cache runs out.
- The lifetime follows Claude Code's own rules (1 hour on a subscription, 5 minutes on an API key, cloud provider or usage credits, plus the env variables and
promptCacheTtl) and self-corrects from request timing. - When Claude Code 2.1.290+ idle compaction is armed, the band adds a compaction countdown; the flag is read from
~/.claude.jsonand nothing shows without it. - Options: ttl, warnSeconds, compactAtTokens, band, status, toast, idleCompact.
Install via npx. Not run by us; the preview is illustrative.
Who it is for
- People who want to avoid rewriting a whole prompt after the cache lapses
- Users deciding when to compact or clear in long sessions
Requirements
- Claude Code ≥ 2.1.287
- Install: npx claude-code-templates@latest --mod observability/prompt-cache-control
- The idle-compaction countdown needs Claude Code 2.1.290+ with the feature rolled out.