---
title: Goose
description: How ClawMetry observes Goose — where its data lives, the environment variables that move it, what cost data is real, and the traps in its store.
eyebrow: Runtime reference
---

# Goose

Goose is Block's open-source agent. Since 1.35.0 every session lives in one shared SQLite database rather than per-session files, and that database records real token totals — so Goose is one of the few runtimes where usage is vendor truth rather than a reconstruction.

| | |
|---|---|
| **Runtime id** | `goose` |
| **Category** | Open-source agent (Rust CLI + desktop) |
| **Vendor** | Block |
| **Tier** | Free in the OSS package |
| **Upstream** | [github.com/block/goose](https://github.com/block/goose) |

## Where the data comes from

ClawMetry reads these locations, in order, and never writes to any of them.

- `$GOOSE_PATH_ROOT/data/sessions/sessions.db` — when set to an absolute path
- `%APPDATA%\Block\goose\data\sessions\sessions.db` — Windows
- `${XDG_DATA_HOME:-~/.local/share}/goose/sessions/sessions.db` — macOS and Linux

**Format.** One SQLite database with `sessions` and `messages` tables; `content_json` is an array of typed content blocks.

## Environment variables

| Variable | Effect |
|---|---|
| `GOOSE_PATH_ROOT` | Goose's own data-root override |
| `CLAWMETRY_GOOSE_DB` | point ClawMetry straight at a sessions.db |
| `XDG_DATA_HOME` | honoured on macOS as well as Linux |

See [Environment variables](/docs/config/environment/) for the variables that apply to every runtime.

## Tokens and cost

**Tokens.** Real, on disk: `sessions.total_tokens`, `input_tokens`, `output_tokens`. Per-message `tokens` is observed NULL, so event-level counts stay zero and the session totals carry the truth.

**Cost.** `accumulated_cost` is populated for paid providers. For a local Ollama model it is NULL, and ClawMetry reports cost as unknown rather than inventing a zero.

:::note Why this section exists
Runtimes differ enormously in what they persist. Rather than showing a plausible number everywhere, ClawMetry reports what the store actually contains and marks the rest unknown. A cost of `$0.00` and a cost of *unknown* mean different things, and the dashboard keeps them different.
:::

## Things worth knowing

- Goose uses XDG paths on **macOS**, not `~/Library/Application Support`. This is the single most common wrong guess about where its data lives.
- Tool results arrive on a `role=user` message because the runtime feeds tool output back as a user turn. ClawMetry classifies by block type, not row role.

## Verify it is being read

```bash
# Is this runtime detected, and would this install unlock it?
clawmetry runtimes --json | jq '.runtimes[] | select(.id=="goose")'

# Why is it locked, if it is?
clawmetry runtimes --why goose

# Any sessions ingested yet?
curl -s 'http://localhost:8900/api/local/sessions?limit=5' \
  | jq '.rows[] | {session_id, agent_id, events, cost_usd}'
```

If detection succeeds but no sessions appear, work through [Troubleshooting](/docs/ops/troubleshooting/) — the usual causes are a relocated data directory (set the override above), a session limit that is hiding older runs, or a runtime that simply has not written anything yet.