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

# Qwen Code

Qwen Code is a hard fork of Gemini CLI that rewrote the recorder, so it shares the lineage but not the format. Chat recording is opt-in, which is the first thing to check when a Qwen install shows no sessions.

| | |
|---|---|
| **Runtime id** | `qwen_code` |
| **Category** | Terminal coding agent |
| **Vendor** | Alibaba |
| **Tier** | Paid tier (Starter and up) |
| **Upstream** | [github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code](https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code) |

## Where the data comes from

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

- `~/.qwen/projects/<project-hash>/chats/<sessionId>.jsonl`

**Format.** One JSON record per line: a flat envelope (`uuid`, `parentUuid`, `sessionId`, `timestamp`, `type`, `model`) plus a nested `message` in Gemini `Content.parts` shape.

## Environment variables

| Variable | Effect |
|---|---|
| `QWEN_HOME` | points AT the data dir (contrast with GEMINI_CLI_HOME) |

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

## Tokens and cost

**Tokens.** Real: `usageMetadata` carries prompt, candidates, thoughts, cached and total counts.

**Cost.** Not recorded — the endpoint may be a free local Ollama — so cost is left unknown rather than fabricated.

:::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

- Chat recording only happens with `--chat-recording` or the `general.chatRecording` setting. Without it there is nothing on disk to read, and that is a Qwen setting, not a ClawMetry bug.
- `<project-hash>` is the working directory with `/` replaced by `-`, not a real hash.
- The on-disk assistant role is Gemini's `"model"` string; ClawMetry normalises it to `assistant`.

## Verify it is being read

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

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

# 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.