diff --git a/internal/ai/chat/cost_recording_test.go b/internal/ai/chat/cost_recording_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..79bd23fd2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/ai/chat/cost_recording_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+package chat
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/cost"
+)
+
+// TestRecordChatTurnCost_RecordsWhenStoreConfigured verifies the
+// canonical cost-recording site for user chat turns: when the
+// service has a cost store and the loop accumulated tokens, a
+// cost.UsageEvent lands in the store with UseCase="chat".
+//
+// This is the chat-side anchor for the same "every Chat caller
+// records cost" invariant the internal/ai audit test enforces.
+// The chat package can't use the function-local audit because
+// recording is delegated from the loop (which calls ChatStream) to
+// the orchestrator (which holds the cost store) — see
+// recordChatTurnCost in service.go. So we test the orchestrator's
+// recording site directly.
+func TestRecordChatTurnCost_RecordsWhenStoreConfigured(t *testing.T) {
+	store := cost.NewStore(7)
+	svc := &Service{costStore: store}
+	loop := &AgenticLoop{
+		totalInputTokens:  120,
+		totalOutputTokens: 45,
+	}
+
+	svc.recordChatTurnCost(loop, "anthropic:claude-test")
+
+	events := store.ListEvents(1)
+	if len(events) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 1 cost event, got %d", len(events))
+	}
+	ev := events[0]
+	if ev.UseCase != "chat" {
+		t.Errorf("UseCase = %q, want chat", ev.UseCase)
+	}
+	if ev.InputTokens != 120 || ev.OutputTokens != 45 {
+		t.Errorf("tokens = (%d, %d), want (120, 45)", ev.InputTokens, ev.OutputTokens)
+	}
+	if ev.RequestModel != "anthropic:claude-test" {
+		t.Errorf("RequestModel = %q, want anthropic:claude-test", ev.RequestModel)
+	}
+	if ev.Provider != "anthropic" {
+		t.Errorf("Provider = %q, want anthropic", ev.Provider)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRecordChatTurnCost_NoopWhenStoreNil verifies the recorder is
+// a no-op when the cost store is not configured. Self-hosted users
+// without cost tracking enabled should not see panics or errors.
+func TestRecordChatTurnCost_NoopWhenStoreNil(t *testing.T) {
+	svc := &Service{costStore: nil}
+	loop := &AgenticLoop{
+		totalInputTokens:  100,
+		totalOutputTokens: 50,
+	}
+	// Must not panic.
+	svc.recordChatTurnCost(loop, "anthropic:claude-test")
+}
+
+// TestRecordChatTurnCost_NoopWhenZeroTokens verifies the recorder
+// skips when the loop terminated before producing any tokens (e.g.
+// budget gate rejected the request before the first turn). Zero-
+// token events would pollute the dashboard.
+func TestRecordChatTurnCost_NoopWhenZeroTokens(t *testing.T) {
+	store := cost.NewStore(7)
+	svc := &Service{costStore: store}
+	loop := &AgenticLoop{
+		totalInputTokens:  0,
+		totalOutputTokens: 0,
+	}
+	svc.recordChatTurnCost(loop, "anthropic:claude-test")
+
+	if events := store.ListEvents(1); len(events) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 0 events for zero-token loop, got %d", len(events))
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRecordChatTurnCost_HandlesMalformedModel verifies provider
+// extraction tolerates model strings without a provider prefix
+// (defensive — the canonical pipeline always sends provider:model
+// but a future caller might not).
+func TestRecordChatTurnCost_HandlesMalformedModel(t *testing.T) {
+	store := cost.NewStore(7)
+	svc := &Service{costStore: store}
+	loop := &AgenticLoop{totalInputTokens: 10, totalOutputTokens: 5}
+
+	svc.recordChatTurnCost(loop, "bare-model-name")
+
+	events := store.ListEvents(1)
+	if len(events) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 1 event even for malformed model, got %d", len(events))
+	}
+	if events[0].Provider != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Provider should be empty for malformed model, got %q", events[0].Provider)
+	}
+	if events[0].RequestModel != "bare-model-name" {
+		t.Errorf("RequestModel should be passed through verbatim, got %q", events[0].RequestModel)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/ai/chat/service.go b/internal/ai/chat/service.go
index 3d73d36f8..e794924bf 100644
--- a/internal/ai/chat/service.go
+++ b/internal/ai/chat/service.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/google/uuid"
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/agentexec"
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/approval"
+	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/cost"
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/modelboundary"
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/providers"
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/tools"
@@ -87,6 +88,16 @@ type Config struct {
 	ReportNarrator         reporting.Narrator
 	ReportFleetNarrator    reporting.FleetNarrator
 	ReportFindingsProvider reporting.FindingsProvider
+
+	// Optional cost store. When set, ExecuteStream records a
+	// cost.UsageEvent after each chat turn so user-chat token usage
+	// appears in the operator dashboard alongside patrol, discovery,
+	// and report-narrative spend. Absent value means "don't record"
+	// — useful for tests and for callers that bring their own ledger.
+	// ExecutePatrolStream intentionally does NOT record here; its
+	// caller (patrol_ai.go) records via its own helper so cost is
+	// never double-counted on the patrol-via-chat path.
+	CostStore *cost.Store
 }
 
 // Service provides direct AI chat without external sidecar
@@ -113,6 +124,11 @@ type Service struct {
 	orgID                   string
 	controlLevelResolver    func(*config.AIConfig) string
 
+	// costStore receives a cost.UsageEvent after each ExecuteStream
+	// turn so user-chat token usage is visible in the operator
+	// dashboard. Nil means "don't record".
+	costStore *cost.Store
+
 	activeMu           sync.RWMutex
 	activeExecutions   map[string]map[*AgenticLoop]struct{}
 	questionExecutions map[string]*AgenticLoop
@@ -171,6 +187,7 @@ func NewService(cfg Config) *Service {
 		executor:             executor,
 		orgID:                strings.TrimSpace(cfg.OrgID),
 		controlLevelResolver: cfg.ControlLevelResolver,
+		costStore:            cfg.CostStore,
 		activeExecutions:     make(map[string]map[*AgenticLoop]struct{}),
 		questionExecutions:   make(map[string]*AgenticLoop),
 	}
@@ -245,6 +262,44 @@ func (s *Service) unregisterActiveLoop(sessionID string, loop *AgenticLoop) {
 	}
 }
 
+// recordChatTurnCost records a cost.UsageEvent for a completed (or
+// failed) user-chat agentic turn. Uses the totals accumulated by the
+// loop's stream callbacks so the recorded numbers match what the
+// frontend sees in the SSE done event. No-op when the cost store is
+// not configured or when the loop consumed zero tokens (an early
+// failure before the first turn completed). UseCase is "chat" — the
+// canonical taxonomy noted on cost.UsageEvent.UseCase.
+func (s *Service) recordChatTurnCost(loop *AgenticLoop, requestModel string) {
+	if s == nil || loop == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	s.mu.RLock()
+	store := s.costStore
+	s.mu.RUnlock()
+	if store == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	inputTokens := loop.GetTotalInputTokens()
+	outputTokens := loop.GetTotalOutputTokens()
+	if inputTokens == 0 && outputTokens == 0 {
+		return
+	}
+	providerName := ""
+	if requestModel != "" {
+		if idx := strings.Index(requestModel, ":"); idx > 0 {
+			providerName = strings.ToLower(requestModel[:idx])
+		}
+	}
+	store.Record(cost.UsageEvent{
+		Timestamp:    time.Now(),
+		Provider:     providerName,
+		RequestModel: requestModel,
+		UseCase:      "chat",
+		InputTokens:  inputTokens,
+		OutputTokens: outputTokens,
+	})
+}
+
 func (s *Service) registerQuestionLoop(questionID string, loop *AgenticLoop) {
 	if s == nil || questionID == "" || loop == nil {
 		return
@@ -812,6 +867,15 @@ func (s *Service) ExecuteStream(ctx context.Context, req ExecuteRequest, callbac
 		Err(err).
 		Msg("[ChatService] Agentic loop returned")
 
+	// Record cost regardless of error — the operator was billed for
+	// whatever tokens the loop consumed before terminating. Without
+	// this, every user chat turn was invisible in the AI usage
+	// dashboard despite chat being the bulk of token spend.
+	// ExecutePatrolStream uses a separate tempLoop and its caller
+	// (patrol_ai.go) records cost via its own helper, so no double-
+	// recording on the patrol-via-chat path.
+	s.recordChatTurnCost(loop, selectedModel)
+
 	if err != nil {
 		// Still save any messages we got
 		for _, msg := range resultMessages {
diff --git a/internal/ai/service.go b/internal/ai/service.go
index 8203f024c..3136412af 100644
--- a/internal/ai/service.go
+++ b/internal/ai/service.go
@@ -670,6 +670,16 @@ func (s *Service) GetAIConfig() *config.AIConfig {
 	return s.cfg
 }
 
+// CostStore returns the underlying usage cost store handle so callers
+// that own a Service can record cost events directly. Returned value
+// may be nil when persistence/initialization failed during NewService.
+// Consumers must nil-check before recording.
+func (s *Service) CostStore() *cost.Store {
+	s.mu.RLock()
+	defer s.mu.RUnlock()
+	return s.costStore
+}
+
 // GetCostSummary returns usage rollups for the last N days.
 func (s *Service) GetCostSummary(days int) cost.Summary {
 	s.mu.RLock()
diff --git a/internal/api/ai_handler.go b/internal/api/ai_handler.go
index 47759b062..4c166baec 100644
--- a/internal/api/ai_handler.go
+++ b/internal/api/ai_handler.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	airuntime "github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai"
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/approval"
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/chat"
+	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/cost"
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/tools"
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/unified"
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/config"
@@ -122,6 +123,14 @@ type AIHandler struct {
 	// return heuristic narrative. The ctx must carry the tenant org
 	// via GetOrgID — same convention the reporting handler uses.
 	reportNarratorResolver func(ctx context.Context) (reporting.Narrator, reporting.FleetNarrator, reporting.FindingsProvider)
+
+	// costStoreResolver returns the per-tenant cost store so chat
+	// sessions can record user-chat token usage to the same ledger
+	// patrol, discovery, and report-narrative spend already flow
+	// through. Wired by the router from AISettingsHandler.GetAIService.
+	// A nil return causes chat to skip recording — operator sees no
+	// chat spend in the dashboard but no error either.
+	costStoreResolver func(ctx context.Context) *cost.Store
 }
 
 // SetReportNarratorResolver wires the optional per-tenant
@@ -144,6 +153,24 @@ func (h *AIHandler) resolveReportNarrator(ctx context.Context) (reporting.Narrat
 	return h.reportNarratorResolver(ctx)
 }
 
+// SetCostStoreResolver wires the optional per-tenant cost store
+// resolver. When unset (or when the resolver returns nil), chat
+// sessions skip cost recording — useful for tests and for self-hosted
+// deployments where the operator hasn't enabled cost tracking.
+func (h *AIHandler) SetCostStoreResolver(resolver func(ctx context.Context) *cost.Store) {
+	if h == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	h.costStoreResolver = resolver
+}
+
+func (h *AIHandler) resolveCostStore(ctx context.Context) *cost.Store {
+	if h == nil || h.costStoreResolver == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return h.costStoreResolver(ctx)
+}
+
 // newChatService is the factory function for creating the AI service.
 // Can be swapped in tests for mocking.
 var newChatService = func(cfg chat.Config) AIService {
@@ -506,6 +533,7 @@ func (h *AIHandler) initTenantService(ctx context.Context, orgID string) AIServi
 	}
 
 	chatCfg.ReportNarrator, chatCfg.ReportFleetNarrator, chatCfg.ReportFindingsProvider = h.resolveReportNarrator(tenantCtx)
+	chatCfg.CostStore = h.resolveCostStore(tenantCtx)
 
 	svc := newChatService(chatCfg)
 	if err := svc.Start(ctx); err != nil {
@@ -742,6 +770,7 @@ func (h *AIHandler) Start(ctx context.Context, monitor *monitoring.Monitor) erro
 	}
 
 	chatCfg.ReportNarrator, chatCfg.ReportFleetNarrator, chatCfg.ReportFindingsProvider = h.resolveReportNarrator(serviceCtx)
+	chatCfg.CostStore = h.resolveCostStore(serviceCtx)
 
 	svc := newChatService(chatCfg)
 	if err := svc.Start(ctx); err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/api/router.go b/internal/api/router.go
index 29e681b2f..30d006255 100644
--- a/internal/api/router.go
+++ b/internal/api/router.go
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/baseline"
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/chat"
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/circuit"
+	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/cost"
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/forecast"
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/knowledge"
 	"github.com/rcourtman/pulse-go-rewrite/internal/ai/learning"
@@ -666,6 +667,22 @@ func (r *Router) setupRoutes() {
 		}
 		return svc, svc, svc
 	})
+	// Wire the per-tenant cost store into chat sessions so user-chat
+	// token usage flows into the same operator-facing dashboard the
+	// rest of the AI runtime uses (patrol, discovery,
+	// report-narrative). No Enabled gate — even when chat ran briefly
+	// while AI was being configured, those tokens were billed and
+	// should be visible.
+	r.aiHandler.SetCostStoreResolver(func(ctx context.Context) *cost.Store {
+		if r.aiSettingsHandler == nil {
+			return nil
+		}
+		svc := r.aiSettingsHandler.GetAIService(ctx)
+		if svc == nil {
+			return nil
+		}
+		return svc.CostStore()
+	})
 
 	// AI-powered infrastructure discovery handlers
 	// Note: The actual service is wired up later via SetDiscoveryService