Microsoft VP releases open-source GPU monitor to track memory usage across processes
Scott Hanselman has published gputaskman, a new GitHub project that provides detailed visibility into GPU and VRAM consumption on Windows, Linux, and macOS systems.
Microsoft VP Scott Hanselman has unveiled gputaskman, a fresh open-source initiative available on GitHub. The tool functions as a GPU-focused task manager, though its capabilities extend further than the name alone suggests. Available for Windows, Linux, and macOS, gputaskman displays per-process GPU usage, VRAM consumption, active runtimes, and additional performance metrics. The software also includes specialized monitoring for AI and large language model workloads.
There's a lot going on in my GPU. I'm making a GPU Taskman to get insights to where my GPU memory is going. PRs welcome https://t.co/6FwKqnFWDWNovember 3, 2026
Scott Hanselman
Hanselman articulated the problem his tool addresses through a social media post. The prominent figure within Microsoft's developer relations organization explained his motivation in straightforward terms: "There's a lot going on in my GPU," he stated. "I'm making a GPU Taskman to get insights to where my GPU memory is going."
Screenshots demonstrating gputaskman's functionality reveal the terminal-style interface and the variety of information it presents. In one example from Hanselman's RTX 4080S system, the desktop windows manager emerges as the most VRAM-intensive application. The interface allows users to select individual processes and view detailed information below the main list. The display also captures AI and LLM applications consuming memory, alongside standard Windows components.
When the llama-server.exe application is selected in a GitHub-hosted screenshot, the lower section of the window provides granular details about the running model. The breakdown identifies Qwen3-0.6B as the active model and itemizes its weights, KV cache, parameter count, and related specifications. This level of detail offers substantial insight into GPU resource allocation.
Testing the portable Windows build of gputaskman version 0.3.0 revealed an initially quiet GPU. With no discrete GPU tasks running on the test laptop, the Unigine Valley benchmark was launched to activate the RTX 4060. The live-streaming charts displaying GPU load, VRAM utilization, temperature, and other metrics appeared more prominent in the test screenshots compared to Hanselman's published examples, suggesting possible refinements between releases.
The complete gputaskman repository on GitHub contains extensive documentation covering the tool's operation and underlying code. Hanselman has distributed his "experimental software" under the MIT license, a permissive open-source framework. In responses to social media comments, Hanselman suggested that enhanced GPU monitoring features might eventually become integrated into Windows itself.