docs: add token optimization guide with recommended settings (#175)

Adds a comprehensive Token Optimization section to the README with:
- Recommended settings (model, MAX_THINKING_TOKENS, AUTOCOMPACT_PCT)
- Daily workflow commands table (/model, /clear, /compact, /cost)
- Strategic compaction guidance (when to compact vs not)
- Context window management (MCP tool description costs)
- Agent Teams cost warning
This commit is contained in:
Affaan Mustafa
2026-02-12 15:37:48 -08:00
parent f56fb331ac
commit 4209421349

View File

@@ -325,6 +325,7 @@ everything-claude-code/
| |-- saas-nextjs-CLAUDE.md # Real-world SaaS (Next.js + Supabase + Stripe) | |-- saas-nextjs-CLAUDE.md # Real-world SaaS (Next.js + Supabase + Stripe)
| |-- go-microservice-CLAUDE.md # Real-world Go microservice (gRPC + PostgreSQL) | |-- go-microservice-CLAUDE.md # Real-world Go microservice (gRPC + PostgreSQL)
| |-- django-api-CLAUDE.md # Real-world Django REST API (DRF + Celery) | |-- django-api-CLAUDE.md # Real-world Django REST API (DRF + Celery)
| |-- rust-api-CLAUDE.md # Real-world Rust API (Axum + SQLx + PostgreSQL) (NEW)
| |
|-- mcp-configs/ # MCP server configurations |-- mcp-configs/ # MCP server configurations
| |-- mcp-servers.json # GitHub, Supabase, Vercel, Railway, etc. | |-- mcp-servers.json # GitHub, Supabase, Vercel, Railway, etc.
@@ -883,18 +884,73 @@ These configs are battle-tested across multiple production applications.
--- ---
## ⚠️ Important Notes ## Token Optimization
Claude Code usage can be expensive if you don't manage token consumption. These settings significantly reduce costs without sacrificing quality.
### Recommended Settings
Add to `~/.claude/settings.json`:
```json
{
"model": "sonnet",
"env": {
"MAX_THINKING_TOKENS": "10000",
"CLAUDE_AUTOCOMPACT_PCT_OVERRIDE": "50"
}
}
```
| Setting | Default | Recommended | Impact |
|---------|---------|-------------|--------|
| `model` | opus | **sonnet** | ~60% cost reduction; handles 80%+ of coding tasks |
| `MAX_THINKING_TOKENS` | 31,999 | **10,000** | ~70% reduction in hidden thinking cost per request |
| `CLAUDE_AUTOCOMPACT_PCT_OVERRIDE` | 95 | **50** | Compacts earlier — better quality in long sessions |
Switch to Opus only when you need deep architectural reasoning:
```
/model opus
```
### Daily Workflow Commands
| Command | When to Use |
|---------|-------------|
| `/model sonnet` | Default for most tasks |
| `/model opus` | Complex architecture, debugging, deep reasoning |
| `/clear` | Between unrelated tasks (free, instant reset) |
| `/compact` | At logical task breakpoints (research done, milestone complete) |
| `/cost` | Monitor token spending during session |
### Strategic Compaction
The `strategic-compact` skill (included in this plugin) suggests `/compact` at logical breakpoints instead of relying on auto-compaction at 95% context. See `skills/strategic-compact/SKILL.md` for the full decision guide.
**When to compact:**
- After research/exploration, before implementation
- After completing a milestone, before starting the next
- After debugging, before continuing feature work
- After a failed approach, before trying a new one
**When NOT to compact:**
- Mid-implementation (you'll lose variable names, file paths, partial state)
### Context Window Management ### Context Window Management
**Critical:** Don't enable all MCPs at once. Your 200k context window can shrink to 70k with too many tools enabled. **Critical:** Don't enable all MCPs at once. Each MCP tool description consumes tokens from your 200k window, potentially reducing it to ~70k.
Rule of thumb: - Keep under 10 MCPs enabled per project
- Have 20-30 MCPs configured - Keep under 80 tools active
- Keep under 10 enabled per project - Use `disabledMcpServers` in project config to disable unused ones
- Under 80 tools active
Use `disabledMcpServers` in project config to disable unused ones. ### Agent Teams Cost Warning
Agent Teams spawns multiple context windows. Each teammate consumes tokens independently. Only use for tasks where parallelism provides clear value (multi-module work, parallel reviews). For simple sequential tasks, subagents are more token-efficient.
---
## ⚠️ Important Notes
### Customization ### Customization