Set an explicit per-feature output ceiling instead of leaving max_tokens at a huge default, and reserve big budgets only for features that truly need them.
Give Each Feature a Token Budget and Enforce It with max_tokens
🔒 Pro tip · Intermediate
Unlock this tip — and 105 more
This is one of 106 advanced, fact-checked tactics reserved for Pro. Get the full 128-tip library, a searchable archive, and a new tip every morning. Free for 7 days, then $9/mo.
Prefer to browse? The 22 Beginner tips are free forever.
More in Measurement & Budgeting
📊Measurement & Budgeting
10-30% on prompts you would have sent bloated
Count Tokens Before You Hit Send, Not After the Bill Arrives
Measure a prompt's token count before sending it, so you catch oversized context while trimming it is still free.
📊Measurement & Budgeting
Prevents runaway-loop and leaked-key blowups; bounds worst-case spend rather than reducing normal usage
Set Hard Spend Caps in the Provider Console
Configure provider-side usage limits, budgets, and alerts so a bug, a retry storm, or a leaked key cannot quietly run your bill far past a ceiling you set in advance.
📊Measurement & Budgeting
Caps the tail: kills 10-50x blowouts on runaway agent sessions
Cap the loops by count, not tokens: spawn and search limits in Claude Code
Claude Code 2.1.212 added session caps on subagent spawns and WebSearch calls, both defaulting to a non-binding 200. Lower them to match your actual workload so a mis-planned agent hits a hard stop at 12 searches instead of quietly burning a full context window and the spend behind it.