Claude Cost Optimizer
Save 30-60% on Claude Code costs with an installable skill, web tools, and 11 deep-dive guides.
Install
Claude Code (official plugin system):
/plugin marketplace add Sagargupta16/claude-cost-optimizer
/plugin install cost-mode@sagargupta16-claude-cost-optimizer
Multi-agent (Cursor, Cline, Codex, 40+ agents):
npx skills add Sagargupta16/claude-cost-optimizer
Then activate in any session:
/cost-mode # Standard (40-60% output token reduction)
/cost-mode lite # Professional brevity (20-40% output reduction)
/cost-mode strict # Telegraphic, max savings (60-70% output reduction)
/cost-mode off # Resume normal behavior
What cost-mode Does
| Feature | How It Saves Tokens |
|---|
| Strips filler | Drops pleasantries, hedging, restating your question, trailing summaries |
| Suggests cheaper models | "Haiku handles this -- /model haiku" for simple tasks |
| Suggests CLI tools | "Use prettier/eslint --fix directly" instead of burning LLM tokens |
| Session awareness | Reminds to /compact after 20+ turns, fresh sessions for new tasks |
| Minimal code gen | Diffs over rewrites, no obvious comments, no speculative error handling |
| Auto-deactivates | Full clarity for security warnings, destructive ops, and when you're confused |
Technical accuracy is never sacrificed. Code in commits and PRs is written normally.
Full skill documentation
Web Tools
No install needed -- use these in your browser:
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|
| Repo Analyzer | Paste a GitHub URL to get a cost audit, grade (A+ to F), and recommendations |
| Cost Calculator | Estimate monthly spend based on your model, sessions, and config |
| Badge Checker | Score your setup and get a shields.io badge for your repo |
Before vs After
Real project, 30-turn session, Opus 4.7:
BEFORE (no optimization): AFTER (5 minutes of setup):
CLAUDE.md: 6,200 chars (truncated) CLAUDE.md: 2,800 chars (under limit)
.claudeignore: missing .claudeignore: 12 patterns
MCP servers: 6 active MCP servers: 2 active
System prompt: ~15,000 tokens/turn System prompt: ~5,500 tokens/turn
Session cost: $2.85 Session cost: $1.12
Monthly (3x/day): $188.10 Monthly (3x/day): $73.92
Savings: $114.18/month (61%)
Quick Start (5 Minutes, No Skill Needed)
Even without installing the skill, these 5 changes cut costs immediately:
| # | Strategy | Savings | Guide |
|---|
| 1 | Keep CLAUDE.md under 4,000 characters -- content beyond 4K is silently truncated | 10-20% | Context Optimization |
| 2 | Use Haiku for simple tasks (--model haiku) -- 5x cheaper than Opus | 20-40% | Model Selection |
| 3 | Use Plan Mode before coding -- prevents wasted iterative cycles | 15-25% | Workflow Patterns |
| 4 | Add .claudeignore -- stop Claude from reading node_modules, dist, lock files | 5-15% | Context Optimization |
| 5 | Delegate to subagents -- isolate expensive searches from main context | 20-40% | Workflow Patterns |
Full walkthrough: Getting Started in 5 Minutes
Skills Roadmap
cost-mode is the first skill. More are planned: