One-page quick reference. Print it, bookmark it, pin it. Every strategy links to a detailed guide.
Pricing verified: 2026-07-25. Sources: platform pricing, models overview, model deprecations, migrating to Opus 5, fast mode, prompt caching, introducing Fable 5 / Mythos 5.
| Model | Input / 1M tokens | Output / 1M tokens | Cache Hit / 1M | 5m Cache Write | 1h Cache Write | Context | Max Output | Min cache | Relative Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fable 5 (highest capability) | $10.00 | $50.00 | $1.00 | $12.50 | $20.00 | 1M | 128K | 512 | 2x baseline |
| Mythos 5 (limited, Glasswing) | $10.00 | $50.00 | $1.00 | $12.50 | $20.00 | 1M | 128K | 512 | 2x baseline |
| Opus 5 (Opus flagship) | $5.00 | $25.00 | $0.50 | $6.25 | $10.00 | 1M | 128K | 512 | 1x (baseline) |
| Opus 4.8 (legacy) | $5.00 | $25.00 | $0.50 | $6.25 | $10.00 | 1M | 128K | 1,024 | 1x (baseline) |
| Opus 4.7 | $5.00 | $25.00 | $0.50 | $6.25 | $10.00 | 1M | 128K | 2,048 | 1x (baseline) |
| Opus 4.6 | $5.00 | $25.00 | $0.50 | $6.25 | $10.00 | 1M | 128K | 4,096 | 1x (baseline) |
| Opus 4.5 | $5.00 | $25.00 | $0.50 | $6.25 | $10.00 | 200K | 64K | 4,096 | 1x (baseline) |
| Opus 4.1 | $15.00 | $75.00 | $1.50 | $18.75 | $30.00 | 200K | 32K | 1,024 | 3x baseline |
| Sonnet 5 (Sonnet flagship) | $3.00 | $15.00 | $0.30 | $3.75 | $6.00 | 1M | 128K | 1,024 | ~1.7x cheaper |
| Sonnet 4.6 | $3.00 | $15.00 | $0.30 | $3.75 | $6.00 | 1M | 64K | 1,024 | ~1.7x cheaper |
| Sonnet 4.5 | $3.00 | $15.00 | $0.30 | $3.75 | $6.00 | 200K | 64K | 1,024 | ~1.7x cheaper |
| Haiku 4.5 | $1.00 | $5.00 | $0.10 | $1.25 | $2.00 | 200K | 64K | 4,096 | 5x cheaper |
| Opus 5 / 4.8 (Fast Mode) | $10.00 (2x) | $50.00 (2x) | N/A | -- | -- | 1M | 128K | -- | 2x baseline |
| Mythos Preview (retired 2026-06-30) | $25.00 | $125.00 | $2.50 | $31.25 | $50.00 | 1M | -- | 2,048 | 5x baseline output |
Output tokens cost 5x more than input tokens across all current models. Reducing Claude's verbosity is high-leverage.
1M context on Opus 5 / 4.8 / 4.7 / 4.6 / Sonnet 5 / Sonnet 4.6 is at standard rates -- no long-context premium. (Earlier "2x over 200K" pricing is obsolete.) Haiku 4.5, Sonnet 4.5, Opus 4.5, and Opus 4.1 are 200K-context only. Sonnet 5 (
claude-sonnet-5) has introductory pricing of $2/$10 through 2026-08-31, then standard $3/$15.Cache pricing math: 5m write = 1.25x base input; 1h write = 2x base input; cache hit/refresh = 0.1x base input. So a 5m cache pays off after 1 reuse, a 1h cache after 2 reuses. Multipliers stack with Batch (50% off) and data residency (+10%).
Min cache column = minimum cacheable prompt length. Below it, a
cache_controlblock does nothing -- no error, no discount, full input price every turn. Opus 5 halves Opus 4.8's threshold (1,024 -> 512), so prompts that never cached on 4.8 start caching for free on 5. Haiku 4.5 / Opus 4.6 / Opus 4.5 need 4,096 tokens before caching does anything at all.Opus 5 / 4.8 / 4.7 tokenizer: The tokenizer introduced with Opus 4.7 uses up to 35% more tokens for the same text. Effective per-task cost is higher than posted pricing implies. Budget accordingly when comparing 5 / 4.8 / 4.7 to 4.6 / Sonnet 4.6.
Opus 5 (GA 2026-07-24): the Opus-tier flagship and Anthropic's recommended default for complex agentic coding. $5/$25 -- identical to Opus 4.8, so the upgrade is free at the posted rate, but three behaviors change your bill: (1) adaptive thinking is ON by default when you omit the
thinkingparam, and reasoning tokens bill as output at $25/1M withmax_tokenscapping thinking plus text (raise it to 64K+ atxhigh/max); (2)thinking: {type:"disabled"}is legal only at efforthighor below -- combining it withxhigh/maxreturns a 400; (3) min cacheable prompt is 512 tokens. Output also runs longer than 4.8 by default, so re-tune verbosity instructions, and drop any "verify your work" instruction you carried over (it self-verifies). Ships cybersecurity classifiers -- pair with the server-sidefallbacksparam (betaserver-side-fallback-2026-07-01) to auto-retry cyber refusals on Opus 4.8. Batch $2.50/$12.50. Knowledge cutoff May 2026. New betamid-conversation-tool-changes-2026-07-01lets tools change between turns without busting the cache.Fable 5 (GA 2026-06-09): Anthropic's highest-capability model -- a Mythos-class tier above Opus at $10/$50 (2x Opus 5). Always-on adaptive thinking (no
disabled; control depth witheffort,lowthroughxhigh/max). Safety classifiers may decline requests: HTTP 200 +stop_reason: "refusal"; pre-output refusals cost $0; the betafallbacksparam retries on another model server-side, and fallback credit refunds the cache-switch cost. No Fast Mode; Batch supported ($5/$25). Requires 30-day data retention. Cost note: for cost-sensitive work, Opus 5 at half the rate is the sweet spot -- reach for Fable 5 when the task genuinely needs the extra capability (hardest reasoning, longest agentic runs).Mythos 5: same model, specs, and price as Fable 5 but without safety classifiers. Limited availability via Project Glasswing only. Successor to Mythos Preview (retired 2026-06-30).
Opus 4.8 status: moved to legacy by the Opus 5 launch. Same $5/$25 price, so there is no cost reason to stay -- migrate unless your prompts are tuned to this snapshot or you need thinking off at
xhigh/max(which Opus 5 rejects). Still the server-side fallback target for Opus 5 cyber refusals. Earliest retirement 2027-05-28.Fast Mode (research preview): Opus 5 and Opus 4.8 only, via the
fast-mode-2026-02-01beta header (speed: "fast"). Both at 2x ($10 / $50 per MTok). Up to 2.5x output tokens/second -- the gain is on OTPS, not time-to-first-token. Opus 4.7 now errors onspeed: "fast"with no fallback; Opus 4.6 silently runs standard speed at standard rates (usage.speedreturns"standard"). The old 6x Opus 4.7 / 4.6 Fast Mode tier no longer exists. Claude API + Managed Agents only: NOT on Claude Platform on AWS, Bedrock, Vertex AI, Microsoft Foundry, Batch API, or Priority Tier. Switching speeds invalidates prompt cache. Dedicated rate limits viaanthropic-fast-*response headers. Join the waitlist.Subscriptions: Pro $20/mo (or $200/yr ≈ $16.67/mo, ~17% off). Max 5x $100/mo. Max 20x $200/mo. Batch API: 50% off both input and output. Regional endpoints (Bedrock / Vertex AI / Claude API
inference_geo: "us", scope = Sonnet 4.5+, Haiku 4.5+, Opus 4.5+, and all future models): +10% premium.
| Model | Extended thinking | Adaptive thinking | Default state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fable 5 | No | Yes (always on) | On, cannot disable |
| Mythos 5 | No | Yes (always on) | On, cannot disable |
| Opus 5 | No | Yes | On by default |
| Opus 4.8 | No | Yes | Off unless requested |
| Opus 4.7 | No | Yes | Off unless requested |
| Opus 4.6 | Yes | Yes | Off unless requested |
| Opus 4.5 | Yes | -- | Off unless requested |
| Sonnet 5 | No | Yes | Off unless requested |
| Sonnet 4.6 | Yes | Yes | Off unless requested |
| Sonnet 4.5 | Yes | -- | Off unless requested |
| Haiku 4.5 | Yes | No | Off unless requested |
Extended thinking adds explicit reasoning tokens you pay for as output. Adaptive thinking lets the model decide when and how much to think based on task difficulty -- no separate billing flag. Opus 4.7 replaced extended thinking with adaptive thinking + the
xhigheffort level; Opus 4.8 keeps the same surface and defaultsefforttohigh.Opus 5 flips the default: omit the
thinkingparam and it thinks adaptively, billing those tokens as output at $25/1M.max_tokenscaps thinking plus text, so a value carried over from 4.8 can be consumed by thinking before the answer starts -- budget 64K+ if you runxhigh/max. To turn it off, sendthinking: {type: "disabled"}, but only at efforthighor below: pairingdisabledwithxhighormaxreturns a 400.On Fable 5 / Mythos 5 thinking is always on -- omit the
thinkingparam (an explicitdisabledreturns a 400) and control depth purely witheffort.
Recently retired (requests will fail):
| Model | Retired on | Migrate to |
|---|---|---|
Opus 3 (claude-3-opus-20240229) |
2026-01-05 | Opus 5 |
Sonnet 3.7 (claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219) |
2026-02-19 | Sonnet 5 |
Haiku 3.5 (claude-3-5-haiku-20241022) |
2026-02-19 (still on Bedrock + Vertex AI) | Haiku 4.5 |
Haiku 3 (claude-3-haiku-20240307) |
2026-04-20 | Haiku 4.5 |
Sonnet 4 (claude-sonnet-4-20250514) |
2026-06-15 | Sonnet 5 |
Opus 4 (claude-opus-4-20250514) |
2026-06-15 | Opus 5 |
Mythos Preview (claude-mythos-preview) |
2026-06-30 | Mythos 5 (Glasswing) |
Upcoming retirements:
| Model | Retirement date | Migration target |
|---|---|---|
Opus 4.1 (claude-opus-4-1-20250805) |
August 5, 2026 | Opus 5 |
Sonnet 4.5 (claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929) |
Not before 2026-09-29 | Sonnet 5 |
Haiku 4.5 (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) |
Not before 2026-10-15 | (current) |
Opus 4.5 (claude-opus-4-5-20251101) |
Not before 2026-11-24 | Opus 5 |
Opus 4.6 (claude-opus-4-6) |
Not before 2027-02-05 | Opus 5 |
Sonnet 4.6 (claude-sonnet-4-6) |
Not before 2027-02-17 | Sonnet 5 |
Opus 4.7 (claude-opus-4-7) |
Not before 2027-04-16 | Opus 5 |
Opus 4.8 (claude-opus-4-8) |
Not before 2027-05-28 | Opus 5 |
Fable 5 (claude-fable-5) |
Not before 2027-06-09 | (current) |
Sonnet 5 (claude-sonnet-5) |
Not before 2027-06-30 | (current) |
Opus 5 (claude-opus-5) |
Not before 2027-07-24 | (current) |
Opus 4.1 is the only near-term forced migration left -- it retires August 5, 2026 (about 11 days out) and costs 3x current Opus rates until then. Everything else on this list is a year or more away.
Off-Peak 2x Usage: Anthropic periodically runs promotional events that double usage limits outside peak hours (typically 8 AM - 2 PM ET) and on all weekends. If you're outside the US, your entire workday likely falls in the 2x window. Watch the Anthropic blog for announcements.
CLI Cost Controls:
--max-budget-usd <amount>caps spending per session.--fallback-model <model>auto-switches to a cheaper model when the primary is overloaded.
Migration context for code still pinned to older model IDs. Do not use these for new work -- prices, IDs, and capabilities are kept here for archive value only.
| Model | Retired on | Last priced at (input / output per 1M) | Migrate to |
|---|---|---|---|
Claude Opus 3 (claude-3-opus-20240229) |
2026-01-05 | $15 / $75 | Opus 5 |
Claude Sonnet 3.7 (claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219) |
2026-02-19 | $3 / $15 | Sonnet 5 |
Claude Haiku 3.5 (claude-3-5-haiku-20241022) |
2026-02-19 (still on Bedrock + Vertex AI) | $0.80 / $4 | Haiku 4.5 |
Claude Haiku 3 (claude-3-haiku-20240307) |
2026-04-20 | $0.25 / $1.25 | Haiku 4.5 |
Claude Sonnet 4 (claude-sonnet-4-20250514) |
2026-06-15 | $3 / $15 | Sonnet 5 |
Claude Opus 4 (claude-opus-4-20250514) |
2026-06-15 | $15 / $75 | Opus 5 |
Claude Mythos Preview (claude-mythos-preview) |
2026-06-30 | $25 / $125 | Mythos 5 (Glasswing) |
Claude Sonnet 3.5 v1 (claude-3-5-sonnet-20240620) |
2025-10-28 | $3 / $15 | Sonnet 5 |
Claude Sonnet 3.5 v2 (claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022) |
2025-10-28 | $3 / $15 | Sonnet 5 |
Claude Sonnet 3 (claude-3-sonnet-20240229) |
2025-07-21 | $3 / $15 | Sonnet 5 |
Claude 2 / 2.1 (claude-2.0, claude-2.1) |
2025-07-21 | $8 / $24 | Opus 5 |
| Claude Instant 1.x | 2024-11-06 | $0.80 / $2.40 | Haiku 4.5 |
| Claude 1.x | 2024-11-06 | $8 / $24 | Haiku 4.5 |
| Model | Deprecated on | Retirement date | Last priced at (input / output per 1M) | Migrate to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Claude Opus 4.1 (claude-opus-4-1-20250805) |
2026-06-05 | 2026-08-05 | $15 / $75 | Opus 5 |
The following pricing constructs were real but have since been retired or restructured. Listed here for migration context if you're reading older guides:
- "2x input, 1.5x output above 200K" long-context premium -- applied to Opus 4.1 and older. Obsolete on Opus 5 / 4.8 / 4.7 / 4.6, Sonnet 5, and Sonnet 4.6, which bill 1M context at standard rates.
- Opus 4.1 ($15/$75) -- original "Opus 4.x" pricing. Deprecated (retires 2026-08-05) and priced at 3x current Opus rates. Migrate to Opus 5 unless you have a specific compatibility need.
- 6x Fast Mode on Opus 4.7 / 4.6 ($30/$150) -- removed at the Opus 5 launch. Opus 4.7 now errors on
speed: "fast"; Opus 4.6 silently serves standard speed at standard rates. Fast Mode is Opus 5 / 4.8 only, both at 2x. - Bedrock-only ARN-versioned IDs like
anthropic.claude-opus-4-20250514-v1:0-- still resolve via the legacy InvokeModel/Converse path, but the new Mantle endpoint uses cleaner provider-prefixed IDs (anthropic.claude-opus-5). - Single endpoint type on Bedrock -- pre-Sonnet-4.5, all Bedrock traffic was effectively "global". The +10% regional premium is a 4.5+ generation construct.
These models are GA and priced but generally not the recommended target for new work -- listed under "Legacy" because they're previous-generation snapshots:
| Snapshot | Pricing (input / output per 1M) | Context | Earliest retirement | Why use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opus 4.8 | $5 / $25 | 1M | 2027-05-28 | Previous flagship -- same price as Opus 5. Pin only if prompts are tuned to it or you need thinking off at xhigh/max. Fallback target for Opus 5 cyber refusals |
| Opus 4.7 | $5 / $25 | 1M | 2027-04-16 | Pinned workloads. Fast Mode removed (errors) |
| Opus 4.6 | $5 / $25 | 1M | 2027-02-05 | Stable snapshot of the previous-tokenizer Opus. Fast Mode silently downgrades |
| Opus 4.5 | $5 / $25 | 200K | 2026-11-24 | Pinned workloads only |
| Opus 4.1 | $15 / $75 | 200K | 2026-08-05 | Compatibility only -- 3x more expensive, deprecated |
| Sonnet 4.6 | $3 / $15 | 1M | 2027-02-17 | Pinned workloads -- migrate to Sonnet 5 |
| Sonnet 4.5 | $3 / $15 | 200K | 2026-09-29 | Pinned workloads only |
Authoritative source for all dates: Anthropic model deprecations page.
| # | Strategy | Savings | Effort | Explanation | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Use cheaper models for simple tasks | 20-40% | 1 min | Run claude --model haiku for formatting, simple fixes, file lookups, and boilerplate - Haiku handles ~70% of routine work at 1/5th the cost of Opus |
Model Selection |
| 2 | Delegate work to subagents | 20-40% | 5 min | Subagent tool calls get their own isolated context; large file searches and multi-file reads happen outside your main conversation, keeping your primary context small | Workflow Patterns |
| 3 | Use Plan Mode before coding | 15-25% | 0 min | Press Shift+Tab to toggle Plan Mode - Claude thinks through the approach before writing code, preventing expensive trial-and-error cycles that waste output tokens |
Workflow Patterns |
| 4 | Trim CLAUDE.md to under 4,000 characters | 10-20% | 15 min | Every line loads as input tokens on every turn. Content beyond 4,000 chars/file is silently truncated. Total budget across all instruction files: 12,000 chars. Cut ruthlessly | Context Optimization |
| 5 | Preserve prompt cache | 10-25% | 5 min | Cached input tokens cost 90% less; keep CLAUDE.md and system context stable between turns - avoid editing CLAUDE.md mid-session, and keep conversation flow linear | Understanding Costs |
| # | Strategy | Savings | Effort | Explanation | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Configure .claudeignore |
5-15% | 2 min | Prevent Claude from indexing node_modules/, dist/, .git/, lock files, and build artifacts - these add thousands of tokens when Claude searches your project |
Context Optimization |
| 7 | Use /compact regularly |
10-20% | 0 min | Run /compact when conversation gets long (20+ turns) to summarize history and reset context window - prevents the exponential cost growth of long sessions |
Context Optimization |
| 8 | Set budget caps | 0%* | 1 min | Use claude --max-budget-usd 5 or configure in settings to prevent runaway sessions - does not save tokens directly but prevents surprise bills |
Understanding Costs |
| 9 | Create custom slash commands | 10-15% | 10 min | Define reusable commands in .claude/commands/ for repeated workflows - avoids re-explaining the same instructions across sessions, saving input tokens each time |
Workflow Patterns |
| 10 | Use batch operations | 15-30% | 5 min | Group related changes into single prompts instead of one-at-a-time requests - "rename X in all 12 files" beats 12 individual "rename X in this file" turns | Workflow Patterns |
| # | Strategy | Savings | Effort | Explanation | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Write concise prompts | 5-10% | Ongoing | Be specific and direct - "Add null check to processOrder in src/orders.ts line 47" beats "Can you look at the orders file and maybe add some error handling?" |
Context Optimization |
| 12 | Avoid reading entire large files | 5-15% | Ongoing | Point Claude to specific line ranges or functions instead of letting it Read a 2000-line file - use "read lines 100-150 of X" or reference functions by name |
Context Optimization |
| 13 | Start new sessions for new tasks | 10-20% | Ongoing | Fresh sessions have minimal context; a 50-turn session carries all prior history as input - start clean when switching tasks to avoid paying for irrelevant context | Understanding Costs |
| 14 | Use memory files over inline repeats | 5-10% | 5 min | Put project conventions in CLAUDE.md once rather than repeating "use single quotes" or "always add tests" in every prompt - say it once, reference forever | Context Optimization |
| 15 | Monitor with /usage |
Awareness | 0 min | Run /usage periodically to see token consumption in your current session - knowing where tokens go is the first step to reducing them |
Understanding Costs |
Is the task...
├── Absolute hardest reasoning, longest agentic runs, budget allows 2x? → Fable 5
├── Complex architecture, long agentic run, or hardest coding? → Opus 5
├── Standard feature work, code review, writing tests? → Sonnet 5
├── Simple fix, formatting, boilerplate, file lookup? → Haiku 4.5
└── Not sure? → Start with Sonnet 5
Switch models mid-session: Type /model and select, or start with claude --model sonnet.
Note: Opus 5 is priced at $5/$25 - the same as Opus 4.8 / 4.7 / 4.6, and the same price Sonnet used to be. The gap between models is smaller, so switching down to Haiku ($1/$5) provides a 5x savings, not 19x as it was historically. The Opus 4.7+ tokenizer can bump effective cost up to 35%, narrowing the gap further.
Watch thinking on Opus 5: it thinks by default, and reasoning tokens bill as output at $25/1M. For mechanical work where you would previously have used plain Opus 4.8, send
thinking: {type: "disabled"}(efforthighor below) or drop to Sonnet 5 instead of paying for reasoning you don't need.
| Feature | Anthropic API | Claude Platform on AWS | AWS Bedrock | Google Vertex AI | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard pricing | Base rates | Same (CCU billing) | Same (global) / +10% (regional) | Same (global) / +10% (regional) | Included in plan |
| Opus 5 availability | GA | GA | GA (anthropic.claude-opus-5) |
GA | Via /model |
| Sonnet 5 availability | GA | GA | GA | GA | Via /model |
| Haiku 4.5 availability | GA | GA | GA | GA | Via /model |
| 1M context | Yes (Opus 5/4.8/4.7/4.6, Sonnet 5/4.6) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fast Mode (research preview) | Yes (Opus 5 + 4.8, 2x) | No | No | No | (depends on plan) |
| Batch API (50% off) | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | N/A |
| Prompt caching | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Automatic |
| Data-residency premium | +10% (inference_geo: "us", 4.6+ models) |
+10% (inference_geo: "us") |
Bedrock regional pricing | Vertex regional pricing | -- |
| Fable 5 availability | GA | GA | GA | GA | Via /model (plan/API-key dependent) |
| Mythos 5 | Glasswing only | Glasswing only | Glasswing only | Glasswing only | -- |
Bedrock / Vertex: Same models, same capabilities. Global (cross-region) inference matches API pricing. Regional inference profiles add ~10%. The +10% premium scope is Sonnet 4.5+, Haiku 4.5+, Opus 4.5+, and all future models; older models retain their existing pricing.
Opus 5 on Bedrock: Generally available via Claude in Amazon Bedrock (the Messages-API endpoint) with model ID
anthropic.claude-opus-5. The legacy InvokeModel/Converse path with theus.anthropic.claude-opus-5cross-region inference profile works for backward compatibility. Google Cloud usesclaude-opus-5. (Fast Mode is Claude API + Managed Agents only -- not on Bedrock or Vertex.)Claude Platform on AWS: Anthropic-operated alternative on AWS Marketplace, billed in Claude Consumption Units (CCU) at $0.01 per CCU. Token usage is rated in USD at standard per-model rates, then converted to CCUs. Typically gets same-day feature parity with the Anthropic API. Fast Mode and Batch API are NOT available on this platform.
Turn Cost = (Input Tokens x Input Price) + (Output Tokens x Output Price)
Where Input Tokens =
System Prompt (~3,500 tokens, fixed)
+ CLAUDE.md (~7 tokens/line x number of lines)
+ Conversation History (grows each turn)
+ Tool Results (file contents, search results, command output)
+ MCP Responses (if using MCP servers)
Session Cost = Sum of all turns
- Prompt Cache Savings (up to 90% on repeated input)
node_modules/
dist/
build/
.next/
coverage/
*.lock
package-lock.json
yarn.lock
pnpm-lock.yaml
*.min.js
*.min.css
*.map
.git/
*.pyc
__pycache__/
.env
.env.*
*.log
# Daily development with budget cap
claude --model sonnet --max-budget-usd 5
# Quick fixes with cheapest model
claude --model haiku --max-budget-usd 1
# Complex work with Opus but capped
claude --model opus --max-budget-usd 20# Project: MyApp
Tech: TypeScript, React 19, Node 22, PostgreSQL
Style: ESLint + Prettier (run `npm run lint` before committing)
Tests: Vitest - run `npm test` for unit, `npm run e2e` for Playwright
Build: `npm run build` - must pass before PR
## Key Rules
- Prefer editing existing files over creating new ones
- Always add tests for new functions
- Use existing patterns from nearby files as referenceThat is 10 lines. It gives Claude everything it needs. Every extra line costs you tokens on every turn.
1. Start session → claude --model sonnet --max-budget-usd 5
2. Complex problem? → /model opus (switch up temporarily)
3. Plan first → Shift+Tab to toggle Plan Mode
4. Be specific → Reference exact files, line numbers, function names
5. Batch changes → Group related edits into one prompt
6. Monitor → /usage (check token consumption)
7. Getting long? → /compact (summarize and reset context)
8. Simple task? → /model haiku (switch down temporarily)
9. New topic? → Start a fresh session
10. Done → Check /usage - learn your patterns
| Fact | Number |
|---|---|
| Fable 5 output is ___ per 1M tokens | $50 (2x Opus 5) |
| Opus 5 output is ___ per 1M tokens | $25 (same as 4.8) |
| Haiku 4.5 is ___ cheaper than Opus on input | 5x (10x vs Fable 5) |
| Opus 5 minimum cacheable prompt | 512 tokens (half of Opus 4.8's 1,024) |
| Output tokens cost ___ more than input | 5x |
| Prompt cache discount | 90% |
| CLAUDE.md loads on every ___ | turn |
| CLAUDE.md max size per file | 4,000 characters (truncated beyond) |
| Total instruction file budget | 12,000 characters (across all CLAUDE.md files) |
| 1 line of code is roughly ___ tokens | ~10 |
| Token estimation rule of thumb | ~1 token per 4 bytes of text |
| Opus 4.7+ tokenizer overhead vs older models | up to +35% |
| 150-line CLAUDE.md per turn is roughly | ~1,050 tokens |
| 50-turn session CLAUDE.md cost (Sonnet 4.6) | ~$0.16 |
| 50-turn session CLAUDE.md cost (Opus 5, pre-cache) | ~$0.26 (factor +35% for new tokenizer) |
| Average tool result size | 500-5,000 tokens |
| Compaction trigger threshold | ~10,000 tokens of compactable content |
| Messages preserved after /compact | 4 most recent |
| Fable 5 / Opus 5 / 4.8 / 4.7 / 4.6 / Sonnet 5 max output per turn | 128K tokens |
| Sonnet 4.6 / 4.5 / Haiku 4.5 max output per turn | 64K tokens |
Output tokens cost 5x more than input across all models. Most strategies above target input -- these target the expensive side.
| Strategy | Savings (output) | How |
|---|---|---|
| Use a brevity skill (e.g. caveman) | 50-75% | System prompt that strips filler, pleasantries, and hedging from responses. Technical accuracy unchanged. See caveman |
| "Be concise" in CLAUDE.md | 20-40% | Add "Be concise. Skip explanations unless asked." to your CLAUDE.md. Simple but effective |
| Batch outputs | 10-20% | "Rename X in all files" (one response) vs 12 individual rename requests (12 responses) |
| Suppress explanations | 15-30% | "Just show the code, no explanation" or "diff only" for mechanical tasks |
| Use Plan Mode wisely | 10-20% | Plan Mode output is cheaper than failed code generation + correction cycles |
Research backing: A March 2026 study (arXiv:2604.00025) found that brevity constraints actually improved model accuracy by 26 percentage points on certain benchmarks. Less verbose does not mean less correct.
Your CLAUDE.md loads on every turn as input tokens. Applying brevity rules to it compounds savings:
BEFORE (68 chars):
"This project uses React with TypeScript. Always use functional components."
AFTER (42 chars, same info):
"React + TypeScript. Functional components only."
Every character saved in CLAUDE.md saves tokens on every turn of every session. At 30 turns/session and 3 sessions/day, a 1,000-character reduction saves ~165,000 input tokens/month.
Already spending too much? Do these right now:
- Switch to Haiku for the rest of the session:
/model haiku - Run
/compactto shrink conversation history - Start a new session if context is bloated beyond recovery
- Set a hard cap:
claude --max-budget-usd 2for the next session - Audit your CLAUDE.md - delete anything Claude does not need on every turn
| Resource | Link |
|---|---|
| Getting Started (5 min) | guides/00-getting-started.md |
| Understanding Costs (deep dive) | guides/01-understanding-costs.md |
| Context Optimization | guides/02-context-optimization.md |
| Model Selection Guide | guides/03-model-selection.md |
| Workflow Patterns | guides/04-workflow-patterns.md |
| Team Budgeting | guides/05-team-budgeting.md |
| Three-Tier Task Routing | guides/10-task-routing.md |
| Speed vs Cost | guides/11-speed-vs-cost.md |
| CLAUDE.md Templates | templates/CLAUDE.md/ |
| Token Estimator Tool | tools/token-estimator/ |
| Usage Analyzer Tool | tools/usage-analyzer/ |
| claude-rate (local setup rater) | tools/claude-rate/ |
| Caveman skill (output tokens) | github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman |
This cheatsheet covers the strategies. For the reasoning and benchmarks behind each one, read the full guides.