Claude Code consumes tokens for each interaction. The average cost is $6 per developer per day, with daily costs remaining below $12 for 90% of users.

Track your costs

  • Use /cost to see current session usage
  • Anthropic Console users:
  • Max plan users: Usage is included in your Max plan subscription

Reduce token usage

  • Compact conversations:

    • Claude uses auto-compact by default when context exceeds 95% capacity

    • Toggle auto-compact: Run /config and navigate to “Auto-compact enabled”

    • Use /compact manually when context gets large

    • Add custom instructions: /compact Focus on code samples and API usage

    • Customize compaction by adding to CLAUDE.md:

      # Summary instructions
      
      When you are using compact, please focus on test output and code changes
      
  • Write specific queries: Avoid vague requests that trigger unnecessary scanning

  • Break down complex tasks: Split large tasks into focused interactions

  • Clear history between tasks: Use /clear to reset context

Costs can vary significantly based on:

  • Size of codebase being analyzed
  • Complexity of queries
  • Number of files being searched or modified
  • Length of conversation history
  • Frequency of compacting conversations

For team deployments, we recommend starting with a small pilot group to establish usage patterns before wider rollout.

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