inception-token-optimizer

# Inception Token Optimizer Reduce Inception API token consumption through prompt engineering, context management, and budget enforcement. ## Free-Tier Limits (Inception Labs) | Metric | Cap | |---|---| | Requests/min | 100 | | Input tokens/min | 100,000 | | Output tokens/min | 10,000 | ## Core Strategies ### 1. Prompt Compression - Remove redundant instructions, filler words, and repeated context. - Use short system prompts: "Concise answers. French." beats a 200-word persona block. - Avoid re-sending unchanged context — only send deltas. - Ask for short replies: "Réponds en < 100 mots." ### 2. Context Pruning - Before sending, estimate tokens: `len(text) // 4` (rough heuristic). - If total context > target budget, drop oldest messages and replace with a 1-2 sentence summary. - Use `references/pruning-strategies.md` for detailed patterns. ### 3. Caching - Identical prompts → reuse previous response. Do not re-call. - Hash the prompt; if seen recently (within session), return cached reply. - `scripts/lru_cache.py` provides a drop-in LRU cache (256 items default). ### 4. Model Selection - Use cheaper/faster models for simple tasks (summarisation, classification). - Reserve Mercury (or flagship) for complex reasoning only. - Batch trivial queries into a single prompt instead of multiple calls. ### 5. Output Budgeting - Set `max_tokens` explicitly — never leave it open-ended. - Target 150-200 output tokens for conversational replies. - Use `temperature=0.7` to reduce verbose wandering. ## Token Budget Guard `scripts/token_bucket.py` enforces per-minute caps using a sliding window: ```python from scripts.token_bucket import TokenBucket bucket = TokenBucket(req_per_min=100, in_tok_per_min=100_000, out_tok_per_min=10_000) bucket.wait_for_slot(in_tokens=500, out_tokens=200) # proceed with API call ``` Blocks until a slot is available. Use before every Inception API call. ## When to Use This Skill - Before sending a prompt to Inception → compress & prune first. - When monitoring costs → check token estimates. - When near free-tier limits → activate budget guard. - When building automation → integrate caching + bucket guard.