token-diet

token-diet is a set of rules you bolt onto a coding agent to make it stop wasting tokens. It trims the padding out of replies, docs, tests, and tool calls, the verbose scaffolding an agent emits by default, without dropping the parts that matter for correctness. Works with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, and Cline through their session hooks. One-line install and it is free.

There is no server and nothing to run. It installs a SessionStart hook or context file for whichever agent it detects, and you tune aggressiveness with flags, lite, ultra, or off when you want the agent verbose again. Because it works by steering style rather than intercepting traffic, setup is a single command and reversible in seconds.

The pitch is money. The project claims roughly 31 percent lower bills on average, with a wide range, and output reductions from 30 to 81 percent on real Sonnet runs. Take the averages with salt, savings depend heavily on how you work, but the direction is right: terser agents cost less. Solo developers burning through API credits: try it, the downside is a one-line uninstall. Teams on metered agent usage: worth an A/B test before rolling out.

The catch is that the repo ships without a stated license. No license technically means all rights reserved, so treat it as use-at-your-own-discretion until the author adds one, and know that terser output can occasionally clip context you actually wanted. Keep the off switch handy.