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Token Economics

What screenshots, recordings and sessions cost, in numbers you can check.

Token Economics

Why UI work burns more Claude Code tokens than backend work

A screenshot is not paid for once. In a multi-turn session it is re-sent every turn, so 2,691 tokens becomes 26,910 over ten. The math, and the fix.

Updated August 2026 · 6 min read
Token Economics

Why your Claude Max plan runs out faster than you expect

Claude usage limits are token-based, not message-based. Long visual sessions compound fast, and the fixes cost nothing.

Updated August 2026 · 8 min read
Token Economics

What Is a Context Window? (And Why Filling It Hurts)

A context window is everything one request holds. Claude models now run 200,000 or 1M tokens, and one 30-second frame dump costs 80,730 of them.

Updated August 2026 · 6 min read
Token Economics

What does one Claude Code session actually cost?

A line-item breakdown of a Claude Code session: what is fixed, what is not, and why 2,691-token screenshots often dominate the bill.

Updated August 2026 · 8 min read
Token Economics

Video, Screenshots or Words: The Real Cost to an AI

What a frame-dumped video, screenshots and spoken words each cost an AI coding agent to read, worked from Anthropic's published patch formula.

Updated August 2026 · 7 min read
Token Economics

11 Ways to Cut Claude Code Token Costs

Eleven ways to cut Claude Code token costs, ranked by tokens saved per minute of effort. Ten are free; one costs money.

Updated August 2026 · 7 min read
Token Economics

Claude Code token costs: where your context actually goes

A 1080p screenshot costs 2,691 tokens on Claude 4.7 and later. Where the rest of a Claude Code session's tokens actually go, line by line.

Updated August 2026 · 9 min read
Token Economics

Why Your Coding Agent Can't Watch a Screen Recording

Claude accepts images, not video. What actually happens when you frame-dump a screen recording for your agent, and what the frames cost.

Updated August 2026 · 7 min read
Token Economics

How Many Tokens Does a Screenshot Cost Your AI Coding Agent?

A 1080p screenshot costs 2,691 tokens on Claude 4.7 and later, capped at 4,784. The formula, a measured test, and what to send instead.

Updated August 2026 · 11 min read
Token Economics

How Claude Calculates Image Tokens (the Formula, Explained)

Claude prices an image at one token per 28x28-pixel patch, capped at 4,784. The formula worked on a 1920x1080 screen and a measured 1288x811 test.

Updated August 2026 · 7 min read