The terse mindset
TTERSEISSUE 011 · SEPTEMBER 2026THE TERSE LETTER · 3 MIN READThe terse mindsetFewer tokens isn't just cheaper. It's clearer thinking — for you and the...
One team cut their AI bill by $1,400/mo
TTERSEISSUE 010 · AUGUST 2026THE TERSE LETTER · 3 MIN READOne team cut theirAI bill by $1,400/moAnonymized numbers from real Terse users. The patterns...
Keep your main thread cheap with subagents
TTERSEISSUE 009 · AUGUST 2026THE TERSE LETTER · 4 MIN READKeep the main threadcheap with subagentsOffload the messy searching. Bring back only the answer....
Why “the” is 1 token and “ChatGPT” is 2
TTERSEISSUE 008 · AUGUST 2026THE TERSE LETTER · 4 MIN READWhy “the” is 1 tokenand “ChatGPT” is 2A 4-minute tour of tokenization — and the abbreviations that...
You read 5 files when you needed 1
TTERSEISSUE 007 · JULY 2026THE TERSE LETTER · 4 MIN READYou read 5 fileswhen you needed 1Context bloat is the #1 hidden cost in agentic coding. Put your...
The free tier saves more than it costs
TTERSEISSUE 006 · JULY 2026THE TERSE LETTER · 3 MIN READThe free tier savesmore than it costs1,500 optimizations a week, $0. Here's what that's actually...
Markdown is quietly inflating your bill
TTERSEISSUE 005 · JULY 2026THE TERSE LETTER · 3 MIN READMarkdown is quietlyinflating your billEvery #, *, and ``` is a token. In long outputs, they pile up...
Your CLAUDE.md is 3× too long
TTERSEISSUE 004 · JUNE 2026THE TERSE LETTER · 4 MIN READYour CLAUDE.md is3× too longAnd it loads on every single turn. Trim it once, save all month.Your...
The politeness tax on your AI bill
TTERSEISSUE 003 · JUNE 2026THE TERSE LETTER · 3 MIN READThe politeness taxon your AI bill"Could you please possibly help me with…" — every soft word is a...
Your git diff is costing you 30K tokens
TTERSEISSUE 002 · JUNE 2026THE TERSE LETTER · 4 MIN READYour git diff iscosting you 30K tokensEvery turn. And most of it is noise you will never read.When...
How I cut my Claude bill by 73%
TTERSEISSUE 001 · MAY 2026THE TERSE LETTER · 4 MIN READHow I cut my Claudebill by 73%One config change. Sixty seconds. Most devs are leaving this money on...
