Guides & Architecture Insights
Not listicles. Each guide is the math a working developer needs — where the money goes, which architectural choices move it, and what to do about it. Every claim carries a date.
Flagship
First-Gen vs Second-Gen AI Coding Agents: The Token Math That Decides Who Wins
Why two agents on the same model can differ 4x in cost per day: system prompt weight, file reading strategy, and prompt caching. The architectural generation gap, quantified.
September 15, 2026
The Output Token Trap: Thinking Loops Burn $20 Before Writing 5 Lines of Code
Output tokens cost 3–5x input tokens. Unbounded agent 'thinking' loops exploit that asymmetry — here's the math and the circuit breakers that stop it.
September 15, 2026
The Prompt Caching Trap: Why Your AI Agent Pays Full Price Every Turn
Prompt caching cuts repeated-context cost by ~90% — but only if the prefix stays byte-identical. How agents silently break their own cache and double your bill.
September 15, 2026