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token budget
The window is finite. Every file you add crowds out the one that mattered.
What is token budget?
Tokens are the unit of context: prompt, files, history, images. A token budget is the hard cap. Overflow is silent: old instructions fall out of the window, not onto the floor where you can see them.
Why does token budget matter when vibe coding?
A long vibe-coding thread feels informed and is actually amnesiac. The model “forgets” the spec because you buried it. Context engineering is budgeting, not hoarding.
How do you do token budget?
New thread when the chat is fat. Re-pin the spec file. Do not dump the repo. Count files like they cost rent, because they do.
How do you ask a model for token budget?
Context is tight. Use only these files: (list). Do not reread the whole repo. The spec file is source of truth.
What goes wrong with token budget?
“Add everything so it has full picture.” The full picture is how the spec falls out of the window.