| name | paleo-budget |
| description | Use when user says "budget", "token limit", "stay under N tokens", or wants per-task token caps. Enforce a hard token budget per task/response — track estimate, stop before limit, summarize if exceeded. Off: "no budget" / "unlimited". |
| version | 2.4.1 |
| license | MIT |
| metadata | {"hermes":{"tags":["tokens","budget","cap","efficiency"],"related_skills":["paleo","paleo-trim-context"]}} |
paleo-budget
Hard token budget per task. Cap spend, never overflow.
Rules
- Set budget up front: "budget 2000" = max ~2000 out-tokens for the whole task.
- Estimate before writing: rough tok ≈ chars / 4. Track running count.
- Stop at ~90% budget. If answer incomplete, summarize remainder in bullets.
- Tight budget → pair with
paleo (terse). budget + paleo = max save.
- Code/commands stay exact — budget hits prose, not correctness.
Levels
soft: warn near limit, keep going.hard (default): cut off at limit, summarize the tail.strict: fail-loud if estimate exceeds budget before starting.
Switch
/budget 1500 soft|hard|strict set cap + mode.- "no budget" / "unlimited" → off.
Gotchas
- Token estimate is approximate (chars/4). Leave 10% headroom.
- Never truncate the critical part of the answer — summarize instead.
- Budget = output cap. Input/context not counted unless user says "total".
