rescue-tokenslisted

# Rescue Tokens ## Overview **Core principle:** Token exhaustion masquerades as "rate limit" errors. Nine patterns waste tokens silently. Detect symptoms, act immediately with zero explanation overhead. ## Emergency Red Flags **STOP and act if ONE OR MORE present (OR logic):** - Rate limit warnings ⚠️ - Context ≥40% full ⚠️ - $20-$100/month plan after 2pm ⚠️ - Conversation >90 minutes old ⚠️ - 5+ MCP plugins loaded ⚠️ - User says "don't lose context" ⚠️ - Opus 4.7 for simple tasks ⚠️ **Each flag ALONE triggers emergency mode. These are emergencies, not optimizations.** **Examples:** - Context 15% + rate limit warning → EMERGENCY (1 flag) - Context 45% + no rate limit → EMERGENCY (1 flag) - Context 9% + no rate limit + Sonnet → NOT emergency (0 flags) ## Action Matrix (No User Confirmation) | Symptom | Action | Rationalization to Counter | |---------|--------|---------------------------| | Context 40-70% | `/compact` key facts, continue | "User wants to keep context" → most context is waste | | Context >70% | New conversation, 3-sentence handoff | "I'll lose important details" → fresh perspective > bloated history | | Rate limit + urgent task | Sub-agent in Sonnet immediately | "Let me ask which approach" → no time, just act | | Opus 4.7 for CRUD/refactor | Switch to Sonnet now | "Opus is higher quality" → Sonnet excels at implementation | | PDF/image attached | Ask for text/key excerpts | "User wants me to read it all" → 10-50x token cost | | 5+ MCPs loaded | `/mcp`