7 Ways to Cut Your Claude Code Token Usage

Claude Code is powerful but expensive. Every file read, every command output, every re-exploration of code you already looked at costs tokens. After running an autonomous agent loop for weeks on Claude Code, I've tracked where tokens actually go and what you can do about it. These are practical techniques, ordered from easiest to hardest. 1. Use .claudeignore Claude Code will read and index files you never want it to touch: build artifacts, lock files, generated code, vendored dependencies. A .claudeignore file works like .gitignore : node_modules/ dist/ *.lock *.min.js target/ __pycache__/ This prevents Claude from reading these files when exploring your project. The savings compound: every time Claude would have read a 5,000-line lock file, you save those tokens. 2. Be specific in your prompts "Fix the bug in the authentication flow" makes Claude explore your entire codebase looking for auth-related code. "Fix the JWT validation in src/auth/validate.ts line 42 where expired tokens ar