Token Budget

tota uses a daily token budget to keep local AI usage predictable and under control.

#What it does

• tota setup budget configures your daily token limit.
• tota status shows current usage and remaining tokens.
• /budget reports budget status from chat.
• /budget override allows one extra request past the daily limit.
• /budget reset clears today’s usage.
• /budget set <number> updates the daily budget immediately.

#Auto-concise behavior

When token usage exceeds 70% of the daily budget, tota switches to a more concise prompt style to conserve tokens and stretch the remaining budget.

#Configure the budget

You can set the budget in ~/.tota/tota.yaml:

tokens:
  dailyBudget: 150000

Or override the default with an environment variable:

export DAILY_TOKEN_BUDGET=150000

#Practical tips

• Start with a conservative budget and increase it if you need longer conversations.
• Use /budget in chat before a long task to verify remaining tokens.
• Use /budget override only when a one-time request is worth the extra cost.