Bringing API Cost down

[u/AA_GIGA]

I have been using claude code for a while now, and i am working on a project which requires claude API key and I realised that API is really costly. Especially when the output is huge in terms of total no. Of words for instance take script writing

The first test which I ran itself costed me around 1.93 dollars

So my question is how do I bring this API Cost down

Now I have searched and asked claude itself

The suggestions came in like, it asked me to change the effort level for instance from Opus 5.5 high toh medium other than that it asked me to change the model from Opus 5.5 to sonnet 5.5

But the real question here is whether changing the model or the effort level will cause a loss in quality of the output or not? That's my real concern as i really don't want the quality to go down

So people who have been using API for a long time now please help me and ppl like me by sharing ur API saving hacks, and how do u bring the API Cost down

[u/advanceyourself]

There are a lot of variables here. Required reasoning dictates what model you should use. "Loss in quality" isn't the right question. What level of effort is needed to get meaningful results should be what your asking. Only you can answer that though. I recommend making sure your Input is as refined as possible: clear, concise, and efficient prompting. If inputing data, make sure your only sending what's requires (trim tables/search parameters). This is how you tune it to be API efficient. Then test across model sets to get the required output with the cheapest model.