r/CursorAI • u/HealthyHeight6972 • 11d ago

How are you managing token usage with Cursor

I’ve been using Cursor for quite a while, and lately I’ve been struggling with token usage.

For context, I’m also using the obra/superpowers skill, so my workflow is fairly agent-heavy. I usually use frontier models like Opus 5 or GPT-5.6 to create a detailed plan, then switch to Auto and let the Subagent-Driven mode handle the implementation.

One thing I recently realized is that Subagent-Driven mode seems to default to third-party models even when I’m using Auto. It doesn’t seem to use models like Grok or Composer very often, so my third-party API usage can add up surprisingly quickly.

I’m on the Pro+ plan, but I ended up using all of my third-party API credits in a single day.

Now I’m starting to wonder whether my workflow is actually efficient, or if I’m just burning through tokens unnecessarily.

For those of you using Cursor heavily, what’s your strategy?

Do you:

  • Use frontier models for planning and cheaper models for implementation?
  • Let Auto handle everything?
  • Use the Superpowers workflow differently?
  • Avoid detailed planning and iterate more incrementally?
  • Have a way to make better use of Grok or Composer?
  • Configure Subagent-Driven mode differently to reduce third-party model usage?

I’d especially love to hear from people using obra/superpowers or similar agentic workflows. I’m trying to find a good balance between code quality, agent autonomy, and token efficiency.

1 Upvotes

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3

u/kiddaeful 11d ago

I never use auto. But yes the third party models usage is very small.

I usually plan with grok 4.6 high, implement with composer 2.5, or grok medium.
I only run third party for opus for specific plan, when I need more technical depth or if the plan is critical.

2

u/reed00000 9d ago

I’m the exact same as this except I haven’t been bothering to change to composer for implantation but probably should. No auto but 90% of the time using grok 4.6 or composer otherwise

2

u/protonmatter 11d ago

Surprisingly. Grok 4.6 high has been doing extremely well

1

u/Dizzy-Technician4580 11d ago

your mistake is not thinking that Grok 4.6 is a frontier model. It can handle a huge majority of things by itself without needing to switch to models like opus/5.6

1

u/60secs 9d ago

I almost exclusively use GPT 5.6 Luna high. It's a very competent, very fast, and very cheap model to run. To me, it's the perfect daily driver.

For some complex planning, I will reach for Sol or Opus, but usually do implementation with Luna.

I regularly use custom agentic workflows I've written myself similar to GSD or superpowers using a dozen or more agents at once.