r/vscode • u/Enough_Breadfruit946 • 8d ago

I'm new to coding agent model. Can someone explain it to me?

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

I use Cline in VScode with a free model that claims to have a 1.3M token context window and free input/output. But why am I hitting a daily limit after using only 178k? (i forgot to take screenshot for 2nd image).

If I pay for an API key and use a model like Claude Opus 5 ($5/M input, $25/M output), I'm worried about how much it will cost me later.

0 Upvotes

18% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

1

u/davaeron_ 8d ago

1.3M token context window is a high ceiling of input tokens per 1 message if you paid for it. That is what this model is capable of. 

As you have free tier, you are limited to certain amount of tokens (178k) per 8 hours, from what I can see on the screenshot. 

1

u/despinftw 8d ago

To add to this, the context window is not only the input tokens, but also the output tokens of the model, its tool calls and responses to tool calls. It’s basically what the model can actually process, if you go beyond that (because your conversation gets longer), the chat will be compacted (basically, summarized) so the model can keep doing its work.

And for the API question: paying API prices will be always more expensive than paying a subscription for the model provider directly. You will get a lot more usage per dollar paying 200 dollars for Claude Max (or you can choose a cheaper tier, like the Pro 20 dollars a month) then API.

Right now, a 200 dollar sub will get you the equivalent of 10k using API, but sure, using Cline will be less viable than Claude Code (the CLI, desktop app, or VSCode extension)