memex/projects/token-optimization/docs/research.org

Token Management & Model Optimization Research

• Token Management Strategy Research
  • Initial Findings
    • OpenRouter Free Tier
    • Google AI Studio (Gemini)
  • Research Questions
  • To Research Further
  • Token Optimization Strategies to Explore
  • X Account Access

Token Management Strategy Research

Initial Findings

OpenRouter Free Tier

• URL: https://openrouter.ai/collections/free-models
• Providers moving from free to paid-only models
• Belief: "Free models play crucial role in democratizing access"

Google AI Studio (Gemini)

• Free tier available
• Limits: 60 requests/minute, 300K tokens/day
• No credit card required
• Every API key gets these limits

Research Questions

1. Which providers offer free or low-cost tiers?
2. What are the rate limits and quotas?
3. Which models are best for which use cases?
4. How to optimize context windows?
5. What is the cost per token breakdown?

To Research Further

Provider	Free Tier	Paid Tier	Best For
Google Gemini	300K tokens/day	Pay per use?	General, coding
OpenRouter	Varies by model	Per-request	Routing, variety
OpenAI	?	?	GPT-4 quality
Anthropic	?	?	Claude capabilities
Mistral	?	?	Open weights
Local	Hardware cost	Free	Privacy, control

Token Optimization Strategies to Explore

1. Tiered Model Usage

   • Simple tasks: Fast/cheap models
   • Complex tasks: Stronger models
   • Fallback: Lower tier if higher fails

2. Context Compression

   • Summarize long contexts
   • Use RAG instead of full context
   • Prune old conversation

3. Caching

   • Cache common responses
   • Reuse embeddings
   • Batch requests

4. Hybrid Approach

   • Local models for simple queries
   • Cloud APIs for complex tasks
   • Manual review for critical outputs

X Account Access

Pending: X account access via Google login Blocker: Requires OTP from user per security rule (SOUL.md) Action needed: User provides OTP, I complete OAuth, access bookmarks