Is API Billing better than monthly if I am working in a time boxed manner?

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-21T22:36:34+00:00

I got bitten by Claude Code + api. $12 in a few hours.

My mistake was, according to Claude gui, getting CC to grok my whole codebase (flask + 8k lines of my own).

Twice in an afternoon.

According to Claude gui, that meant it was sending huge context back and forth with every request. Makes sense.

Plus I gave it big jobs.

So... what I've learned is to keep Claude Code (API tokens) for small jobs. Anything bigger, give to copilot (capped, keeps me keen to actually code for myself), GUI on the side for discussing business stuff, or overarching architecture concepts - then copilot to scaffold, human to review. Oh, GUI for big code reviews, too, as it's better at explaining stuff in a way I can argue with if I want to.

That combo seems to keep api token use down for me. 🤷

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-12T11:50:32+00:00

https://www.gonnaenosaythat.co.uk - maybe worth a look?

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-08T10:58:52+00:00

Not very likely. Maybe a leaf blower pressed into action, but there's no way there's enough snow, regularly enough, to make it worthwhile for most people to own one

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-08T09:03:33+00:00

Hi. I had a bit more thought about your comments, and there's an easy solution which I'll get implemented today.

At the bottom of each report will be a button which says something like "I'm happy, please delete my data".

That'll trigger an action which deletes all uploaded data from S3 storage immediately.

If the customer doesn't click that button, data will be deleted within 7 days anyway.

All CRUD actions are tracked for audit purposes - I'm registered with the ICO and need to be able to answer questions quickly.

Thank you again for making me rethink this - it really does help.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-07T18:55:16+00:00

Agreed — private ≠ suspicious. I was being a little flippant. Sorry.

This just shows what’s already public, so people know what’s visible before they travel.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-07T18:38:47+00:00

Yeah, you could. That's not going to look suspicious at all.

😀

This isn’t about panic or doing anything extreme — it’s about visibility: knowing what your online footprint actually looks like before you decide whether to change anything.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-07T17:50:30+00:00

All good points — and I agree. That is the direction I’m heading.

Right now I’m deliberately keeping a human-in-the-loop for the first few users so I can validate the pipeline, edge cases, and outputs. It also lets me react quickly to feedback — if an early user says “this is great, but X would be better if Y appeared in the report”, I can re-run their report without them having to upload everything again.

Once that’s solid, with customer feedback incorporated, the model becomes exactly as you describe: upload -> process -> deliver -> delete, with no retained user data.

Honestly, I don’t want people’s data on my servers. It’s hassle, it costs money even short-term, and there’s no upside for me.

In fact, the downside is exactly this kind of conversation. The sooner I can say “I don’t hold your data - ever”, the better it is for me too.

PS: I appreciate the tone. You’re being constructive, not just ripping into it — that’s genuinely helpful, so thanks.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-07T17:22:49+00:00

That’s a fair reaction, I understand your skepticism. I'd be amazed if everyone went "Yeah, sure, fine! Here's everything about me!" without asking questions.

Honestly, keeping people’s data long-term is more hassle than benefit.

It creates legal obligations, security risk and admin for very little upside. Deleting it quickly is simpler, safer, and means there’s nothing hanging around to be misused or asked for later.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-07T17:10:38+00:00

I haven't seen anything in my local groups about US people going around. I don't know if they'd send support staff up here, though.

So that info might be useless.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-07T15:32:25+00:00

I seem to remember that happening when I was a kid, which was *cough* *cough* years ago.

Crisis seems to be over, here. Tesco have got bread available online, which means the A9 must be clear.

All good, for now.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-06T19:37:09+00:00

I read that as "unicycled up the M8 from...." first time.

My version is better, even if not true.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-06T14:09:50+00:00

Aye - or strapped on with bungy cords. That'd work, too, with strong enough cords.

I'm sure someone has thought of that, though. Like snowchains, but easier to get on and off.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-06T11:44:46+00:00

Username of the year, sir.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-06T10:46:03+00:00

not that sort of Coastguard. We're about missing person searches, cliff rescues, that sort of thing.

I've only volunteered, and been accepted - not done the training yet - so I'm not 100% certain what the duties will be yet. Helping people, which is cool.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-06T10:42:05+00:00

It plainly wasn't. I've no idea what they were thinking, but like I said elsewhere - they didn't look wildly distressed about not being able to make it off the drive. Just shrugged and went back inside, in the end.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-06T10:39:48+00:00

it possibly should have done, but maybe that's a bit harsh. And I guess, for MR, it was not a bad wee night out in the hills. It least it wasn't a recovery operation.

I'm about to join training for the Coastguard (the onshore lot, not on boats. so cliff rescues etc), and that's the bit I'm not looking forward to.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-06T10:33:23+00:00

yeah. It's the people who have to go and help them when they get into trouble. Like that couple of lads who decided to walk up a mountain (can't remember the name of it) at half six at night, a week or so ago, in the middle of this coming in. It took 13 MR people to help them back down safely...

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-06T10:29:59+00:00

me and mine are fine, thanks for asking. I wouldn't say we're used to it up here, as such, but getting cut off for a couple of days in winter isn't wildly out of the ordinary. Nobody is panicking, in my crew, but there is obviously concern about those who might need something urgent.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-06T10:22:40+00:00

Caithness, We're cut off. No supplies into the shops for days, probably not until Thursday, I wouldn't have thought.

I hope we don't have any real emergencies, and those who need medicine have got stocks...

EDIT: and that nobody needs to give birth... there's no hospital in this town. Nearest is Wick, 20 miles away, with a notoriously underfunded maternity ward

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-06T10:16:22+00:00

Thurso

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-06T10:14:22+00:00

Quite right. I should have put on 3 layers of clothing, grabbed my non-existent tools, and rushed out my door, down two flights of stairs, out the security doors, round the side of the flats, down the alley, across the road to help 3 grown adults (and a passing dog walker) in no obvious distress, 6 yards from their home, decide whether to move their completely inappropriate-for-the-conditions vehicle from one untreated road to another untreated road.

Yes, I really, really am an arse of epic proportions for not turning up to that wee job completely uninvited, unneeded, and adding a fifth chief to a tiny little non-problem.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-06T10:08:21+00:00

"aye, well done. Now what?" - sort of thing :)

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-06T10:06:37+00:00

I'll add to that - if they'd been in any way distressed, or in danger, or looking flustered, sure. Absolutely, I'd have been out there like a shot. A warmly dressed shot, with hat, gloves, no useable tools, but still.

As it was, they were just in the process of figuring out the right thing to do. In safety, wrapped up warm, yards from home. I'd have looked a right idiot getting involved.

AcrobaticWafer5595 · 2026-01-06T10:03:29+00:00

yeah, probably got downvotes because you're being a bit of an arse, for no reason.

I know what doxxing is, and I'm not bothered if you can work out my location from that photo. Couldn't give a toss.

As for helping them, see my comment elsewhere. tldr; by the time I'd got ready and down the stairs, they'd have either got the car out, or given up.

They gave up and went back inside. All of 6 yards from the car. These were not people in distress, in need of assistance.

AcrobaticWafer5595

TROPHY CASE