Operating steps
- Define a budget by agent role and model family.
- Assign each MCP server an eager-token ceiling.
- Route rarely used tools through an on-demand manifest.
- Review monthly savings and missed-tool events.
Common risks
- A single global budget can punish high-value specialist agents.
- Tool usage changes over time, so the budget needs monitoring.
- Budget decisions should be tied to task success, not token savings alone.