Free RTK tool claims big token savings for AI coding
such as Claude Code and Cursor can become expensive when long command output is sent into the model. Logs, error traces, git status results, and test output can take up most of the context even when much of that text is not useful. RTK, short for Rust Token Killer, is a free CLI proxy that filters and compresses command output before it reaches the AI model.
It is meant to fit into the existing workflow without changing how are run. In one 30-minute Claude Code session, token use dropped from about 118,000 tokens to about 23,900 tokens, or roughly 80% less. The examples included git status shrinking from about 2,000 tokens to about 200, and cargo test shrinking from about 25,000 tokens to about 2,500.
RTK is described as a with no , and it works with Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and Gemini CLI. The claimed result was a 4–5x reduction in AI coding cost without a workflow change.
Key points
- RTK is a CLI proxy that reduces command output before it goes to the AI model.
- One 30-minute Claude Code session used about 23,900 tokens with RTK instead of about 118,000.
- The git status example dropped from about 2,000 tokens to about 200.
- The cargo test example dropped from about 25,000 tokens to about 2,500.
- RTK is described as with Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and Gemini CLI.