Platform Tips Library

Concrete tactics to spend fewer credits without shipping less.

Lovable

Use Chat Mode for planning, Build Mode for assembly

Chat Mode costs ~1 credit per message; Build Mode is usage-based and far more expensive. Plan your architecture in Chat first, then send one polished Build prompt.

Example

Chat: 'Outline the data model for a tasks app with teams.' → Build: 'Implement the schema, components, and routes from the plan above.'

Lovable

Batch related changes

Five tiny Build Mode messages cost much more than one batched message. Group UI tweaks, copy fixes, and small bugs into a single prompt.

Example

Instead of 'fix header', then 'fix footer', send: 'Fix header padding, footer color, and the hero button alignment.'

Lovable

Use templates and existing components

Generating from scratch burns more tokens than tweaking existing scaffolds. Start from a template close to your goal.

Example

Pick a SaaS landing template, then ask only for what's different.

Claude

Keep your SKILL.md short

In Claude Code, every byte in SKILL.md is re-sent each turn. Trim aggressively — link out to docs instead of pasting them.

Example

Replace a 200-line style guide with: 'See style.md for full rules.'

Claude

Close unused files between turns

Open files inflate context. Close anything you're not actively editing before sending the next message.

Example

After finishing the API layer, close those files before starting on the UI.

Claude

Start fresh chats for new tasks

Carrying a 50-message thread into a new feature means you pay for every previous token. Fork a new chat.

Example

Done with auth? Start a new conversation for the billing flow.

Cursor

Prefer /compose over Cmd+K on large files

Cmd+K sends the whole file as context. /compose is targeted and uses far fewer tokens for the same edit.

Example

Use /compose 'add error handling to handleSubmit' instead of Cmd+K on a 500-line component.

Cursor

Pin only what's needed

Pinned files are sent every turn. Unpin once they're no longer relevant.

Example

Pin auth.ts while building login, unpin once shipped.

ChatGPT

Use GPT-4o-mini for simple tasks

Drafting copy, summarizing logs, formatting JSON — none of these need GPT-4o or o1. Mini is 10–30× cheaper.

Example

Use mini for: 'Rewrite this paragraph in 30 words.' Use the heavy model for: 'Design a sharded queue system.'

ChatGPT

Set custom instructions to skip preamble

If GPT keeps adding 'Sure! Here's what you asked for:' you're paying for those tokens. Tell it to skip pleasantries.

Example

Custom instruction: 'Respond directly without restating the question or adding closing remarks.'

Bolt

Iterate with smaller diffs

Bolt re-bundles your project on each change. Small, focused asks ship faster and cheaper than 'redesign everything'.

Example

Ask for one component at a time, not 'a full marketing site'.

Replit

Use Checkpoints to roll back, not re-prompt

Replit Agent charges for each fix attempt. When something breaks, restore to the last good Checkpoint instead of asking the Agent to undo its own changes.

Example

Agent broke routing? Click the previous Checkpoint → reapply your last working prompt.

Replit

Keep the file tree small

Agent re-reads project context each turn. Delete unused scaffold files and demo folders early — every kept file inflates the per-message cost.

Example

After picking a template, prune the example pages you won't use before issuing your first real prompt.

Windsurf

Use Cascade Write for edits, Chat for planning

Cascade's Write mode applies surgical, scoped diffs; Chat is cheaper for thinking out loud. Don't use Write to brainstorm.

Example

Chat: 'How should I structure the auth flow?' → Write: 'Add a useAuth hook to src/hooks based on that plan.'

Windsurf

Trim your .windsurfrules file

Every line in .windsurfrules is sent on every turn. Treat it like SKILL.md — link to docs instead of pasting them.

Example

Replace a 100-line coding standard with: 'Follow conventions in docs/style.md.'

Claude Code

Use /clear between unrelated tasks

Claude Code keeps the full conversation in context until you clear it. Switching from auth to billing? Run /clear first to drop the auth tokens you no longer need.

Example

Finished the login flow → /clear → start the Stripe integration with a fresh context window.

Claude Code

Prefer Read+Edit over pasting files

Pasting a file into your prompt costs tokens twice (your message + Claude's working copy). Let Claude Read it directly and Edit in place.

Example

Say 'Read src/api/users.ts and add input validation' instead of pasting the file contents.

GitHub Copilot

Inline completions for boilerplate, Chat for logic

Tab-completions are essentially free per keystroke; Chat invocations cost a request. Use inline for getters, types, and obvious patterns; save Chat for non-obvious logic.

Example

Let inline finish a useState hook. Use Chat only when you need 'why is this useEffect re-running?'

GitHub Copilot

Scope @workspace with file globs

@workspace by default searches the whole repo. Narrow it with explicit paths so Copilot doesn't pay to index irrelevant folders.

Example

Use '@workspace /src/api how is auth handled?' instead of '@workspace how is auth handled?'

Gemini

Flash for summarization, Pro for reasoning

Gemini Flash is roughly 10× cheaper than Pro and handles summarization, classification, and extraction just as well. Reserve Pro for genuine multi-step reasoning.

Example

Flash: 'Summarize these 20 support tickets into 5 themes.' Pro: 'Design a multi-tenant data model for this spec.'

Gemini

Upload reference docs once

Gemini's long context lets you attach a single PDF or doc and reference it across many prompts — far cheaper than pasting excerpts into each message.

Example

Upload your API spec once, then ask 'Generate a client for the /orders endpoint per the attached spec.'