TokensUse fewer tokens
Use fewer tokens
Practical ways to make each conversation and your monthly allowance go further.
Last updated on
A few habits and settings noticeably reduce how many tokens you use, which means more turns per conversation and more conversations per month.
Keep prompts focused
- Ask for specific columns, not "everything". Narrow requests produce shorter queries and responses.
- Start a new chat for a new topic. A fresh chat starts from a small budget again, so unrelated work doesn't pile onto one long thread.
- Avoid large attachments unless the question needs them; they use a lot of tokens per message.
Trim the output with settings
Several AI settings directly reduce response length:
- Set SQL Column Detail to Concise.
- Turn off Brief Explanations and Report Summary if you only want the SQL.
- Turn off SQL Comments for comment-free queries.
These settings change the prose and formatting around your SQL. The query that runs against your data is unaffected; you're just trimming the words.
Related
- Understand tokens: what counts and why.
- Increase your tokens: when you need more room.