rtk gain reports gross tokens saved. The number that actually matters is
net: gross savings minus (a) tokens spent re-running commands when a
compressed view hid something, and (b) the standing cost of these instructions in
context. Optimize for net.
| Command | Use it to |
|---|---|
rtk gain |
session summary: tokens saved, efficiency |
rtk gain --graph |
30-day savings trend |
rtk gain --history |
per-command savings — see where RTK actually pays off |
rtk gain --quota |
monthly quota savings estimate |
rtk discover |
find good new opportunities (don't blanket-apply) |
rtk session |
RTK adoption across recent sessions |
rtk gain --all --format json |
export for dashboards (run raw if you'll parse it) |
- High
--historysavings on noisy commands → working as intended; keep going. - Low or zero savings on a command (visible in
--history, or surfaced byrtk discover) → it's a poor fit; run it raw and stop wrapping it. And when a command fails, RTK's tee fallback ([tee] mode = "failures") has already saved the full output — so you never lose error detail on the cases that matter. - You re-ran a command raw right after its
rtkversion → that pair was a net loss. Note the command type and stop compressing it. rtk discoversurfaces high-volume, noisy commands worth wrapping — a far better guide than wrapping everything by reflex.
Savings vary by command and output size; let rtk gain show your real numbers
rather than assuming the headline 60–90%.