What AI coding tools were tested in the 3,177 API calls?

Cursor, Aider, Continue.dev, and Claude code mode—real-world picks for VS Code fans.

Do AI coding tools send my entire codebase in the context window?

Often yes, or damn close. Cursor averages 150k tokens; even 'smart' ones like Aider hit 80k with irrelevant files.

Will this make AI coding tools more expensive?

Absolutely—token bloat directly hikes your API bills. Switch to leaner options or trim your workspace.

3,177 API Calls Expose AI Coding Tools' Context Window Gluttony

Your AI coding sidekick isn't just helping—it's shipping your entire codebase to the cloud, every time. One dev's 3,177 API intercepts reveal the wasteful truth.

theAIcatchup Apr 08, 2026 3 min read

Graph of API call context window sizes from four AI coding tools

⚡ Key Takeaways

AI coding tools like Cursor stuff context windows with massive, irrelevant code dumps, spiking costs. 𝕏
Aider and Claude perform better by filtering aggressively, proving efficiency is possible. 𝕏
Devs face hidden privacy risks and unreliable outputs from overloaded prompts—time to audit your tools. 𝕏

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theAIcatchup

Community-driven. Code-first.

#AI coding tools #API calls #Cursor AI #context window #privacy risks

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Originally reported by Reddit r/programming

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