DESIGN AN API COST STRATEGY FOR YOUR TOOL
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Use this when you're building a Claude-powered tool for clients or customers
and you need to figure out how to manage API costs without getting burned.

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Hey Claude — I'm building a tool powered by the Claude API and I need help designing
a cost management strategy before I open it up to users.

Here's what I'm building:
[DESCRIBE YOUR TOOL IN 2-3 SENTENCES — WHAT IT DOES, WHO USES IT]

Here's my pricing model:
[HOW MUCH ARE YOU CHARGING? e.g., "$97/month" or "free for members" or "one-time purchase"]

Please help me:

1. ESTIMATE MY COSTS
   Based on what you know about this type of tool:
   - How many tokens does a typical interaction use?
   - What would 10 active users cost me per month?
   - What would 100 active users cost?
   - At what usage level does this stop being profitable?

2. DESIGN A COST PROTECTION MODEL
   Give me 2-3 options for how to protect myself, with the pros and cons of each.
   For example:
   - Monthly threshold per user with API key handoff
   - Usage caps (X interactions per month)
   - Frequency limits (can only run X once every 30/60/90 days)

3. WRITE THE USER COMMUNICATION
   Draft the email or in-app message a user would receive when they hit the threshold.
   It should feel like good news, not a wall. Something like:
   "You're getting a lot of value from this — here's how to keep going on your own dime."

4. BUILD THE GATE (if possible)
   If this is something you can help me implement — a simple counter, a flag in Airtable,
   an email trigger via Resend — let's build it.

Goal: I want to be generous with my users AND not go broke doing it.