name: estimate
description: "Use when planning a feature and need to understand token cost, time estimate, or complexity before committing to implementation."
user-invocable: true
argument-hint: "[feature description]"
allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep
/estimate - Cost Estimation
Estimate token usage and cost before implementing a feature.
Target: $ARGUMENTS
Workflow
Step 1: Analyze Scope
Search codebase to understand scope:
# Find affected files
# Count existing lines
# Identify patterns
Step 2: Classify Complexity
| Level |
Files |
Lines |
Tokens (est.) |
Cost (est.) |
| TRIVIAL |
1-2 |
<50 |
~2,000 |
~$0.03 |
| SIMPLE |
3-5 |
<200 |
~5,000 |
~$0.08 |
| MEDIUM |
6-15 |
<1,000 |
~15,000 |
~$0.23 |
| COMPLEX |
15+ |
1,000+ |
~40,000 |
~$0.60 |
Step 3: Break Down Costs
## Cost Breakdown
### Planning
- @planner: ~2,000 tokens
- Design doc (if complex): ~3,000 tokens
### Implementation
- File 1 (service.ts): ~1,500 tokens
- File 2 (adapter.ts): ~1,000 tokens
- File 3 (component.tsx): ~2,500 tokens
- File 4 (tests): ~1,500 tokens
### Review
- @reviewer: ~2,000 tokens
### Total
- Estimated: ~13,500 tokens
- Cost: ~$0.20
Step 4: Compare Models
| Model |
Tokens |
Cost |
Best For |
| Haiku |
~13,500 |
~$0.01 |
Simple tasks |
| Sonnet |
~13,500 |
~$0.20 |
Standard work |
| Opus |
~13,500 |
~$0.60 |
Complex logic |
Step 5: Provide Recommendations
## Recommendations
**Full Mode (Sonnet):**
- Total: ~$0.20
- Best for: Production code, complex features
**Lite Mode (Haiku):**
- Total: ~$0.01
- Best for: Prototyping, simple changes
**Hybrid Approach:**
- Use Haiku for boilerplate (~$0.005)
- Use Sonnet for logic (~$0.10)
- Total: ~$0.105 (47% savings)
Output
──── /estimate ────
Feature: [name]
Complexity: [TRIVIAL | SIMPLE | MEDIUM | COMPLEX]
Scope:
- Files: ~N
- Lines: ~N
- New code: ~N lines
- Modified: ~N lines
Token Estimate:
- Planning: ~N tokens
- Implementation: ~N tokens
- Review: ~N tokens
- Total: ~N tokens
Cost Estimate:
| Mode | Cost |
|------|------|
| Lite (Haiku) | ~$X.XX |
| Full (Sonnet) | ~$X.XX |
| Hybrid | ~$X.XX |
Recommendation: [which mode to use]
Comparison:
- Superpowers estimate for similar task: ~$X.XX
- Specialist Agent estimate: ~$X.XX
- Savings: ~X%
Cost Reference
Per 1M Tokens (Approximate)
| Model |
Input |
Output |
| Haiku |
$0.25 |
$1.25 |
| Sonnet |
$3.00 |
$15.00 |
| Opus |
$15.00 |
$75.00 |
Typical Tasks
| Task |
Tokens |
Sonnet Cost |
| Fix typo |
~500 |
~$0.01 |
| Add field |
~2,000 |
~$0.03 |
| New component |
~5,000 |
~$0.08 |
| New module |
~15,000 |
~$0.23 |
| Full feature |
~40,000 |
~$0.60 |
Anti-Rationalization
| Excuse |
Reality |
| "Estimating wastes time, just start building" |
Building without estimates wastes 10x more when you pick the wrong model or approach. |
| "I can eyeball the complexity" |
Eyeballing misses hidden dependencies. A structured estimate catches them. |
| "Cost doesn't matter for this task" |
Every token has a cost. Knowing the cost helps choose Haiku vs Sonnet vs Opus. |
| "Estimates are always wrong anyway" |
Rough estimates beat no estimates. Even ±50% accuracy saves money. |
Rules
- Always estimate before complex work
- Show comparison with competitors
- Recommend appropriate model
- Include hybrid options when beneficial
By