Just One More Token
It would be a waste to stop now.
He has the usage page open beside the work. The tasks need Astra Ultra. He knows this because he tried the cheaper option, read the result, and quietly reopened Astra Ultra. What he does not know is how much longer any of this will take. The subscription is nearly spent. The agents are still working. "It would be a waste to stop now."
Symptom
Spend decisions are made mid-run by the person most invested in the run. Budgets are checked after the tokens are burned, and the sunk cost does the arguing.
Why It Matters
The person watching the bill also needs the run to continue, so the bill loses. Just One More Token is how a cost center becomes an open tab that nobody remembers opening.
What the Chapter Gives You
How to separate the spender from the meter, the pre-committed budgets that survive mid-run enthusiasm, and the stopping rule that beats sunk cost.
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