Do Token Compression Tools Still Matter? RTK Benchmarked on Claude Code and OpenCode
Bartaseth · reddit · 2026-09-12
The author validated RTK (Rust Token Killer), one of the most popular output-compression tools, to see if it still matters with newer models.
- Setup: Claude Code with Fable 5.0, and OpenCode with DeepSeek V4 Pro 0813 via OpenRouter.
- Benchmark: Terminal-Bench 2.1, cross-checking RTK's claimed token savings against actual costs.
- Full research and results are in a companion r/AIAgents thread, addressing whether compression tools remain worthwhile as models get stronger and cheaper.
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