Agent Memory: The Context That Quietly Grows Your Bill
An agent that remembers everything re-sends that memory on every step, so its per-step input keeps climbing. Memory strategy, more than raw step count, often decides an agent's total cost.
Memory is re-sent, not stored for free
Whatever an agent keeps in working memory is included as input on the next step. Left unmanaged, a long task carries an ever-growing history, so late steps cost far more than early ones.
Summarize, prune, retrieve
Replace old steps with short summaries, drop irrelevant detail, and pull in facts on demand instead of holding everything. These keep per-step context bounded so cost grows with progress, not history.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does agent memory cost money?+
Remembered context is re-sent as input tokens on each step, so more memory means a larger bill per step.
How do I bound agent memory cost?+
Summarize old steps, prune irrelevant context, and retrieve facts on demand instead of carrying everything.