Portal by Spotify cut my Claude Code token usage by 90%

A developer reduced Claude Code token usage by 90% using Portal by Spotify's "Modes" feature, which routes routine I/O tasks like file reading and boilerplate code generation to cheaper models like Gemini 2.5 Flash while reserving expensive frontier models for complex reasoning. With AI coding costs expected to exceed developer salaries by 2028, this approach addresses the industry problem of wasting tokens on straightforward work that doesn't require premium model capabilities. Modes are declarative agents that run on ephemeral infrastructure with no setup required, enabling companies to reduce token spending from hundreds to thousands of dollars per developer monthly.