Wrong-Edit Retry Loop

• Entity ID: ent-20260419-e4e7b2a5e579
• Type: concept
• Scope: shared
• Status: active
• Aliases: retry loop cost inflation, check-before-acting loss

Description

Pattern where reduced thinking depth paradoxically INCREASES total token consumption: model makes wrong edits without reading files first, triggering retry cycles. Elimination of the 'check before acting' behavior inflates billing rather than reducing it. Documented mechanism for the 121x cost increase observed post-regression.

Key claims

• Reduced thinking inflates cost 121x via retry loops
• Shallow thinking drives 80x API request count and 122x billing despite stable prompt count

Relations

• Thinking Depth Regression (pre-redaction) --[caused]--> Wrong-Edit Retry Loop

Sources

src-20260419-3e34d5830692