I Used o3 in Cursor and Forgot to Give It Context: It Ate Up All My Credits

I just made a costly mistake while using Cursor IDE that drained my credits in less than a minute. Here's what happened and how you can avoid it.

The Mistake

I often use Cursor IDE with the o3 model in max mode to review features I've added, checking for bugs and inconsistencies. Normally, I manually provide context by adding relevant files to the chat.

This time, I forgot to add any context files.

What Happened Next

When I issued my standard prompt "please check this feature that I just added and find bugs and inconsistencies," o3 had no context to work with. Instead of waiting for me to provide files, it began:

1. Making tool calls to list files
2. Following with additional tool calls to read each file
3. Repeating this process continuously

As shown in the screenshot, each tool call in max mode consumed credits:

• Usage events started at 1:28 PM
• By 1:30 PM, dozens of calls were made
• Request tokens ranged from 0.4 to 9.4 per call

The Cost

The rapid succession of tool calls quickly maxed out my credits. Even though I stopped the process as soon as I noticed, the damage was done.

Lesson Learned

When using AI assistants in coding environments:

• Monitor tool calls in real-time when using max mode features
• Be aware that automated context gathering can trigger multiple billable actions

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