TokenPad
RAG

RAG Metadata Overhead Calculator

Your chunk metadata is billed on every chunk of every query.

Your input

185 characters1 lines0 tokensor drop a file

Metadata OverheadExact
0Token change
Token change0no change
Input tokens0what you pasted
Output tokens0what you would send
Token cost of this result
Output tokens0
As input$0.00
× 100K requests$0.00

Everything on this page runs in your browser. Nothing you paste is transmitted, because there is no server here to transmit it to.

Result
 

A small number multiplied twice

Forty tokens of metadata looks trivial. Multiply by eight chunks per query and by two hundred thousand queries a month and it is a real line on the bill, for information the model mostly does not use.

The URL field is usually the worst offender: it is often the longest value and, unless the model is quoting links back to the user, it is paid for and ignored.

JSON wrapper against a header line

Wrapping each chunk in a JSON object repeats every key on every chunk of every query. A plain header line — source, section, date — conveys the same thing at roughly a third of the cost and reads just as clearly to the model.

The cheapest option is sending no metadata at all and citing by index instead, resolving the number to a source in your own application. That works whenever the model does not need to reason about provenance.

Frequently asked questions

Does the model use metadata?
For citation and for recency judgements, yes. For most other fields, no — internal identifiers, chunk indices and author names rarely change an answer, and they are billed regardless.
How do I cite sources without sending URLs?
Number the chunks, instruct the model to cite by number, and resolve the numbers to links in your interface. The citation formatter generates exactly that shape.

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