Lazy-Loading Personas Slash Claude Code Token Overhead

Claude Code users discovered that large CLAUDE.md files consume tokens on every message—a 5,000-token persona setup multiplies costs across each turn, not just session start. Adopting a lightweight routing engine that loads persona files on-demand based on signal words can reduce baseline context by 80-90%, directly cutting session costs and hedging against cache failures. With April 2026 caching bugs inflating costs 10-20x, this lazy-loading pattern has become essential cost management for heavy Claude Code users.