One Always/Never list, not three copies
Many repos paste the same Always/Never block into AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, and .cursor/rules. Each copy loads every turn, so you pay three times for the same instructions — and the copies drift until one says “never commit” while another quietly allows it.
Quick fix: keep one canonical Always/Never list and point the others at it with a one-liner, or delete the duplicates. Then weigh what is left so you know what every turn still costs.
See which rules cost the most tokens → Clogmeter runs entirely locally and can export a trimmed copy. Nothing is uploaded.