Developer Builds Minimal Python Ledger to Track API Token Usage Before Costs Mount

A developer and student created a lightweight Python-based token ledger to better understand how a 30-million-token free grant from open-source platform MonkeyCode translates into real units of work. The project uses only Python 3.12 standard libraries — no third-party packages — and consists of just two files: a mock server and a client ledger script. The mock server deliberately over-reports token counts and simulates rate-limit errors to expose two common failure modes that free API endpoints may obscure. The experiment is not designed to prove provider misconduct, but to establish a personal baseline before building any serious evaluation on top of a free token grant. The article was disclosed as part of MonkeyCode's product outreach.