YC-backed Tokenless offers AI API gateway that cuts costs via dynamic model routing

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Tokenless, a Y Combinator S26 startup founded by Rohit, Andrew, and Kev, has launched an API gateway that automatically routes AI agent requests between different models on a turn-by-turn basis to reduce costs. The system directs more complex tasks to powerful frontier models while handling simpler ones with cheaper open-source alternatives. The core routing technique, developed by Rohit during his Princeton PhD research, queries multiple models simultaneously and uses their outputs to inform routing decisions. The team claims their router can match the performance of Claude Fable 5 at roughly half the cost, in part by preserving cache state during model switches. Tokenless is now publicly available at usetokenless.com, offering new users $20 in free credits to test the service.

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