ctaio.dev / field tools
Agent economics calculator
v1.0 · local-only math

Will the agent actually pay off?

Replace vibes with a back-of-the-envelope model. Estimate the time returned, net value, and reliability tax of an agentic coding workflow.

01 / Workflow assumptions

tasks
min
min
%
$
$/hr

02 / Reliability-adjusted result

Net value created / month
$0
Value of human time returned, less estimated agent-run cost
Human hours returned
0h
Per month after review and retries
First-pass reliability
0%
Tasks not requiring the modeled extra run
Return on tool spend
0×
Net monthly value divided by agent cost
Break-even run cost
$0
Maximum cost per run before the workflow loses money
Adjust the assumptions to evaluate a workflow.
Count the retries

A retry is not free. It adds another agent run, another review pass, and more waiting even when the final task succeeds.

Value human attention

This estimates returned human time, not elapsed wall-clock time. An agent can run slowly and still be valuable if it needs little supervision.

Model the narrow loop

Use one repeatable workflow, not a whole department. Measure the baseline for a week, then replace these assumptions with observed data.