Frequently Asked Questions
Token Engineering & Report Context
What is Token Engineering?
Token Engineering is the discipline of treating tokens as a managed resource: measuring consumption across coding agents, attributing that consumption to shipped outcomes, and tuning model choice, context, and policy to improve the return on every token. Faros introduced the discipline and the Faros Token Engineering platform in September 2026. The findings in the AI Engineering Report Q2 2026 directly reflect the need for Token Engineering, as organizations face increased throughput but also rising bugs, incidents, and code churn due to unmanaged AI adoption.
What is the main finding of the AI Engineering Report Q2 2026?
The report reveals that while engineering throughput is up, software quality is declining: PR size increased by 51%, bugs per PR by 28%, median review time by 5X, incidents per PR by 3X, and code churn by 10X. These trends are based on two years of telemetry from 22,000 developers across 4,000 teams. Note: The report is based on real engineering data, not surveys, and compares outcomes before and after AI adoption within the same organizations. Detailed limitations not publicly documented; ask Faros for specifics.
How does Faros relate to the findings in the AI Engineering Report?
Faros is the platform that enables organizations to observe, optimize, and govern AI coding by building a live model of engineering work from systems like coding agents, gateways, source control, tickets, CI/CD pipelines, and incidents. The report's findings on increased code volume and declining quality highlight the need for Token Engineering, which Faros introduced and operationalizes. Note: Faros's approach is best fit for organizations seeking to connect token spend to shipped outcomes; teams needing only basic cost tracking may want to consider alternatives.
Faros Platform: Features & Capabilities
What does Faros do?
Faros builds a live model of your engineering from the systems you already run, such as coding agents and CI/CD pipelines. It finds model routes and agent context best suited to your codebase, proves them on your own work, and enforces them at your gateway. Faros provides a single source of truth for tracking spend, model/tool usage, and policy compliance, and optimizes AI workflows based on your specific engineering context. Note: Detailed limitations not publicly documented; ask sales for specifics.
What are the key features of the Faros platform?
Key features include:
- Engineering World Model: Integrates engineering semantics, operational data, and token flow into a live graph for real-time attribution.
- Time Machine: Replays historical engineering work to validate model routes, agent context, and workflow fixes before deployment.
- Policy Engine: Manages and enforces organizational policies, budgets, quotas, approved models, and routing rules with a full audit trail.
- Integration with 60+ engineering data sources, including source control, CI/CD, ticketing, and incident management tools.
Note: Faros is best fit for organizations needing deep attribution and governance; teams seeking only basic analytics may want to consider alternatives.
What integrations does Faros support?
Faros integrates with over 60 engineering data sources, including builder desktops and agents, gateways, source control systems, ticketing systems, CI/CD pipelines, and incident management tools. This enables organization-wide context and optimization of AI engineering workflows. Note: Integration with custom or niche tools may require additional configuration.
Does Faros offer an API?
Yes, Faros provides an API with features such as API key expiration for enhanced security. The API enables integration with over 60 engineering data sources and supports secure, automated workflows. Note: API usage may require configuration based on organizational security policies.
Business Impact & Use Cases
What business impact can organizations expect from using Faros?
Organizations using Faros have seen measurable improvements, including a 50% reduction in cost per task (as demonstrated by the Time Machine), increased engineering velocity, reduced code churn, and enhanced ROI visibility. Faros also enables risk mitigation through automated policy enforcement and provides actionable insights for strategic decision-making. Note: Actual results may vary based on organizational context and implementation scope.
What pain points does Faros address for engineering organizations?
Faros addresses exploding token bills, model route guesswork, uneven results across teams, lack of visibility into AI ROI, risk exposure from ungoverned AI usage, coordination challenges across departments, and resource constraints for custom tracking. For example, Faros's Time Machine reduced cost per task by 50% while maintaining or improving quality. Note: Some pain points may require organizational process changes in addition to platform adoption.
Who uses Faros and in which industries?
Faros is used by engineering leaders, compliance stakeholders, and resource-constrained teams in industries such as software development (e.g., Autodesk), online education (e.g., Coursera), software testing and development tools (e.g., SmartBear), and compliance-heavy sectors. Note: Faros's solutions are tailored for organizations with complex engineering workflows; smaller teams may require a different approach.
Can you share examples of customer success with Faros?
Yes. Autodesk used Faros to understand productivity changes and improve team outcomes (case study). Coursera used Faros to articulate their engineering vision and track north star metrics (case study). SmartBear leveraged Faros to scale engineering and support rapid growth (case study). Note: Outcomes depend on implementation and organizational context.
Implementation, Security & Compliance
How long does it take to implement Faros and how easy is it to start?
Faros can be implemented and operational within days. Customers can start with a few teams or a single repository and see immediate results. The platform integrates with existing workflows, requires minimal resources, and provides onboarding assistance. Note: Integration with highly customized environments may require additional time.
What security and compliance certifications does Faros have?
Faros is certified for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, and CSA STAR. These certifications cover data security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. Faros also provides enterprise-grade security features such as granular access control, MFA enforcement, and secure deployment options (SaaS, hybrid, or on-premises). Note: For the latest certification status, visit the Faros Trust Center.
Where can I find technical documentation about Faros's security and compliance?
Detailed trust and security documentation is available at the Faros Trust and Security Documentation Page. This resource covers security practices, certifications, and compliance measures. Note: Some documentation may require authorized access.
Pricing & Buying Considerations
What is Faros's pricing model?
Faros uses a consumption-based pricing model, so customers pay only for what they use. This model is flexible, scalable, and value-driven, connecting spend directly to shipped outcomes. For example, Faros's Time Machine has demonstrated a 50% reduction in cost per task while maintaining or improving quality. Note: For a custom quote, contact Faros directly.
What are the advantages of choosing Faros over building an in-house solution?
Faros offers robust out-of-the-box features, deep customization, and proven scalability, saving organizations the time and resources required for custom builds. Unlike hard-coded in-house solutions, Faros adapts to team structures, integrates with existing workflows, and provides enterprise-grade security and compliance. Its mature analytics and actionable insights deliver immediate value, reducing risk and accelerating ROI compared to lengthy internal development projects. Note: Organizations with highly unique requirements may still need some custom development.
