diff --git a/src/amplifier_agent_http/_event_translator.py b/src/amplifier_agent_http/_event_translator.py
index 9a21db5c..d6dd506f 100644
--- a/src/amplifier_agent_http/_event_translator.py
+++ b/src/amplifier_agent_http/_event_translator.py
@@ -140,18 +140,25 @@ def extract_usage(event: DisplayEvent) -> dict[str, Any] | None:
     Returns ``None`` for non-usage events so the caller can use a simple
     accumulator: ``if (u := extract_usage(ev)): usage_block = u``.
 
-    Anthropic's prompt caching splits input tokens across three buckets:
-
-    - ``inputTokens``       : new tokens, billed at the full input rate
-    - ``cacheWriteTokens``  : tokens being written to the cache (billed at ~1.25x)
-    - ``cacheReadTokens``   : tokens read from the cache (billed at ~0.1x)
-
-    The model sees **all three** as input -- the cache distinction is purely
-    a billing optimization. opencode's @ai-sdk/openai-compatible adapter
-    (and any OpenAI-compatible client) expects ``prompt_tokens`` to be the
-    total token count, not just the uncached portion. We were previously
-    only forwarding ``inputTokens``, which made every cached turn look 1000-2000x
-    cheaper than it actually was.
+    Input tokens arrive in two ADDITIVE parts, not three:
+
+    - ``inputTokens``       : the GROSS input total. Per amplifier-core's
+                              ``docs/contracts/PROVIDER_CONTRACT.md``, a provider's
+                              ``input_tokens`` is the "gross total (fresh +
+                              cache_read combined)", so this ALREADY contains the
+                              cache reads.
+    - ``cacheWriteTokens``  : cache creation, billed on top of the gross total and
+                              NOT included in ``inputTokens``.
+    - ``cacheReadTokens``   : a REPORTED SUBSET of ``inputTokens``, surfaced for
+                              visibility. Adding it to ``inputTokens`` counts it
+                              twice.
+
+    opencode's @ai-sdk/openai-compatible adapter (and any OpenAI-compatible
+    client) expects ``prompt_tokens`` to be the total charged token count, which
+    is therefore ``inputTokens + cacheWriteTokens``. Forwarding ``inputTokens``
+    alone understates a turn by the cache-write portion; adding ``cacheReadTokens``
+    on top overstates it by the whole cached portion, which on a cache-heavy turn
+    is most of the prompt.
 
     OpenAI's wire extension for cache visibility is
     ``prompt_tokens_details.cached_tokens`` (the portion that was a cache hit).
@@ -178,12 +185,13 @@ def _to_int(value: Any) -> int:
         except (TypeError, ValueError):
             return 0
 
-    new_input = _to_int(event.get("inputTokens"))
+    gross_input = _to_int(event.get("inputTokens"))
     cache_read = _to_int(event.get("cacheReadTokens"))
     cache_write = _to_int(event.get("cacheWriteTokens"))
     output = _to_int(event.get("outputTokens"))
 
-    prompt_total = new_input + cache_read + cache_write
+    # cache_read is deliberately absent: it is already inside gross_input.
+    prompt_total = gross_input + cache_write
     result: dict[str, Any] = {
         "prompt_tokens": prompt_total,
         "completion_tokens": output,
diff --git a/src/amplifier_agent_http/routes/chat_completions.py b/src/amplifier_agent_http/routes/chat_completions.py
index 8442184d..997122a0 100644
--- a/src/amplifier_agent_http/routes/chat_completions.py
+++ b/src/amplifier_agent_http/routes/chat_completions.py
@@ -464,8 +464,9 @@ async def _stream_chat_completion(
     # Summing in the POC is a reasonable approximation; per-call breakdown is
     # in the v2 backlog.
     #
-    # ``usage_prompt`` is the TOTAL input tokens (new + cache_read + cache_write),
-    # not just the uncached portion. ``usage_cached`` is surfaced separately via
+    # ``usage_prompt`` is the TOTAL charged input tokens (gross input + cache
+    # writes; cache reads are already inside the gross figure and must not be
+    # added again). ``usage_cached`` is surfaced separately via
     # ``prompt_tokens_details.cached_tokens`` on the terminal chunk so
     # the client's cost tracking sees the cache hit rate accurately.
     usage_prompt: int = 0