> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://vlyai-1c28d863.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Credits

> How vly meters agent runs. Typical credit costs by change size, and how to manage usage.

A **credit** funds one agent run. Plans include a monthly allotment; you can buy more or upgrade if you run out.

## What a credit costs

Approximate cost in credits for typical changes:

| Change | Credits |
| - | - |
| Tiny (one line, one file) | 1 |
| Small (one feature, \~3 files) | 2–4 |
| Medium (multi-file feature) | 5–10 |
| Large (refactor, \~15+ files) | 10–25 |
| Plan mode (no code generation) | 0 |

Cost scales with the size of the change and the agent. **OpenAI Codex** is cheapest, **Claude Code** is the standard, **Gemini CLI** sits in between.

## Monthly allotments

| Plan | Credits / month |
| - | - |
| Free | 50 |
| Pro | 500 |
| Business | 5,000 |
| Enterprise | Custom |

Unused credits don't roll over. Reset is on the billing date.

## Buying more credits

Settings → Billing → Buy credits. Available on Pro+ tiers. Bought credits don't expire and stay until used.

| Pack | Credits | Price |
| - | - | - |
| Small | 100 | \$5 |
| Medium | 1,000 | \$40 |
| Large | 10,000 | \$300 |

## Tracking usage

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Live counter" icon="gauge">
    Always visible in the workspace header. Shows credits used / credits remaining.
  </Card>

  <Card title="History" icon="history">
    Settings → Billing → Usage. Daily breakdown, per-project, per-agent.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API" icon="key">
    `GET /v1/billing/usage` returns the same data programmatically.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Alerts" icon="bell">
    Set thresholds (50% / 80% / 100%) for email alerts.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Tips for staying under cap

<Tip>
  **Use OpenAI Codex for tight edits.** Cheaper and faster on small changes.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **Use Plan mode liberally.** Plan generation is free. The cost is the build, which is the same whether you reviewed the plan or not — but Plan mode reduces re-builds.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **Avoid prompt-thrashing.** If you've re-prompted the same area three times, step back, write one clear prompt, run it once. Each re-prompt costs credits.
</Tip>

## Related

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Plans" icon="package" href="/features/billing/plans">
    Plan-by-plan credit allotments.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Usage limits" icon="gauge" href="/features/billing/usage-limits">
    What happens at the cap.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Choosing an agent" icon="git-branch" href="/features/agents/choosing-an-agent">
    Pick the cheapest agent for the job.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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