How credits work

Credits are how FromScratch measures the AI work done for you. Every reply from the agent costs credits; so does creating a new project. This page explains exactly what you pay for, how to read the numbers on screen, and what happens when a limit is reached — so a pause never comes as a surprise.

What a credit pays for

When you send a message, the agent thinks, reads your project, writes code, runs checks and takes screenshots of the preview. All of that is AI work, measured in tokens (small pieces of text the model reads and writes). The cost of a reply is:

• the amount of AI work in that reply (a one-line colour change costs far less than building a new page), multiplied by
• the model's multiplier. The default model counts ×1; some premium models count more, and the picker shows it next to the model name (« ×2 credits », for example).

You see the result under each reply: Credits used by this reply shows the final count, and while the agent is still working the counter reads « ≈ N credits used… ».

Creating a project also costs a fixed number of credits (shown as « cr. per new project » on the plan cards).

The hold: why credits are reserved when you send

When you send a message, a small number of credits is held (the plan cards call it « cr. held per prompt »). It is a reservation, not a charge: when the reply ends, you pay what the reply actually used and the rest of the hold is released. The hold simply makes sure a reply can start; if your balance is below it, the message can't be sent until you have more credits.

Per-message caps: the « continue » pause

Each plan also limits how much one reply can do: a maximum number of steps and a maximum number of credits per message. They protect you from a single request eating a large part of your balance.

When a reply reaches a cap, the agent stops cleanly and writes:

⏸️ Pausing here: … Everything I did is saved — take a look at the preview, then reply "continue" and I'll pick up where I left off.

Nothing is lost and nothing is broken. Check the preview, then type continue (or click Continue step N if you're following a plan). The paused reply is billed like any other reply, for the work it did.

Tip

caps are hit most often by very large requests (« build the whole site with 8 pages »). Working step by step with the plan keeps each reply small, predictable and cheaper. See Approve the plan, step by step.

Plan allotments

How many credits you get depends on your plan. The exact figures are on the plan cards on the Billing page and on the Pricing page, because they can change.

Your current balance is in the top bar of the app (the credits badge) and on the Billing page next to Balance. Click Activity on the Billing page to see what each reply and each project cost.

When you run out

If your balance is empty, two things can happen:

• Before a message: a card says « You're out of credits » with a button to upgrade (« Continue with Starter » on Free, « View plans » on a paid plan).
• During a reply: the agent stops with « ⏸️ Stopping here: you're out of credits. Everything done so far is saved. »

Either way your project, files and versions are untouched. On a paid plan, your credits come back at renewal; you can also move to a bigger plan at any time. There are no separate credit packs: more credits means a bigger plan. See Change plan or get more credits.

Note

« Pausing here: this message reached your plan's per-message credit cap » is not the same as being out of credits. Your balance is fine; reply « continue ».

How to spend fewer credits

• One clear request at a time. Precise prompts mean fewer back-and-forths. See Write prompts that work.
• Use the plan. One step per reply is the most efficient rhythm.
• Pick the default model for routine changes; keep premium models for hard tasks.
• Don't ask to rebuild or restart to fix a display glitch: describe what you see instead.
• Use Versions to undo a bad change rather than asking the agent to rewrite it. See Versions: undo anything.

FAQ

Related

• Plans and the free tier
• The free trial (no card)
• AI models and your plan
• Fix common problems