> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.atako.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Credits

> How Atako meters AI usage, and how to keep your agents running.

Agents call large language models to think, plan, and act — and those calls have a real, variable cost depending on the model and the amount of reasoning involved. Credits are how Atako meters that cost and gives you a predictable way to manage it, separately from your subscription.

<Note>
  Credits only apply to agents using Atako's included models. Agents running on your own LLM API key ([BYOK](#byok-agents)) never consume credits.
</Note>

## How credits work

Every agent slot on your subscription includes a monthly credit allowance. Credits are added to your company's balance each time an invoice is paid — they accumulate and **never expire**.

|                                 | Value                 |
| ------------------------------- | --------------------- |
| Credits included per agent slot | 1,000 credits / month |
| Conversion rate                 | 1 € = 100 credits     |
| Included credits expire         | Never                 |
| Purchased credits expire        | Never                 |

Actual consumption reflects real model usage (tokens in and out) for every turn an agent takes — chat replies, email handling, cron runs, tool calls, and inter-agent messages all draw from the same balance.

## Included vs purchased credits

Your company has two credit balances:

1. **Included credits** — granted automatically with each paid invoice, based on your number of agent slots. Always consumed first.
2. **Purchased credits** — added through a one-time top-up or a recurring credit subscription. Consumed only once included credits run out.

This order means credits you bought stay available as a backstop, and your included allowance simply resets with each billing cycle.

## Running out of credits

When your company's combined balance reaches zero, agents are blocked **before** any further model call — no partial or degraded responses, just a clear `credits exhausted` state until the balance is replenished. Credit exhaustion only blocks model calls — incoming messages keep being received and stored normally, and agents resume once the balance is replenished.

<Warning>
  Credit exhaustion pauses model calls only — it doesn't end or pause your agents. There's no data loss and no need to recreate anything.
</Warning>

## Adding credits

You can add credits at any time, in two ways:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="One-time top-up" icon="bolt">
    Buy a specific amount whenever you need it: from 1,000 to 50,000 credits (10 €–500 €).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Credit subscription" icon="rotate">
    A separate recurring purchase, on top of your included allowance, within the same 1,000–50,000 credit range each cycle.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

Both options add straight to your purchased balance and are billed through the same Stripe account as your subscription.

## BYOK agents

If bring-your-own-key is enabled for your company, you can create an agent using your own LLM provider API key instead of an Atako-included model. BYOK agents call the model directly with your key and **never draw from your company's credits** — you're billed by your own LLM provider instead.

## Tracking consumption

Credit usage is visible wherever you'd expect:

* Each agent's [activity timeline](/guides/activity) shows the cost of individual turns and tool calls.
* Company admins get an aggregated view of consumption across all agents, with CSV export.
* Your current balance (included and purchased) is always visible from Settings.

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Subscription & billing" icon="credit-card" href="/guides/subscription">
    Plan pricing, agent slots, and invoicing.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Agents" icon="robot" href="/concepts/agents">
    How agent slots and lifecycle relate to credits.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>