Credits Consumption by Feature

How Runcell credits are calculated for Ask/Chat, Agent, completions, and other AI features

Overview

Runcell uses Credits to account for AI feature usage. The current billing model is split by feature type:

Ask/Chat and Agent: token-based. Credits are calculated from actual input and output tokens used by the selected model.
Other AI features: standard feature-based pricing. These features still use fixed or model-rate-based rules rather than token-based billing.

For token-based model rates, see Token-based Credits.

Ask/Chat and Agent

Ask/Chat and Agent mode no longer use the old per-message base credits × model rate calculation. They now use token-based Credits:

input_credits = input_tokens / 100,000 * input_credits_per_100k_tokens

output_credits = output_tokens / 100,000 * output_credits_per_100k_tokens

total_credits = input_credits + output_credits

Actual usage is often lower than the theoretical token rate in continuous tasks because Runcell uses Prompt Cache Prefix optimization. As a rough planning estimate, continuous Ask/Agent work often costs around 1/5 to 1/4 of the theoretical table value, but this is not a guaranteed calculation rule.

Credits Consumption Summary by Feature

Feature	Credits per Request	Calculation Method	Notes
Ask/Chat	Based on actual input and output tokens	Token-based	Uses selected model token rates; cache optimization can reduce actual cost
Agent	Based on actual input and output tokens	Token-based	Uses selected model token rates; long-running tool workflows often benefit from cache optimization
Inline Completion	`0.05`	Fixed	Fixed value, not affected by model selection
Simple Completion	`0.1`	Fixed	Fixed value, not affected by model selection
Code Apply	`0.1`	Fixed	Fixed value for both insert and edit actions
Image Generation	`5 × model_rate`	Dynamic (model-based)	Base credits configurable via `IMAGE_GENERATION_CREDITS` env var (default: 5)
Quick Fix	`1 × model_rate`	Dynamic (model-based)	Base 1 credit multiplied by model's credit_rate
Predictive Interaction	`0.5`	Fixed	Fixed value for both streaming and non-streaming modes
Visualization Analysis	`0.3`	Fixed	Fixed value for image analysis feature
Title Generation	`0`	Free	No credits deducted

Standard Feature-based Costs

The features below are not currently token-based:

Inline Completion
Simple Completion
Code Apply
Image Generation
Quick Fix
Predictive Interaction
Visualization Analysis
Title Generation

These features continue to use the standard fixed or model-rate-based rules shown in the table above. This keeps short, background, or utility actions predictable even when they are powered by AI.

Archived Legacy Model Rates

The old message-based model-rate documentation is archived for historical reference: Archived Model Credit Costs.

Use that archived page only when you need to understand legacy model-rate multipliers. For current Ask/Chat and Agent costs, use Token-based Credits.