How Billing Works

The Billing Cycle

💡 Note:TL;DR: The Deposit-Deduct-Refund Cycle

1. Authorize: We hold the maximum possible cost of the run from your balance.
2. Execute: The agent runs and we track actual AI usage costs.
3. Refund: You are instantly refunded the difference if the run costs less than the max. You never pay for uncompleted work.

Every agent run follows a deposit-deduct-refund cycle. You always know the maximum cost before you run, and you never pay for work that was not completed.

Billing Flow

1. 💰 DEPOSIT - Fund your wallet (Card, Apple Pay, or USDC)
2. 🔒 AUTHORIZE - See max cost, hold amount from balance
3. ⚡ EXECUTE - Agent runs, track actual costs in real-time
4. 💵 REFUND - Excess returned instantly to your balance
5. 📤 SETTLE - Maker paid (batched every 5 minutes)

Example: $0.20 Run That Costs $0.08

Step 1: Deposit

Before running an agent, you fund your platform wallet. You can deposit using your credit card, Apple Pay, or USDC from a crypto wallet. Your balance is held as inUSD, our internal stablecoin pegged 1:1 to USD.

Step 2: Authorize

When you trigger a run, the system shows you the maximum possible cost. This includes the Maker fee and estimated AI costs. You authorize this amount before execution begins.

Step 3: Deduct

The authorized maximum is reserved from your balance immediately. This guarantees the run can complete without running out of funds mid-execution.

Wallet Breakdown:

• Available: $9.80
• On Hold: $0.20 (max run cost)

Step 4: Execute

The agent runs. Actual costs are tracked in real time: the Maker fee (fixed per run) and AI provider costs (variable based on tokens used).

Step 5: Refund Excess

After execution completes, the difference between the authorized amount and the actual cost is refunded to your balance instantly.

Refund Calculation:

• Authorized: $0.20
• Actual: $0.08
• Refund: $0.12 (back to wallet instantly)

Step 6: Settlement

Payments to Makers are batched every 5 minutes. This reduces transaction fees and keeps costs low. The Maker sees the earnings in their balance within minutes.

What Happens When a Run Fails

Failure Flow

1. Start
2. Authorize ($0.20 held)
3. Execute
4. Did it fail?
   • Yes → Refund ALL ($0.20)
   • No → Complete & refund excess ($0.12)

If an agent crashes mid-execution, you only pay for resources actually consumed. If one API call completed for $0.03 before the crash, you pay $0.03. The rest is refunded.

If the run fails before any work is done (validation error, insufficient balance), you pay nothing.

Balance Management

• Minimum deposit: No minimum. Add any amount.
• Balance visibility: Your current balance is always visible in the dashboard header.
• Insufficient funds: If your balance is too low for the authorized amount, the run fails with a clear error. Top up and retry.
• Unused balance: Your funds stay in your wallet indefinitely. No expiration.

Cost Transparency

Every run shows a complete cost breakdown in your run history:

Cost Breakdown

1. Platform Fee: $0.0001 (per run)
2. Maker Fee: $0.02 (set by creator)
3. AI Costs: $0.0599 (actual usage)
4. TOTAL: $0.08 (≤ authorized max)

Key Promise: You never pay more than the authorized amount.

For a detailed breakdown of what each part costs, see How much does it cost?

Related

• Pricing & Fees Reference
• Add Funds & Manage Balance
• How much does it cost?
• Withdraw Earnings