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

# How credits work

> What credits are, what spends them, the order your three pools drain in, and what a first build actually costs.

Credits are what building costs. One credit corresponds to one US dollar of usage. Understanding them takes two minutes and saves surprises.

## What spends credits

| What                         | When                                                                      |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| The Builder working          | Every turn — reading, deciding, writing, and checking its work            |
| The machine running your app | While your session is awake, including time you spend reading the preview |
| Publishing                   | A small flat fee per publish — about 0.2 credits                          |

**Talking to the coach is free.** So are your daily task suggestions, the inbox, and automation runs — none of them touch your credit balance. Almost all of your spend is building.

<Note>
  The machine sleeps between turns precisely so idle time stops costing you. You do not need to stop it by hand.
</Note>

## Your three pools

Credits come from three pools, and they drain in a fixed order.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Daily" icon="sun">
    A free allowance that refills every day — 5 credits, on every plan. Spent first.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Monthly" icon="calendar">
    Included with a paid plan, refilling each billing cycle. Spent once the daily pool is empty.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Top-ups" icon="coins">
    Credits you buy at \$1 each. Spent last, and they never expire.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Spending your free daily allowance first means your paid credits last as long as possible.

## When pools refill

| Pool    | Refills                                  | Rolls over?                                    |
| ------- | ---------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| Daily   | Every day, at midnight UTC               | No — unused daily credits do not carry forward |
| Monthly | At the start of each billing cycle       | No                                             |
| Top-ups | Never expire; only spending reduces them | Not applicable                                 |

<Warning>
  Daily and monthly allowances do not accumulate. An unused day is simply an unused day.
</Warning>

## What a build actually costs

Costs vary with how much work you ask for, but as a shape:

* A **full first build** — the most expensive thing you will do in a workspace — runs on the order of 5 credits.
* **Small edits** — copy changes, colour tweaks, moving a section — cost a fraction of that.
* **Publishing** adds about 0.2 credits each time.

A new account starts with a one-off grant of 10 credits on top of the daily allowance — sized so you can complete a first build, make a few edits, and publish before spending anything.

<Note>
  These figures are the current defaults and can change. Your exact balance and recent spending are always on the **Usage** page — see [Track your usage](/credits/track-usage).
</Note>

## Running out

When your balance cannot cover more work, Skarmy stops rather than silently continuing. You will see:

> `You're out of credits. Top up on the Usage page`

Nothing is lost. Your workspace, conversation, files, and published site all stay exactly as they are. Add credits or wait for your daily allowance to refill, and carry on from where you stopped.

You can also cap your own spending with a **Monthly spend limit** on the **Usage** page — usage pauses for the month once spend reaches the cap.

## Guests

You can start without an account, with a small one-off grant of credits. Opening the Builder and publishing require signing up — and when you do, everything you started as a guest moves across with you.

## Verify

* **Usage** shows a **Current balance**.
* **Monthly credits** and the daily allowance both appear.
* Spending appears under **Last 30 days** after a build.

## Next

<Columns cols={3}>
  <Card title="Plans" icon="layer-group" href="/credits/plans">
    What each plan includes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Billing and top-ups" icon="credit-card" href="/credits/billing-and-top-ups">
    Buy credits and manage payment.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Track your usage" icon="chart-line" href="/credits/track-usage">
    See where your credits went.
  </Card>
</Columns>