# How credits work

> New accounts start with free credits. Assistants spend credits when they work, and work stops cleanly and asks you when credits run out.

Credits are the balance on your account that your assistants draw on while they work. You do not have to count them or manage them. This page explains what to expect.

## The basics

1. **New accounts start with free credits.** You can sign in and start giving goals straight away.
2. **Assistants spend credits when they work.** Thinking through a goal, writing code, and running a job all draw on your balance.
3. **Work stops cleanly when credits run out.** The assistant does not leave a half-done change behind or carry on without you. It stops and asks.
4. **The Usage screen shows what was used.** See [Usage](/docs/credits/usage).

## What uses credits

| Activity | Uses credits? |
| --- | --- |
| An assistant working on a goal | Yes |
| The CEO assistant planning and briefing | Yes |
| An assistant's workspace running its commands | Yes, when StellarFirm runs it for you |
| You reading Approvals, Jobs, or Settings | No |
| Your assistants waiting for your Approve | No |

> [!NOTE]
> Some setups use their own connection for part of the work. Usage lists those calls without credits, so you can still see them.

## When credits run out

1. The assistant finishes or pauses at a safe point and stops.
2. You get a message in chat that credits have run out.
3. Nothing risky happens in the meantime. Steps that wait for your Approve still wait.
4. When you are ready to carry on, tell the assistant in chat and it will continue the work.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> Running out of credits never approves anything for you, and it never sends, publishes, or creates something half finished.

## If you need help with credits

Check the [Usage](/docs/credits/usage) screen to see what was used. If something looks wrong, or you are not sure what to do when credits run out, write to us through the [Support page](/support).

## Keeping usage steady

- Write clear goals with a place and a finish line. See [write a good goal](/docs/ceo/prompt-guide#write-a-good-goal).
- Keep each job small. Several small pull requests are easier to review than one huge one.
- Set [house rules](/docs/ceo/house-rules) that keep work focused.

```prompt title="Keep a job focused"
Coder, on [repository], do only [one clear change]. Do not refactor unrelated code. Open a pull request for review and stop.
```

## Next

- [Usage](/docs/credits/usage)
- [Privacy](/docs/trust/privacy): the usage record is kept even if analytics are off.

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Source: https://stellarfirm.ai/docs/credits/how-credits-work