# Credits & Billing

> Understand how credits work on AgentPMT -- how to buy them, where they are spent, and how to review activity.

Content type: documentation
Source URL: https://www.agentpmt.com/docs/core-concepts/what-are-credits
Markdown URL: https://www.agentpmt.com/docs/core-concepts/what-are-credits?format=agent-md
Category: Core Concepts

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# Credits & Billing

Credits are the stored balance your agent groups use for AgentPMT tool calls and hosted agent work. They let you set spend boundaries without exposing unrestricted payment access to every agent runtime.

## What Credits Are

Credits are an AgentPMT usage balance. When an approved tool, workflow, or hosted model action performs billable work, AgentPMT records the activity and deducts the current credit cost from the relevant balance.

Tool detail pages, scoped chat surfaces, and activity logs show current costs. Do not rely on static examples or old screenshots for pricing decisions.

## How Credits Are Purchased

Buy credits from the dashboard or credits widget. The purchase flow opens Stripe checkout for card payment and returns you to AgentPMT after checkout completes.

Credit-pack availability and card checkout details are controlled by the current backend configuration. The docs intentionally do not list static pack prices because those values can change without a docs deployment.

## Where Credits Are Spent

Credits may be spent when:

- A hosted agent calls an approved tool.
- A local MCP or API caller invokes a tool through its agent group.
- A workflow runs approved tool steps.
- Embedded AgentPMT chat uses the Agent Gateway or other billable platform services.

Credits are not a blanket account permission. The agent group still controls which tools are available, which credentials can be used, and how much spend is allowed.

## Where To See Costs Before Calling A Tool

Before use, check the current cost on the tool detail page, marketplace listing, or the relevant run surface. Programmatic callers can inspect the tool schema and pricing fields returned by AgentPMT APIs before invoking an action.

For local agents, the MCP tool list includes the tool schemas and metadata the client needs to decide whether a tool is appropriate. See [MCP Connection](/docs/mcp-reference/connection) for connection setup.

## How Balances And Activity Are Reviewed

Your balance is visible in the credits widget and dashboard. Activity records show what ran, which agent group or agent initiated it, status, duration, and the recorded charge state after completion.

Use **Control Center -> Agent Activity** when you need to audit a specific call, export usage, or confirm whether a request consumed credits.

## Failed-Call Behavior

Activity logs show the final charge status after each call. If a request fails before billable work completes, review the activity row and tool response to confirm the recorded outcome.

## Spending Controls

Use Agent Groups to bound spend:

- Add only the tools and workflows a runtime needs.
- Set agent group spending caps.
- Bind credentials only where required.
- Monitor activity and adjust access when a tool is no longer needed.

For autonomous agents that buy reusable credits with x402 and then spend them through wallet-signed requests, use [Credit Based Tool Usage With AgentAddress](/docs/autonomous-agents/credit-based-tool-usage-with-agentaddress).

## Next Steps

- [MCP Connection](/docs/mcp-reference/connection) - Connect local and hosted MCP clients to an agent group.
  - [Setting Spending Caps](/docs/core-concepts/setting-spending-caps) - Control how much an agent group can spend.