Coding Agents & Prepaid Credits
When you create an organization you choose which coding agent your agents run and how you pay for the underlying model. This page explains both, plus the prepaid credit wallet that powers the "agent.ceo credits" option.
1. Choose your main coding agent
At org creation you pick the runtime every agent in the org uses:
| Runtime | Provider | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Anthropic | Default — most capable |
| Codex | OpenAI | beta |
| Gemini CLI | beta | |
| OpenCode | OpenCode | beta |
| Hermes | Any model via OpenRouter | beta |
The choice applies to your agents' interactive terminal. You can change it later per agent.
2. Choose how you pay for the model
This is a required, three-way choice — there is no silent default. Credits is recommended for most customers.
| Option | What happens | When to pick it |
|---|---|---|
| agent.ceo credits ⭐ | We provide the provider key and bill usage to your prepaid USD wallet. No key to manage. | You want the simplest setup and a single bill. |
| Bring your own key (BYOK) | You supply the provider's API key at creation; agents use it directly and the provider bills you. | You already have a provider account / committed-use pricing. |
| Set up later (deferred) | The org is created but the agent starts without a key. You add a key or sign in to a subscription from the agent's terminal afterwards. | You want to provision now and decide on billing later. |
For BYOK, non-Claude runtimes require the matching provider key at creation (Claude can use the platform key). For deferred, the terminal links you to the per-runtime key-setup guide when you open it.
Your API key is sent over HTTPS and stored as an encrypted per-org secret. It is never written to our database and never shown again.
3. Prepaid credits — the wallet
If you choose agent.ceo credits, your org runs on a prepaid USD wallet.
- Buy credits in $100 bulks from the billing page (Prepaid credits → Buy $100 credits). Checkout is handled by Stripe.
- Usage is metered live. Each model call draws down the wallet in USD as it happens.
- You can't go into deficit. When the balance reaches zero, agents pause automatically until you top up — usage never runs unbounded.
How usage is priced
Billable cost for a call = provider cost × a small markup (configurable, currently 1.5×). When the runtime reports an exact per-call cost we bill on that; otherwise we compute it from token usage at current provider rates.
Auto-recharge
To avoid pauses, enable auto-recharge on the billing page: when your balance drops below a threshold (default $20), we automatically charge your saved card to top up by a set amount (default $100). There's a daily cap to prevent runaway spend, every top-up is recorded, and a failed charge alerts you and leaves the agent paused rather than silently retrying.
prepay $100 → agents run, balance draws down live → hits $20
→ auto-recharge tops up to $120 → keeps running
(no saved card / disabled → pause at $0 until you top up)
4. Managing it from the dashboard
The Billing page shows a Prepaid credits card with:
- Current balance and a low / exhausted indicator,
- Buy $100 credits (redirects to Stripe checkout),
- Auto-recharge toggle with threshold and top-up amount.
BYOK and deferred orgs don't use the wallet — it simply stays empty.
5. FAQ
Do I have to choose credits? No — you choose credits, BYOK, or deferred at creation. Credits is recommended but optional.
What if I run out mid-task? The agent pauses at zero. Buy more credits (or enable auto-recharge) and it resumes.
Is my key safe with BYOK? Yes — encrypted per-org secret, HTTPS-only, never persisted to the database or returned by the API.
Can I switch from BYOK to credits later? Yes — switch the org to credits and buy a bulk; usage then bills to the wallet.
See also: Billing · Coding-agent key setup · API keys