Credits System

Software Multitool uses a credits system to meter AI tool usage and connect it to paid plans and one-time purchases. This is the recommended monetization model for AI-powered tools where compute cost per request varies significantly.

How it works

1. Users get a credit balance — either granted by their subscription plan or purchased as a one-time top-up.
2. Each tool has a credit cost configured in config/index.ts. For example:
   • News Analyzer: 1 credit per article
   • Speaker Separation: 2 credits per minute of audio
   • Invoice Processor: 3 credits per document
3. When a user runs a tool, the system deducts the appropriate credits from their balance.
4. If the user has insufficient credits, the request is rejected with a 402 PAYMENT_REQUIRED response.

Credit sources

Credits can come from three sources:

Configuring tool credit costs

In config/index.ts, each tool entry includes a creditCost field and optional creditUnit:

{
  slug: "invoice-processor",
  name: "Invoice Processor",
  creditCost: 3,   // 3 credits per document
  // creditUnit defaults to "request" if not set
}

{
  slug: "speaker-separation",
  creditCost: 2,
  creditUnit: "minute",   // 2 credits per minute of audio
}

Configuring credit packs

Credit packs (one-time purchases) are defined in config/index.ts under payments.creditPacks:

creditPacks: [
  {
    id: "boost",
    credits: 100,
    productId: "your-stripe-product-id",
    name: "Boost Pack",
    price: 999,   // in cents
  },
]

Each pack needs a corresponding product in your payment provider (Stripe, Creem, etc.).

Subscription credit grants

Subscription plans can grant credits at the start of each billing period. Configure this in the plan definition in config/index.ts:

plans: {
  pro: {
    name: "Pro",
    monthlyCredits: 500,
    prices: [...],
  }
}

The monthlyCredits value is granted when a subscription is created or renewed.

Credit middleware

The API enforces credit requirements via packages/api/lib/credit-middleware.ts. This middleware runs before every tool endpoint and:

1. Checks if the user has enough credits for the requested operation
2. Deducts the credits atomically with the job creation
3. Refunds credits if the job fails or is cancelled

You typically do not need to modify this middleware unless you want to add custom credit logic.

Viewing credit usage

Users can see their credit balance and transaction history at:

• /app/billing/usage — usage trends and breakdown by tool
• /app/settings/billing — current balance, active plan, and purchase history

Admins can view org-level usage in the admin panel at /admin.