WHAT COSTS WHAT
Credits pay for compute Meridian runs for you.
What credits are, what actually spends them, how a reservation works, and what happens when the balance runs out mid-run.
THE UNIT
A credit is server compute, not a feature key
Credits meter work Meridian performs on its own machines: durable backtests, experiment batches, edge searches and scheduled analysis. Reading, charting, composing and running a backtest locally in your own browser cost nothing and are not metered.
Every plan includes a monthly allowance - 50 on Free, 500 on Pro, 5,000 on Quant - and packs can be bought on top. Included credits are not a separate currency: they are simply the first ones spent.
THE LEDGER
What spends, and what does not
| Action | Metered? |
|---|---|
| Reading research, charts and indicators | No |
| A local backtest in the Workbench | No - your CPU, your browser |
| A durable server backtest | Yes, quoted before it runs |
| A Lab experiment batch | Yes, per trial |
| An Edge Atlas search | Yes, quoted as a batch |
| Copilot with your own key | No - you pay your provider |
HOW A CHARGE WORKS
Quote, reserve, settle
Nothing is debited by surprise. A dispatch is quoted first, the approved ceiling is reserved while the work runs, and the settlement debits what the work actually cost - which is at most the number you agreed to.
If a dispatch fails before the work starts, the reservation is released. If it fails after, the incident is recorded rather than silently swallowed, because a held reservation nobody can see is worse than a charge somebody can dispute.
- A refusal is not a faultAn exhausted balance refuses new work with a sentence saying so. It is a funding state, not an error in the run.
- Running work is not strandedAn automation that runs out of funding moves to a reduce-only state rather than being abandoned with an open position.
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