⚡ Quick Answer
If your AI agent credits reach zero while you still have credits elsewhere in your account, you have not lost them. Different features in Search Atlas can draw from different credit balances. A balance in one area does not automatically cover another. This article explains how to read your usage, what to do when agent credits run out, and how to ask for help.
💳 How Credits Work in Search Atlas
Your account can include more than one type of credit or usage allowance. Each one is tied to a specific kind of activity.
- AI agent credits are used when an AI agent works for you, such as researching, analyzing, drafting, or completing multi-step tasks.
- Other credit balances (for example, credits for other tools or data features) are tracked separately and used by those features.
Because the balances are separate, you can have a healthy balance in one and an empty balance in another. For example, you may still have hundreds of credits in one balance while agent credits show zero.
🧠 Why Agent Credits Can Run Out Faster Than Expected
AI agents often complete several steps for a single request, and each step can use credits. These situations tend to use more credits than people expect:
- Large or broad requests, such as asking an agent to analyze many pages or keywords at once.
- Repeated runs, such as regenerating results several times to refine them.
- Multiple agents or projects running during the same billing period.
- Team activity, when several users share the same account balance.
- Automated or scheduled tasks that keep running in the background.
A heavy month of activity can use up your agent credits even if your other balances are barely touched.
🔌 Do API Calls Affect Agent Credits?
This is a common question. Credit use depends on what the request does, not just how it reaches the platform. Here is a general guide:
- If an API request triggers an AI agent task, that activity can count toward your agent credits.
- If an API request pulls data from a feature that uses a different balance, it is generally tracked against that feature's balance instead.
- Requests made through connected tools, scripts, or integrations can add up quickly, especially if they run on a schedule.
Because the exact impact depends on your plan and which endpoints or features your integration uses, we recommend confirming with our team if you are unsure which balance your API activity uses. They can review your account and tell you where the usage came from.
🔎 How to Check Where Your Credits Went
- Open your account or billing area in the platform.
- Find the usage or credits section and look at each balance separately.
- Note the date your agent credits dropped the most.
- Think about what you or your team ran around that time, including any integrations or automated tasks.
- Check whether other team members used the same account during the period.
Keep a few notes about the dates and tasks involved. They help our team investigate faster if you need to reach out.
🛠️ What to Do When Agent Credits Run Out
- Pause automated tasks that use agents so you do not keep running into the limit.
- Prioritize your most important tasks and handle them first once credits are available.
- Use other platform tools that run on separate balances while you wait.
- Review your plan to see whether a higher tier or add-on better fits your usage.
- Wait for your next renewal if your credits reset on a monthly cycle.
🎁 About Courtesy Top-Ups
If you ran out of agent credits unexpectedly, our team may be able to help. In some cases, they can review your account and, at their discretion, apply a one-time courtesy top-up. A top-up is not guaranteed, and it depends on factors such as your account history and how the credits were used.
To give the team what they need, have these details ready:
- The approximate date your agent credits ran out
- What you were working on at the time
- Whether you use the API or any integrations
- Your remaining balance in other credit types
💡 Tips to Avoid Running Out Again
- Check your usage regularly instead of waiting until a balance reaches zero.
- Break large requests into smaller, focused tasks.
- Avoid regenerating results unless you need to.
- Review any automated or scheduled tasks and API integrations.
- Let your team know how credits are shared so usage stays predictable.
💬 Need More Help?
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be instantly connected with a member of our team.