# Credits and limits

> Which MCP requests use AI credits, how much they cost, and what happens when you hit a limit.

Source: https://brandwise.ai/help/mcp/mcp-credits-and-limits
Last updated: 2026-09-30

Some requests from connected AI tools use AI credits from your organization's balance. Requests that only count things or look up your setup are free. Reading conversations, taking inbox actions, and replying cost credits.

## What each request costs

| What the AI tool does | Cost |
|---|---|
| Counting conversations or checking comment sentiment | Free |
| Looking up accounts, smart labels, teammates, automations, or organizations | Free |
| Reading or editing the knowledge base | Free |
| Creating, editing, or deleting smart labels | Free |
| Listing or searching comments, DMs, or live chats | 1 credit per 50 returned |
| Listing or searching email threads | 1 credit per 10 returned |
| Opening a single conversation (any channel) | 1 credit |
| Grouping comments or DMs into themes | 1 credit per 25 analyzed |
| Grouping email threads into themes | 1 credit per 5 analyzed |
| Applying a label, assigning, resolving, or adding a note | 1 credit each |
| Saving a reply draft or sending a reply | 1 credit each |

A few rules apply to all of these:

- Each request is rounded up to the next whole credit, so any request that returns something costs at least 1 credit.
- A request that returns nothing is free.
- You're only charged when a request succeeds.
- When a teammate sends a draft the AI saved, there's no extra charge.
- If the AI retries the exact same reply, it isn't charged or sent twice.

## Examples

- **"Show me the 20 newest comments."** 1 credit.
- **"Go through my last 120 comments."** If the AI reads them in pages of 50, 50, and 20, that's 3 credits.
- **"Read the 25 newest support emails."** 3 credits.
- **"What are the top 5 themes in my DMs?"** Grouping into 5 themes looks at up to 250 conversations, so up to 10 credits. The same request for email threads costs up to 50 credits.
- **"Draft replies to these 10 comments."** 10 credits for the drafts, plus whatever it costs to read the comments.

## When you don't have enough credits

Before a request runs, Brandwise checks that your balance can cover the most it could cost. If it can't, the request is refused and nothing is charged. Asking for fewer results or fewer themes lowers that amount.

Requests are also refused while your credits are on hold, which usually means there's a payment problem to fix. Free requests keep working either way.

To add credits, see [Add more credits](https://brandwise.ai/help/account-billing/add-more-credits).

## See your MCP usage

Go to **Settings > Billing > Credit Usage**. Credits used by connected AI tools show up under **Agent Access**. You need permission to manage billing to see this page.

## Rate limits

To keep things fair for everyone, Brandwise limits how many requests can be made in a short time. If an AI tool hits a limit, nothing is charged, the tool is told to wait and try again, and the request shows as **Rate limited** under **Settings > MCP > Recent activity**.