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How Credits Work

Every time a CatDoes agent performs a step — generating a design, writing code, or running a build — it consumes credits. The cost of each step depends on which agent tier you’re using and the complexity of the task.

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Pick the Right Agent Tier

CatDoes lets you switch between Junior, Senior, and Principal agent tiers for both the design and software agents. This is the single biggest lever you have for controlling credit usage.
TierBest forCredit cost
JuniorStraightforward tasks, simple UI changes, boilerplate codeLowest (0.3x)
SeniorComplex logic, nuanced design, debugging tricky issues(1x)
PrincipalHighest-quality reasoning, complex architecture, critical decisionsHighest (1.6x)
The Principal tier uses the most capable AI model available and delivers best-in-class quality and reasoning. However, it costs significantly more per step. A great way to use Principal without burning through credits is to let it plan first. Ask Principal to figure out how a feature should be built — the approach, the structure, the steps — and then switch to Junior or Senior to actually build it. You get Principal-quality thinking upfront, and the bulk of the work happens at a lower cost. This often leads to better results in fewer steps, saving you credits overall.
Start with the Junior tier and only switch to Senior or Principal when the task genuinely requires it. For many routine tasks — small layout adjustments, simple component creation, or basic CRUD logic — Junior delivers solid results at a fraction of the cost.
The Principal tier is available on paid plans only. If you’re on a free plan, you’ll be prompted to upgrade when selecting it.
You can switch tiers from the agent dropdown in your project dashboard. The change applies to the next step the agent takes.

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Write Clear Requirements

Vague instructions lead to more back-and-forth steps, and each step costs credits. The more specific you are upfront, the fewer steps the agent needs to get it right. See the Writing Good Prompts page for detailed tips and examples.

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Start a New Chat When the Agent is Exhausted

As a conversation grows longer, the agent’s context fills up and its performance drops. Continuing past this point wastes credits on lower-quality output. When you see the exhaustion notice, create a new chat instead of pushing forward. CatDoes carries your project context and codebase over, so the new chat picks up where you left off — but with a fresh, focused agent. A changelog is automatically generated summarizing what was accomplished in the previous chat. If something goes wrong in a later chat, you can roll back to any previous chat. Rolling back restores both the codebase and conversation history from that point, so you never lose progress.
The “New Chat” button appears automatically when the agent is exhausted. Use it rather than sending more messages in the current conversation.

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Use Your Daily Credits Before They Reset

Daily credits refresh every day. If you don’t use them, they don’t roll over — they simply reset. Plan your work so you take advantage of these free daily credits before they expire. On tiered Pro and Business plans, you receive 5 daily credits. On other plans, you receive 2 daily credits.

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Earn Free Credits

There are several ways to earn free credits — from sharing on X to community programs like CatDoes Catapult and Cat Composer. See the Free Credits page for details.

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Quick Reference

  • Use Junior agents for simple tasks, Senior for complex ones, and Principal only when top-tier quality is essential.
  • Write specific, detailed requirements to reduce unnecessary steps.
  • Start a new chat when the agent is exhausted.
  • Use your daily credits before they reset — they don’t carry over.
  • Share on X to earn free credits.