> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ankra.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# AI Usage & Free Allowance

> How Ankra meters AI usage, what the free monthly allowance covers, what pauses when it runs out, and how to keep unlimited AI with your own key.

Ankra meters every AI request - AI Assistant chats, autonomous agent sessions, AI Insights, incident analysis, CI/CD file generation - into a per-organisation usage ledger. Each request records the tokens used per model and is priced in USD.

<Card title="Keep unlimited AI: bring your own OpenRouter key" icon="key" href="/guides/openrouter-api-key">
  Add your organisation's own OpenRouter API key and the free allowance stops being a limit - all AI usage runs on your own account instead.
</Card>

## Where to See Your Usage

Open **Billing** → **Overview** from the organisation sidebar. It shows:

* **Month-to-date AI usage** - what your organisation has spent on AI so far this calendar month.
* **The allowance meter** - how much of the free monthly allowance remains.

## The Free Monthly Allowance

Every organisation gets a free monthly AI allowance. It covers AI usage served on **Ankra's platform key** (via OpenRouter) - the default when your organisation has not configured its own provider.

| Plan       | Default monthly allowance |
| ---------- | :-----------------------: |
| Free       |            \$10           |
| Startup    |            \$50           |
| Enterprise |           \$200           |
| Custom     |       Per agreement       |

<Note>
  Defaults are subject to change. The live allowance for your organisation is always shown on the **Billing** → **Overview** page.
</Note>

The allowance counts **platform-funded usage only**. Usage on your organisation's own key - an [OpenRouter key](/guides/openrouter-api-key), an Anthropic key, or a custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint - never draws on it.

## When the Allowance Runs Out

When the allowance is used up, AI features that would spend Ankra's key are **paused** for the rest of the month. Paused requests fail with the stable error code `AI_ALLOWANCE_EXHAUSTED`, and the error message points to adding your own key.

Everything else keeps working:

* **The rest of the platform is unaffected** - clusters, deployments, GitOps, monitoring, and alerts all continue as normal.
* **AI on your own key is unaffected** - if your organisation has its own provider configured and active, the allowance never pauses it.

The allowance resets at the start of the next calendar month (UTC).

### The `AI_ALLOWANCE_EXHAUSTED` Error

`AI_ALLOWANCE_EXHAUSTED` is a stable code you can match on in automation. It means your organisation's free monthly allowance for platform-funded AI is used up. To resume AI before the monthly reset:

1. [Bring your own OpenRouter API key](/guides/openrouter-api-key) (recommended) or configure another provider under [AI Provider](/platform/ai-provider), or
2. Wait for the reset at the start of the next calendar month (UTC), or
3. [Contact support](/platform/support) about a larger allowance.

## Daily Spend Cap vs Monthly Allowance

The monthly allowance is distinct from the **daily AI spend cap**, a separate self-serve control on **Billing** → **Overview**:

|                    | Monthly allowance                  | Daily spend cap                         |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| **What it limits** | Platform-funded AI spend only      | Total AI spend, whoever's key funds it  |
| **Who sets it**    | Ankra, per plan                    | Your organisation, self-serve (USD/day) |
| **Resets**         | Start of each calendar month (UTC) | Daily                                   |

Use the daily cap as a brake on overall AI activity; the allowance only caps what Ankra's platform key funds for free.

## Larger Allowances

Platform administrators can grant a larger allowance or an exemption per organisation. If your organisation needs more free headroom, [contact support](/platform/support).

## Related Pages

* [Bring Your Own OpenRouter API Key](/guides/openrouter-api-key) - the recommended way to keep unlimited AI
* [AI Provider](/platform/ai-provider) - all provider modes, including Anthropic and OpenAI-compatible endpoints
* [Billing & Usage](/platform/billing) - plans, invoices, and vCPU billing