API credits are a shared pool used by the API, MCP server, and CLI. All three draw from the same monthly balance.
How credits are consumed
- 1 credit per release returned
- Minimum of 1 credit per request, even if zero results are returned
- Search is always free and never consumes credits
The X-Credits-Remaining response header (on API calls) tells you your current balance after each request.
Monthly limits by plan
| Plan | Credits per month |
|---|---|
| Free | 250 |
| Pro | 5,000 |
| Max | Unlimited |
Your balance refreshes to your plan's full amount every 30 days.
Checking your balance
Your current credit balance is shown on the Alerts & Integrations page. You can also check it after any API call via the X-Credits-Remaining header.
Running out of credits
If you exhaust your credits before the month resets, API and MCP calls will return a 402 error. The CLI will surface this as: API credits exhausted. Upgrade at https://releasebot.io/billing.
Search calls are not affected by a zero balance.
Questions?
Reach out at [email protected].