ChatCut credits pay for AI processing and media generation. Manual timeline editing, uploads, project browsing, transcription, and exporting do not consume credits. A plan can still limit access to a feature even when you have enough credits.
Which actions use ChatCut credits?
| Action | How it is charged |
|---|---|
| ChatCut Agent messages in the web or desktop editor | Variable. The model, input and output tokens, cached context, conversation length, and project context all affect the charge. |
| AI video generation | By generated seconds, model, resolution, and—for Seedance 2.5—eligible video-input usage. See the table below. |
| AI image generation | By model, output quality, resolution, and image count. |
| Motion-graphics generation in the built-in Agent | Variable, based on the AI model usage required to create or revise the graphic. |
| AI music | 0.18 credits per generated song at the current backend rate. |
| AI sound effects | 0.12 credits per generated second. |
| AI voiceover | Usually 0.28–0.80 credits per 1,000 characters, or 0.08–0.12 credits per generated second, depending on the voice engine. |
The estimate beside the Video Gen send button updates after you choose the model, resolution, duration, and supported video inputs. Agent-driven video, image, or motion-graphics generation may instead show a confirmation card before the job starts.
How can I keep Agent conversation usage focused?
Agent-message charges vary with the context ChatCut must process. To avoid paying for unnecessary back-and-forth:
- Put the goal, required source material, output format, and constraints in one specific request.
- Use attachments or Selection Mode references instead of repeatedly describing which asset, clip, time, screen region, or transcript passage you mean.
- Keep related revisions in the same conversation while the previous context is useful.
- Start a new conversation for an unrelated task when the old discussion is no longer needed. Create a separate project only when the media and Timeline should also be separate.
These steps reduce unnecessary context; they do not promise a fixed charge. Verify the completed amount in Credits history → Detail.
How many credits does video generation use?
The following rates match the current backend billing rules as of August 23, 2026. A completed job is rounded up to the nearest 0.01 credit, so multiplying a displayed per-second figure can differ by a few hundredths from the final transaction.
| Model and mode | 480p | 720p | 1080p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seedance 2.5 — output only | about 0.3982/sec | 0.896/sec | about 2.2175/sec |
| Seedance 2.0 | 0.28/sec | 0.60/sec | 1.32/sec |
| Seedance 2.0 Fast | 0.165/sec | 0.36/sec | Not available |
| Seedance 2.0 mini | 0.056/sec | 0.12/sec | Not available |
| Kling 3.0 Standard | — | 0.60/sec | — |
| Kling 3.0 Pro | — | — | 0.80/sec |
| Gemini Omni | — | 0.40544 per actual generated second | — |
For Seedance 2.5, the first row is the output-only rate. Adding a reference or source video adds input usage based on its duration and resolution. The editor includes that input in the preflight estimate; final billing uses the provider-reported usage when it is available.
For Gemini Omni, the requested duration is a target. Billing follows the duration actually returned by the model.
The Seedance 2.0 Fast and mini values above are the rates active on the page’s update date. If the estimate in the editor differs from this table, use the editor estimate before submitting and confirm the completed transaction afterward.
What does not use ChatCut credits?
- Uploading files, organizing the media library, and browsing projects.
- Manual editing such as trimming, moving, styling, and arranging timeline items.
- Transcription and standard caption editing.
- Video, audio, subtitle, and XML export. Export can still be limited by your plan; see Web vs Desktop Export and Export Panel.
What changes when I use a Codex or Claude plugin?
When Codex, Claude, or another supported local agent controls ChatCut through the plugin or MCP connection, the host agent’s reasoning uses that host’s own subscription or API allowance. ChatCut credits are used only when the workflow calls a ChatCut-hosted generation service, such as video, music, sound effects, or voiceover generation.
If Codex uses its own image-generation capability, that image generation follows your ChatGPT/Codex allowance instead of creating a ChatCut image-generation charge. Check the confirmation shown by the active tool when a workflow mixes host-provided and ChatCut-provided generation.
How do generation confirmations work?
A confirmation card can show Allow, Allow all … in this project, and Deny. Allow all applies only to that generation category in the current project.
To turn it off, open Agent Settings beside the Agent mode control, select Generation Auto-Allow, and disable Motion Graphics, Video Generation, or Image Generation.
How do I verify the final charge?
- Open the avatar menu in the top-right of the editor.
- Select Credits history.
- Open Detail.
- Read the newest negative transaction and the balance shown after it.
The transaction list is the source of truth for completed charges. If a generation fails, open its card in My Assets, then check Credits history instead of assuming that the estimate was deducted.