energy

what it pays for

• research sources: gmgn reads, x search, web search, callouts, stock data. priced provider panels show their tariff; chat usage appears in the Energy ledger after it settles.
• chat tiers: every reply is metered. the lighter tier holds up to 1.2 cents of raw provider cost per attempt, research up to 2.4 cents. holding CHICK puts you on the research tier by default.
• starter energy: every new account is admitted with $2 once, per identity, device and network. it does not come back after deleting an account.
• speech and images. generated images appear directly in the web conversation and can be delivered or reattached on telegram without regenerating them.

how a charge works

1. before any paid call she reserves up to the price cap from your balance.
2. the call runs. its real cost settles against the reservation; the difference comes back.
3. if a source answers with nothing usable (a cached answer, a short wait between calls, a provider error), the reservation is released in full.
4. if the cost is genuinely unknown, the reservation stays pending for reconciliation rather than being guessed. it shows as pending in your ledger.

topping up

Energy → USDC top-ups: $5, $15 or $30 packs. 1 USDC = $1 of Energy, on Base. you sign the transfer with your own wallet; she never holds keys. Energy updates automatically after 12 canonical Base confirmations, usually within a minute. This accepts Base confirmation before Ethereum batch finality. You can close the payment panel while it confirms. Rechecking a transfer cannot credit it twice; don't send a second transfer while one is pending.

limits

there is a limit of four open reservations per person, a hard monthly ceiling on what the whole product may spend, and everything pauses if a provider ever bills above its cap.