Usage and limits

Every Windlass plan includes a weekly usage allowance. This page explains how it is measured, how to keep an eye on it and what happens when it runs out.

The weekly allowance

Your allowance resets every 7 days, counted from the day your subscription or trial started. If you subscribed on a Tuesday, it resets every Tuesday. The reset is automatic, and the full allowance becomes available again immediately.

There are no daily caps and no rolling 5-hour windows. You can use your whole week's allowance in a single long day if that is how you work, or spread it evenly. The only limit is the weekly total.

What consumes allowance

Allowance is consumed by the tokens the agent processes, in four categories:

• Input tokens. Your messages, attached files, file contents the agent reads and the conversation history sent with each turn.
• Cached input tokens. Parts of the context the model has already seen, such as earlier turns of the same session. These are counted at a much lower rate, which is why continuing a session is cheaper than resending everything.
• Output tokens. The agent's replies and the code it writes.
• Reasoning tokens. The model's thinking before it acts. Higher effort levels produce more of these.

Running a command in your container does not consume allowance by itself; only the output the agent reads back does, as input tokens. Files sitting in storage cost nothing until the agent reads them.

Models and effort

The model you choose changes how quickly allowance is used:

• DeepSeek V4 Flash is the economical default.
• DeepSeek V4 Pro consumes allowance roughly 4× faster than Flash for comparable work.
• High reasoning effort adds reasoning tokens on top, for either model.

Use Flash at the default effort for routine work and switch up only when the task calls for it. See Models and effort for guidance.

Allowance by plan

The free trial comes with a reduced allowance so you can try everything before committing. Upgrading takes effect immediately, so if you run short mid-week you can move to a bigger plan rather than wait.

Tracking usage

• The account Overview page shows a usage bar with the percentage of this week's allowance used and the time until it resets.
• The Usage page shows daily detail broken down by model, so you can see which days and which model account for most of your consumption.

Check the Overview page before starting a large task. If the bar is nearly full and the reset is days away, plan accordingly or consider upgrading.

When the allowance runs out

When you reach 100% of your weekly allowance, the agent pauses. A message in the session tells you when the allowance resets. Nothing is lost:

• Your files stay in place and remain accessible from the Files page.
• Your session history stays readable and searchable.

As soon as the reset time arrives, or as soon as you upgrade to a plan with a larger allowance, you can continue the session where you left off.

Tips to use less

• Keep sessions focused. A session that drifts across unrelated topics carries a large history into every turn. Start a new session for each new topic.
• Use Flash for routine work. Save Pro for the tasks that need it, and switch back when they are done.
• Compact long sessions. /compact condenses the history, so each following turn sends fewer input tokens. Windlass does this automatically too, but a manual compaction at a good checkpoint helps.
• Attach only relevant files. Every file in context is processed on every turn. Point the agent at the file it needs with @ rather than attaching a whole folder.
• Ask for what you want in one go. A clear request with the necessary context takes fewer turns than a series of clarifications.
• Keep the default effort. Reach for Max only on the hard part of a task.