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

# Usage limits

> Every paid plan has a 5-hour, a weekly and a monthly limit, each a share of the month's usage, shown in percent.

Every paid plan has three limits. Each is a share of the month's usage, shown in percent:

| Plan | 5 hours | Week | Month |
| - | -: | -: | -: |
| [Go](https://docs.sideren.io/plans/go.md) | 20% | 50% | 100% |
| [Starter](https://docs.sideren.io/plans/starter.md) | 20% | 50% | 100% |
| [Pro](https://docs.sideren.io/plans/pro.md) | 20% | 50% | 100% |
| [Max](https://docs.sideren.io/plans/max.md) | 30% | 60% | 100% |
| [Scale](https://docs.sideren.io/plans/scale.md) | 30% | 60% | 100% |

On Go, one 5-hour window can use up to 20% of the month's usage and one week up to 50%, so a long session can't empty the month in a day.

## The three windows

* **5 hours.** The window starts with your first request and resets 5 hours later. The next one starts with your next request after that.
* **Week.** Runs in 7-day steps from the day your billing cycle starts.
* **Month.** Your billing cycle. The month's usage renews when it does, and usage you don't spend doesn't carry over.

## Past your limits

At 100% of a limit, new requests pause until that limit resets. With [extra usage](https://docs.sideren.io/plans/pay-as-you-go.md#extra-usage) on, they carry on using purchased credit instead.

Past 100% of your plan's monthly usage, new requests **stop**: they return
`402 allowance_exhausted`. The message says how much of the month you have used, when your usage
renews and which plan has more. In-flight requests finish: nothing is cut off mid-stream, and
your subscription is never billed extra for it. A `402` carries no `retry-after`, because
waiting a few seconds doesn't clear it.

Every paid plan also has a 5-hour and a weekly [usage limit](https://docs.sideren.io/plans/usage-limits.md). Past one,
requests return `402 five_hour_limit_reached` or `402 weekly_limit_reached` with the time the
limit resets (`resets_at`).

Three ways to keep going:

* **Turn on extra usage** on the
  [billing page](https://www.sideren.io/dashboard/billing#extra-usage). Past your monthly usage
  or a usage limit, requests carry on using purchased credit, with your plan's model access,
  when you have enough.
* **Use purchased credit in PAYG mode.** Add credit on the
  [billing page](https://www.sideren.io/dashboard/billing), then turn on PAYG mode for your
  key or send the `x-sideren-payment-mode: payg` header. The setup helper's
  `npx sideren setup --payment-mode payg` stamps it into the agents it configures.
* **Upgrade.** The higher plan's usage and limits apply right away. Downgrades take effect at
  renewal.

On Free, an account still holding a trial balance from before gets `402 credit_used_up` when it
is used. Purchased credit or a subscription keeps you going.

## Where to see them

The [dashboard](https://www.sideren.io/dashboard) shows a bar for each limit and when it resets. Every response carries the same figures as headers ([Headers](https://docs.sideren.io/headers.md)):

| Header | Meaning |
| - | - |
| `x-sideren-5h-used-percent` | How much of the 5-hour limit you have used, as a whole percent. `0` when no window is open. |
| `x-sideren-5h-reset` | When the open 5-hour window resets. |
| `x-sideren-weekly-used-percent` | How much of this week's limit you have used. |
| `x-sideren-weekly-reset` | When this week's limit resets. |
| `x-sideren-monthly-used-percent` | How much of this month's usage you have used. |
| `x-sideren-monthly-reset` | When your monthly usage renews. |

The headers also ride on `402` and `429` answers, so a client can read what is left when a request is refused. Alert on the percent before it reaches 100.


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