I ran out of credits in the middle of my project. What now?
Last updated
Symptom
The tool says you reached your usage, credit or token limit, and it won't take new requests until the limit resets or you subscribe to a plan.
Cause
Each request uses part of your limit, and requests that touch many parts of the app use more. What costs the most is the cycle of “fix this”, “it didn’t work”, “fix it again”.
In Lovable, for example, the official pricing page says the cost of a message in the default mode varies with how complex the task is. In Bolt, the official pricing page says most token usage comes from sending the project files to the AI, so a bigger project uses more tokens per message.
The prompt on this page only works if you still have some credits left. If you don’t, make the same list by hand, on paper. To understand how Lovable’s free plan and credits work, read Lovable credits explained.
Prompt to paste
Copy the text below, replace what’s in brackets and send it in the chat of the tool you’re using.
Before we continue, I want to plan so I use less.
List, in order, the changes still missing for the app to be ready: [what you still want].
For each one, write a short, specific request that I can send later, one at a time.
Don't make any changes now.How not to burn credits
- Write the whole request before you send it, including what to do and what not to touch.
- Ask for one change at a time.
- For small text changes, check whether the tool lets you edit directly, without going through the AI.
- Use chat or planning mode, if your tool has one, to ask questions before building. In Lovable, Plan Mode costs 1 credit per message.
- In Lovable, check what each message cost in the message history, through the three-dot menu. It shows which kinds of requests are expensive.
How Lovable counts credits, and what the free plan includes: Lovable credits explained.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth paying for a plan?
Only after the free version of the app has proven the idea works and you know what is left to do. Check the current price on the tool's official website, because it changes often.
Can I continue the project in another tool?
Usually, yes. The tools let you download the code or move it to GitHub. But continuing in another tool isn't always simple if you're just starting out.