Limits explained· Facts verified 2026-09-03

Copilot AI Credits Ran Out — What Changed and What to Do

Quick answer

On June 1, 2026, GitHub replaced Copilot's premium requests with token-metered AI credits: 1 credit = $0.01, and Pro ($10/mo) includes $15 of credits, Pro+ ($39) about $70, Max ($100) about $200. Code completions stay unlimited on paid plans — but chat, agent mode and CLI now meter per token, and agent mode is why credits vanish: every tool call and file read in an agent session burns credits. Your options when they run out: enable pay-as-you-go overage at $0.01/credit, upgrade a tier, or move agent-mode work to a flat-rate provider and keep Copilot for completions.

What exactly changed

Why agent mode drains credits so fast

An agent-mode session is not one request — it is a loop of requests. Reading files, running tools, verifying results: each round trip meters tokens, and a session can pass tens of thousands of tokens of context per step. Users report normal agent-mode workloads consuming double-digit percentages of a month's credits in hours. This is not a Copilot bug; it is what agentic workloads do to any per-use meter.

Your options, cheapest first

  1. Use the efficient default model for routine agent work — the burn-rate difference is severalfold.
  2. Keep completions (unlimited) as your main Copilot value; be deliberate about when agent mode is worth metered credits.
  3. Enable overage only with a spending cap set — open-ended $0.01/credit overage on agent workloads is how surprise bills happen.
  4. Upgrade to Pro+ or Max if your metered use is consistently 2–3x your plan's credits.
  5. Split the workload: completions and quick chat on Copilot, sustained agent work on a flat-rate provider where the loop burns budget, not credits.
The honest catch

The credits system is honest metering, and that is exactly the problem for agent users: agentic work is the most meter-hostile workload in software. A fixed 'requests' count was survivable; a token meter prices every loop iteration. If agent mode is your main Copilot use, the economics now push you toward either the $100 tier or a different backend for agent work.

Where Standard Compute fits

The split that works: keep Copilot for completions (still unlimited, still excellent) and run sustained agent work — OpenCode, Codex CLI, Hermes, Pi and similar — on Standard Compute's flat plans from $19/mo, where a long agent session draws on a monthly compute budget instead of a per-token meter. Same loop, no credit anxiety.

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FAQ

How fast do Copilot credits run out?

Completions never touch them. Chat use is modest. Agent mode is the drain: community reports show double-digit percentages of a monthly allowance consumed in single sessions on heavier models. If you live in agent mode, expect Pro's $15 of credits to last days, not weeks.

What happens when credits hit zero?

Metered features stop (or bill overage at $0.01/credit if you enabled pay-as-you-go); unlimited completions continue. Check the usage dashboard to see the burn breakdown by feature and model before deciding whether to upgrade.

Is Copilot still worth it after the credits change?

For completions-first users, absolutely — $10/mo for unlimited completions remains one of the best deals in the category. For agent-mode-first users, run the math: your real price is the credit burn, and a flat-rate agent backend plus base Copilot often beats the $100 Max tier.

Related money questions

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