Step Credits, Tokens & Storage

Every automation in Glow draws from three transparent meters: Step credits, Glow AI tokens, and Retained storage. Understanding how these meters operate allows you to accurately forecast costs and design efficient automations.

1. Step Credits

Step credits measure standard workflow execution. Each step reserves capacity before execution and settles based on the actual work performed.

1. Step Triggered2. Atomic 1-Credit Reservation3. Execution & Settlement

Execution outcomes and fair charging

Glow uses a state-safe reservation lifecycle so you are charged only for actual work performed:

Success (Pass)

Outcome: Success (pass) · 1 Step Credit Deducted

The step completed all work successfully. The initial 1-credit reservation is settled and deducted from your monthly allowance.

Charge: 1 Step credit.
Settlement state: Settled.
Real-world scenario: A Slack message, CRM update, or HTTP Request sent and acknowledged with 200 OK.

Pre-Work Error (0 Charge)

Outcome: Pre-Work Error (FailedUncharged) · 0 Credits (Free)

The step failed before performing external chargeable work (e.g. invalid input mapping, unconfigured connection credentials). The reservation is released immediately.

Charge: 0 credits (Free).
Settlement state: Released.
Real-world scenario: An API step with an invalid authentication token fails validation before dispatching to the external service.

Partial Batch Execution

Outcome: Partial Batch Execution (FailedChargeable) · Proportional Settlement

For batch loops (Run for each item or Repeater), credits settle based on the exact number of item passes initiated before an error stopped the loop.

Charge: Actual completed item invocations.
Settlement state: Proportionally settled.
Real-world scenario: In a 100-item loop, 45 items successfully run before an external rate limit (429) halts the run → 45 credits settled.

Allowance Exhausted

Outcome: Allowance Exhausted · 0 Credits (Free)

If your monthly balance reaches 100%, the step is not admitted to the execution queue. It halts safely with out_of_credits without consuming any credits.

Charge: 0 credits (Free).
Settlement state: Halted without charge.
Real-world scenario: A webhook fires when monthly credits are depleted → the step halts safely with 0 charge.

Loops and batch processing

Workflows that iterate over collections of items meter each item pass individually:

Run for each item

Single-step loop execution: - The step reserves credits equal to the total item count. - Upon completion, credits settle based on the actual items processed. - Worked example: A Slack step sending messages to 150 customer rows uses 150 Step credits.

Batch admission protection: Before starting a large batch, Glow verifies that your workspace has sufficient remaining credits for the full list. If a batch exceeds your available monthly balance, the step pauses safely rather than partially executing and draining your account.

2. Glow AI Tokens

Hosted AI features—including AI Prompt, AI Agent, AI Data Transform, and Workflow Assistant—draw from your workspace’s Glow AI tokens balance.


Total Billable AI Tokens = Input Tokens + Generated Output Tokens + Reasoning Tokens

Input tokens: Prompt instructions, schema definitions, and context documents sent to the model.
Output tokens: The generated response, JSON object, or text produced by the model.
Reasoning tokens: Internal step-by-step thinking tokens generated by advanced reasoning models.
Autonomous agent loops: In multi-step agent executions, every reasoning turn and tool-decision call meters its individual token consumption.

Hosted Glow AI vs. Custom Provider Keys

Hosted Glow AI (Zero Config)

Managed Glow AI: - API Keys: None required; fully managed by Glow. - Metering: Token usage deducts directly from your workspace’s Glow AI tokens allowance. - Step Credits: Consumes standard Step credits for canvas execution + tokens for model generation.

3. Retained File Storage

Workspaces store uploaded attachments, CSV datasets, generated PDFs, and integration assets in Retained file storage.

Model Attribute	Policy	Operational Behavior
Standing Quota	Measured in Gigabytes (GB)	Continuous workspace storage allocation.
Reset Schedule	Never resets	Retained capacity persists across billing cycles.
Quota Checks	Pre-upload verification	Validates available disk quota before storing files.
Capacity Handling	Fail-safe retention	Existing files remain accessible; new uploads pause until space is freed.

Standing Capacity: Unlike Step credits and AI tokens, file storage represents physical cloud disk volume and does not reset each month.
Persistent Files: Stored files remain permanently available until deleted by workspace team members.
Upload Quota Checks: Before committing a new file upload or file-generation step, the system verifies that the resulting total size fits within your allocated storage.
Over-Capacity Behavior: If storage reaches capacity, existing files remain safe, readable, and downloadable. New uploads pause until unused files are deleted or storage capacity is increased.

Real-world calculation examples

Workflow Scenario	Configuration	Monthly Runs	Estimated Resource Consumption
Lead Routing & CRM Alert	4 steps (Webhook → Filter → HubSpot → Slack)	5,000 leads / mo	20,000 Step credits 0 AI tokens · < 0.1 GB storage
AI Customer Support Triage	3 steps (Webhook → AI Prompt → Zendesk Reply)	2,500 tickets / mo	7,500 Step credits ~3.5M Glow AI tokens · < 0.5 GB storage
Daily CSV Report Processing	Scheduler → Fetch CSV (500 rows) → Loop 2 steps	30 days / mo	30,060 Step credits 0 AI tokens · ~2.0 GB storage

What’s Next?

👉 Purchasing & Changing Amounts →: Select tailored resource amounts for your team.
Invoices & Payment Methods: Download past invoices, receipts, and manage billing contacts.
Usage Controls & Recovery: Configure automated alerts, safeguards, and recovery workflows.