Workflow credit usage

A workflow uses the same job billing models as an individual analysis. Starting a workflow does not charge or reserve its full estimate. Each job uses credits when it is ready to run.

Workflow estimates

The editor estimates the cost from the current inputs, settings, connections, and spending limits. A step that depends on an earlier result may not have an exact cost until that result is available.

The estimate is a planning value. Actual spending comes from the jobs created during the run:

• Fixed-price job: Charges its configured cost when it starts.
• Time-based job: Takes an initial authorization and requests further credits while running.
• Free job: Uses zero credits.

The run records its estimate and the credits used as jobs settle.

Set spending limits

Two optional limits control different scopes:

• Node maximum: Caps each job created by one time-based tool node.
• Total spending limit: Caps spending across all jobs in one workflow run attempt.

Open the workflow cost estimate. Under Time-based jobs, set the maximum for each time-based node you want to limit. In the same panel, enable Total spending limit and enter Maximum spend in credits. Review both before starting the run.

The total can be lower than the estimate or the combined node maximums. The editor warns when it is below the estimate because the run may pause before completion.

A limit does not reserve or add workspace credits. Both the applicable limit and the available balance must cover each new charge or authorization.

Nodes that create multiple jobs

A node maximum applies to each job, not the combined cost of the node.

For example, a node that creates three jobs with a maximum of 500 credits per job could use up to 1,500 credits. If the total workflow limit is 1,000 credits, that lower total still applies across those jobs and every other step in the run.

Use the total limit when you need to cap the whole run.

Credit checks and pauses

Before a job starts, ProteinIQ checks whether the available balance and remaining workflow limit cover its full fixed-price cost or initial time-based authorization. Later time-based authorizations must also fit.

When a job cannot be funded:

• Other jobs are still running: The waiting job can remain deferred until those jobs settle and release any unused authorization.
• No active jobs can release credits: The workflow pauses.
• A running time-based job cannot renew: That job stops and retains any available partial outputs.

A workspace can run out of credits before reaching the workflow limit, especially when other analyses are using the same balance.

Continue a paused run

Check the pause message to identify the constraint:

• Insufficient credits: Restore enough workspace balance for the waiting work.
• Spending limit reached: Increase the run's total limit if you want to authorize more spending.

Then use the run's Try again action to reevaluate waiting work in the same attempt. Updating the limit or balance can allow jobs that have not started to proceed. It does not resume compute in a job that has already stopped.

Rerun costs

Using a Rerun from… action creates a new run attempt with the configured spending limit. Each new job in that attempt follows the same billing rules. The previous attempt's history and spending remain recorded separately.

A 1,000-credit limit applies to each attempt, not to the combined lifetime cost of every retry. Review the estimate, retry scope, and workspace balance before starting another attempt.