AI credits in Gradiently: what uses them, how to save them

AI credits in Gradiently pay for the Designer, the AI that asks what you need, writes the words, lays the design out in your Mark and makes other sizes. Every account starts with a one-time allowance, Pro adds credits every month, and you can add more with a monthly refill, with one-time top-ups opening soon. Anything you do by hand in the Studio costs nothing, and an assistant you connect yourself, such as ChatGPT or Claude, can design without spending any credits at all.

What AI credits pay for

Credits measure the work Gradiently’s own AI does on your behalf. When you describe a design to the Designer, it reads your brand kit, writes in its voice, chooses a layout, sets the words on your Mark and can make the same design in other sizes. The Designer guide shows that flow in full. Each of those steps uses some AI, so each is measured.

A new design costs more than a change to one, because there is more to decide. The AI credits page shows a rough guide next to your balance, such as how many new designs it would cover, and a list of recent use so you can see exactly where credits went. You only spend what the AI actually uses, and if a reply fails on Gradiently’s side, or the Designer can’t help with a request, its credits come back to your balance.

Where your credits come from

Prices change and live on the site, so they are not repeated here. Gradiently Free vs Pro explains the plans themselves. In a team workspace, only the workspace owner can change a monthly refill, which keeps billing decisions in one place.

How to design without spending credits

If you already pay for ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant that supports remote MCP servers, you can connect it to Gradiently and let it design for you. It searches Marks, reads your brand and creates designs that open in your Studio, and that work runs on your assistant’s plan, not on Gradiently credits. The AI credits page links straight to the key you need, and connecting an AI assistant covers the setup.

1. 1

   Create a key

   An owner or admin opens Settings › API and agents and creates a key with the permissions the assistant needs.

2. 2

   Add Gradiently to your assistant

   Paste the endpoint and key into your assistant’s connectors or MCP settings.

3. 3

   Ask for a design

   Name the format, the words and the brand. The design lands in your workspace.

4. 4

   Finish it in the Studio

   Open it, adjust anything by hand and export. None of that spends credits either.

The one exception is deliberate: if you ask your assistant to pass the job to Gradiently’s own Designer, that part is measured in credits, as it would be in the Studio. Some people do this on purpose for designs where they want the Designer’s writing in the brand’s voice. MCP design prompts has requests worth copying either way.

How to make AI credits go further

Most wasted credits come from vague requests that need three rounds to get right. A clear first brief and small, specific edits get you to a finished design in fewer steps.

Portrait Instagram post for Harbour Accounts.
Headline: Your tax return, done by January.
Detail: Book a call before 30 November.
Calm and precise, no exclamation marks.

• Fill in the brand kit first. The Designer writes in the kit’s voice and uses its fonts and colours, so it guesses less. Setting up your brand kit takes a few minutes.
• Give the exact words when you have them. Writing copy from scratch is the most open part of the job.
• Make small changes by hand. Nudging a line, swapping a photo or shortening a word is faster in the Studio and free.
• Ask for one design, then the sizes. Approving one design before asking for a set saves redoing the whole set.
• Start from a template when the layout is standard, such as a menu or an event poster, and ask the Designer only for the words.

When to top up, refill or connect your own AI