Framing: how work splits between subscriptions and API credits #6959

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1. kyle-sexton

   added

   wayfind: interviewWayfind decision item: contract/requirements call the user must make; human in the loop.Wayfind decision item: contract/requirements call the user must make; human in the loop.

   needs-humanHuman-in-the-loop required; autonomous sessions must not resolve items carrying this.Human-in-the-loop required; autonomous sessions must not resolve items carrying this.

   on Oct 11, 2026
2. kyle-sexton

   added a parent issue on Oct 11, 2026

   • Map: run the agent lanes at full Claude capacity #6958
3. github-actions

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   needs-triageNot yet classified. Floor until a type and one priority tier are set.Not yet classified. Floor until a type and one priority tier are set.

   on Oct 11, 2026
4. kyle-sexton commented on Oct 11, 2026

   

   kyle-sexton

   on Oct 11, 2026

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   Resolved in an interview with the operator (2026-10-10):

   • Credits fund API-only work: Managed Agents, Batches, Messages API tools, and our own Agent SDK or claude -p runs with a linked-org API key. Subscriptions run Claude Code lanes, routines, cloud sessions and claude-code-action.
   • Credits come first when the two goals compete, because they expire each billing cycle.
   • ADR 0037's "operator cannot use API keys" no longer holds. It will be amended so API keys from the operator's own linked orgs are allowed (Write an ADR amending ADR 0037 to allow API keys from the operator's own linked Console orgs #6961).
   • Subscriptions are one account per workload. Each account runs to its limit and then waits for the reset. Lanes never rotate between subscription accounts automatically. Usage is read with the official claude -p "/usage".
   • Interactive sessions switch accounts by hand, soonest reset first, skipping accounts whose usage is already high.
   • Lanes are never blocked: a lane that hits its limit falls back to API keys, rotating through the linked orgs. API-key access is the route the terms sanction for automation.
   • Unused credits back critical lanes first. Whatever is still left expires, and the shortfall is tracked.
   • Mechanisms are decided on this map, not up front. Still open here: the paid backstop (After every linked org's credits are spent, keep a capped paid backstop? #6966) and critical CI lanes on claude -p (Should critical CI lanes run their own claude -p step instead of claude-code-action? #6967).
5. kyle-sexton

   closed this as completedon Oct 11, 2026
6. github-actions commented on Oct 11, 2026

   

   github-actionsBot

   on Oct 11, 2026 – with GitHub Actions

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   Thanks for the report. Automated triage handed this issue to a maintainer.

   _{Automated triage. A maintainer reviews it.}