Overview
Pilot AI is the assistant built into Pilot LMS. Every answer it gives uses credits, and your lab's credits are managed in one place: Settings → AI Usage.
From there you can:
See your balance and how much your lab has spent this month
Set a monthly spend limit, or make it unlimited
Buy credits with a saved card
Turn on auto-reload, so Pilot AI never stops when your balance runs low
See each person's spend and set per-user limits
Only people whose role has the Billing: Manage permission can see this page and change these settings.
How credits work
1 credit = $0.01. Amounts on the AI Usage page are shown in dollars.
Each Pilot AI reply uses credits. A short answer uses a little; a long one that reads a lot of data (for example a report across many cases) uses more.
Monthly grant. Your lab gets free credits at the start of every month. Unused grant credits expire when the next month starts.
Purchased credits never expire. Pilot AI uses your monthly grant first, then your purchased credits.
Months start at midnight on the 1st in your lab's time zone.
Connecting your own AI assistant (such as Claude or ChatGPT) to Pilot over MCP doesn't use Pilot AI credits: that assistant's own provider bills for its AI.
Your balance and spend
The Usage credits card at the top of Settings → AI Usage shows:
Balance: the credits your lab has left, split into grant and purchased credits
Monthly spend limit: how much your lab has spent this month and your limit, for example $12.40 of $150 this month, with the date it resets
The same line appears at the bottom of the Pilot AI chat, with whether auto-reload is on, so everyone can see where the lab stands.
The Spend by User card shows how much each person has used.
Setting a monthly spend limit
The monthly spend limit is the most Pilot AI can use across your whole lab in one month. New labs start with a $150 limit.
Go to Settings → AI Usage.
Under Monthly spend limit, enter an amount in dollars, or switch on Unlimited for no limit.
Click Save limit.
When your lab reaches the limit, Pilot AI pauses for everyone until the next month starts or until you raise the limit. The chat says the limit was reached and links to this page. The bar on the AI Usage page turns amber at 80% of the limit and red at 100%.
Buying credits
Go to Settings → AI Usage and click Buy credits. (You can also click Buy credits in the Pilot AI chat when your balance runs out.)
Choose an amount: $100, $250, $1,000, or any other amount from $10 to $10,000.
Check the summary: Usage credits and Total due.
Pick a saved card, or click New card to add one.
Click Pay now. If your bank asks you to confirm the payment, follow its prompt.
The credits are added to your balance as soon as the payment goes through.
Every amount is at the same price: $1 buys $1 of usage credits (100 credits).
Tip: cards you save here are the same cards your lab uses for its Pilot LMS subscription (Settings → Pilot LMS Billing).
Auto-reload
With auto-reload on, Pilot buys more credits with your saved card whenever your balance falls below an amount you choose, so Pilot AI isn't interrupted mid-month.
Go to Settings → AI Usage.
Under Auto-reload, set:
When the balance falls below: the balance that triggers a reload (default $10)
Buy this amount: how much to buy each time (default $25, from $10 to $10,000)
Card: which saved card to charge (your default card unless you pick another)
Click Save auto-reload, then switch Auto-reload on.
Good to know:
You need a saved card to turn auto-reload on.
Auto-reload buys at the same price as any other purchase.
Auto-reload stops once your lab reaches its monthly spend limit, so your limit still caps your spending.
If a reload fails (for example the card is declined or expired), auto-reload switches itself off and the AI Usage page shows the reason. Update the card, then switch auto-reload back on.
Per-user limits
Use the Per-User Limits table on the same page to control Pilot AI for each person:
Enabled: switch Pilot AI off for someone, or leave it as Inherit to follow your lab's setting
Monthly credit cap: the most that person may use in a month, in credits (100 credits = $1). Leave it empty for no personal cap.
A person's cap applies on top of the lab's monthly spend limit: Pilot AI stops for them when either is reached.
Who can do what
Using Pilot AI needs the Pilot AI: Use permission.
Seeing AI Usage, buying credits and changing limits or auto-reload needs the Billing: Manage permission.
An administrator changes these in Settings → Roles and Permissions.
When the Pilot team helps you inside your lab, their use of Pilot AI is never charged to your credits.
Frequently asked questions
Pilot AI says my lab is out of credits. What do I do?
Ask someone with Billing: Manage to buy credits or turn on auto-reload in Settings → AI Usage. If your lab hit its monthly spend limit instead, they can raise the limit there.
Do unused purchased credits carry over to next month?
Yes. Purchased credits never expire. Only the free monthly grant expires at the end of each month.
Can I get an invoice for a credit purchase?
Your card statement shows the charge from Pilot LMS. For an invoice or receipt, ask us in the Help tab.