Billing and Compute Units
Understand B3OS usage accounting, compute units, workflow pauses, and cost-aware workflow design.
B3OS tracks workflow usage with compute units (CU). CU accounting helps organizations understand automation cost, enforce limits, and pause workflows safely when usage constraints are reached.
What Can Consume CU
| Activity | Examples |
|---|---|
| Workflow runs | Manual runs, scheduled runs, webhook runs, event-triggered runs |
| Node executions | Built-in logic, catalog actions, connector calls, wallet actions |
| Caddie usage | Workflow planning, repair, search, inspection, and debugging |
| Provider work | Action runtime calls that require external requests, chain data, or compute |
| Streaming and observability | Activity inspection and run debugging surfaces |
CU-Aware Design
Filter early
Add branch conditions before expensive provider calls or wallet actions.
Batch where possible
Prefer actions that fetch lists or aggregate data over many single-item calls.
Set clear schedules
Avoid unnecessarily frequent cron schedules for low-priority checks.
Stop noisy failures
Fix repeated provider or schema errors quickly so workflows do not burn usage on avoidable retries.
Pauses and Limits
If usage constraints are reached, B3OS can pause workflows with a cu_exhausted reason. Review usage, adjust the workflow, or update billing before resuming.
A paused workflow keeps its definition and history. Automatic trigger execution stops until the organization resolves the limit or resumes intentionally.
Operational Checklist
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Watch high-frequency triggers | Event-heavy triggers can create many runs quickly |
| Audit failed workflows | Failures still consume execution resources |
| Review Caddie-heavy usage | Caddie planning and debugging can be useful but should be deliberate |
| Monitor connector errors | Expired provider credentials can cause repeated failed runs |
| Track wallet workflows | Transaction workflows may include reads, simulations, and writes |