Understanding Tokens
What tokens are and how they work on Coffeescribe
What Are Tokens?
Tokens are the currency used by AI models to process text. When you create a scribe, the AI reads your instructions (input tokens) and generates content (output tokens). Both are deducted from your token balance.
How Tokens Work
Think of tokens as pieces of words:
- 1 token is roughly 3/4 of a word — a teaching ratio, not an amount to track
- A typical page of text is a small fraction of a token pack
- A full scribe chapter uses a modest portion of a token pack
When you create a scribe, tokens are used for:
- Input — Your topic, instructions, and any context sent to the AI
- Output — The text the AI generates (chapters, sections, content)
Where Your Tokens Come From
Coffeescribe is currently pay-as-you-go — there's no monthly credit allowance to wait for. Your balance comes from:
| Source | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome credit | One-off, on signup | Every new account gets this |
| Token packs | $10 → 10M, $20 → 20M, $50 → 50M | Buyable by any signed-in user, any time — see Plans & Pricing |
Monthly subscription plans (with a recurring token allowance) are coming soon. Until then, packs are the only way to add tokens beyond the welcome credit.
What Can You Create With Your Tokens?
The exact number of scribes depends on the AI model you choose and the length of each scribe, but as a rough guide:
- Budget models: More scribes per pack
- Standard models: Moderate usage per scribe
- Premium models: Fewer scribes per pack, higher quality
A typical 10-chapter scribe with a standard model uses a meaningful slice of a token pack — bigger than a quick experiment, but well within a single $10 pack for most users.
Tokens Never Expire
Every token you have — welcome credit or purchased pack — stays in your balance until you spend it. There's no billing cycle, no renewal, and nothing to roll over: nothing expires, so there's nothing to lose by not using it right away.
Where You See Your Balance
Your exact token count shows in Settings → Billing and in the account menu (click your avatar) — the real number, not a vague meter, for every account. The navbar itself keeps just a Buy Tokens button so topping up is always one click away.
Running Low on Tokens
When your balance runs low, any action that costs tokens shows a prompt to buy a token pack — this works the same way for every account. Your existing scribes, highlights, notes, and exports remain accessible; you just can't generate new content until you top up (or use BYOK — see below).
Partially generated scribes are saved and can be completed later: if your balance hits zero mid-generation, the scribe stops cleanly at the next section, is marked partial, and you can resume once you've bought a pack.
Prefer Not to Buy Tokens?
You can bring your own API key (BYOK) instead. In Settings → API Keys, paste your own provider key (OpenRouter, OpenAI, and more); generation for that provider then runs on your account rather than spending Coffeescribe tokens. See BYOK API Keys.
See Also
- Token Costs by Model — How costs vary between AI models
- Plans and Pricing — Token packs, BYOK, and what's available to every account
- Billing FAQ — Common questions about buying tokens, receipts, and refunds