Know the cost before you commit: estimate_cost is not a generate
Check my credits before generating is one agent job. estimate_cost quotes a plan against your balance. Dispatching to find out is a different, more expensive job.
Know the cost before you commit, not after. Check my credits before generating is estimate_cost: itemize a planned set of images, videos, music, speech, or sound effects — models, counts, durations — using the same pricing brain as a real charge, plus the current balance. Estimating is free. It does not generate. Dispatching a batch to "see what it costs," or treating a 402 mid-workflow as the quote, is how you pay for half a plan and still do not have the number.
Supporting tool check_credits is the yes/no against a named operation and an estimated total. Use it as the last gate on a long chain. The live tariff is pricing; the meter explained is how credits work. There is no free allowance to absorb a surprise.
Quote the plan, then run the plan
"How much would it cost to generate 5 images and a 10-second video?" "Do I have enough credits left to run this workflow?" Those are this job. Name items. Name models if you already picked them. Name duration on video. A vague "will this be expensive?" without a shot list returns a worse quote than the one you need.
Do not use estimate as a generate with extra steps. It will not return files. It will not reserve credits. It will not start the workflow. People skip it because the agent can just run. The agent can also stop at scene 3 when the balance dies. Completed scenes stay billed. That is the expensive way to learn the total.
Every generation on Versely draws credits. Chat tokens and renders are separate meters; changing the reasoner does not change what a video row costs once you name it. Estimate the renders you actually intend.
Batch math is the point
Twelve images plus one 20-second video is one estimate call, per-item plus total, against balance. Multiply by your own reroll habit if you know it — the tool does not invent a discard rate. The quote is sticker for the plan you described, not psychic about the takes you will throw away.
FAQ
Does estimate_cost charge credits?
No. The estimate is free. Charges start when the generation or workflow run actually runs.
Can I estimate without naming a model?
You can describe items; a better quote names the row. Video models are the widest range. "A video" without duration or family is a weak number.
Is this the same as running a 480p editor preview?
No. Editor preview is a free-with-cooldown look at a timeline render. This job is a catalog quote for planned generates. Different surfaces, both exist so you do not find the bill at 402.
What if the balance covers the sticker but not my rerolls?
Quote the plan you will actually dispatch, including extras you already know you need. Then check_credits on that total. Discovering the gap at scene 4 is still a partial spend.