Credits & API Setup

Credits are the currency for AI features in NitroShock. They are purchased through your account at nitroshock.ai and used by the WordPress plugin whenever you run an AI action. This guide covers how to connect your account, view your balance, purchase credits, and what does and does not consume them.

Connecting Your Account

1. Go to NitroShock → Credits & Settings in the WordPress admin.
2. Enter your NitroShock API Key — available in your account settings at nitroshock.ai.
3. Click Save & Connect.

When connected, the page shows your account status and current credit balance. If validation fails, check that the key was copied in full with no extra spaces, and that your server can reach nitroshock.ai over HTTPS.

Viewing Your Balance

Your credit balance is visible in three places once connected:

• Credits & Settings page — with a Refresh Credits button to re-fetch the latest figure from the server
• AI Tab in the page editor — shown at the top of the sidebar
• AI Chat sidebar in Component Studio — shown at the bottom of the chat panel

When the balance falls below 100 credits, a low-balance warning appears with a link to purchase more.

Purchasing Credits

Credits are purchased at nitroshock.ai. Available packages:

• Starter — 50 credits — $5
• Power — 250 credits + 10% bonus — $20
• Pro — 750 credits + 20% bonus — $50
• Agency — 2,000 credits + 30% bonus — $100

Credits never expire. After purchasing, click Refresh Credits in the plugin to sync your new balance.

What Uses Credits

AI Chat (Component Studio)

Each message deducts credits based on the selected model and whether images are attached. Haiku uses fewer credits than Sonnet; attaching images adds a per-message surcharge.

AI Component Generation

Using the AI Extract modal to generate component code from a description or pasted HTML. Credit cost is shown before confirming.

AI Content Generation (Page Editor)

• Create New — base cost plus optional add-on costs (FAQ section, schema)
• Rephrase — fixed cost per use
• Modernize — base cost plus per-option costs for each selected element
• Beat Competitor — higher cost reflecting competitor URL scraping and analysis
• Merge Pages — cost based on number of sources

The credit cost for every AI action is shown in a confirmation dialog before the action runs. You are never charged without seeing the cost first.

What Does Not Use Credits

• Manually editing HTML, CSS, or JavaScript in the code editors
• Inserting components from your library into pages
• Syncing free components from the central repository
• Browsing the Component Library
• Configuring Brand Settings, SVG Manager, or Site Profile
• Enabling or disabling the page builder on a page

Credit Security

The plugin stores your balance locally in WordPress for display purposes, but all AI actions are validated against your account balance on nitroshock.ai at the time of the action. If a local balance discrepancy is detected, the balance is reset to the last verified server value and an admin notification is sent.

Common Questions

Can I use the same API key on multiple WordPress sites?

Yes. The same API key can connect multiple WordPress installations. Credits are shared across all connected sites — the balance shown in any site reflects your total remaining credits across all uses.

What happens when credits run out mid-session?

The AI action is blocked and a low-credits message appears. Existing page content and components are not affected — only the attempted AI action does not complete.

Do credits expire?

No. Credits never expire and carry over indefinitely.

Next Steps

• Use AI to build a component — see AI Chat Assistant
• Generate page content with AI — see AI Content Generation in the Page Editor
• Install and connect the plugin — see Installing & Connecting NitroShock Page Builder