Source: https://crabglamp.com/docs/agents/how-to/switch-billing-type
Last updated: 2026-06-11
Type: how-to

You have an Agent on one billing type and want to switch. The Agent does not need to be stopped first.

## When to switch

- **Metered → subscribed** — cheaper if you keep the Agent running most of the month.
- **Subscribed → metered** — cheaper if your usage is intermittent.

[Account and billing](/docs/account-and-billing) covers the per-size, per-region break-even math.

## From the dashboard

1. Open the Agent's settings page: `/dashboard/agents/{id}/settings`.
2. Find the **Billing** section.
3. Click **Switch billing type**.
4. Confirm in the dialog.

The dashboard makes one API call and the Agent's billing type changes immediately. Usage already accrued on the old type is reported on your invoice; new usage accrues on the new type from the moment you switch.

## The underlying endpoint

The dashboard issues `PATCH /api/agents/[id]/billing` with:

```json
{ "billingType": "subscription" }
```

It uses your Clerk session — there is no on-VM HMAC path for billing changes, so switch from the dashboard. It returns `200` with `{ success, billingType, addedNewSlot }`. On failure, the response is a structured validation-error envelope (see the [reference](/docs/agents/reference)).

## What you should expect

- Existing accrued usage on the previous billing type stays accrued and is billed on your invoice for the period.
- The dashboard shows the new billing type within a refresh; your invoice for the current period reflects both rates.
- Switching **to** subscribe-and-save takes a slot — it reuses a free one in the matching size and region if you have it, otherwise it adds one (`addedNewSlot: true`). Switching **to** pay-as-you-go frees the slot the Agent held but keeps it on your subscription; remove it from `/dashboard/billing` to stop paying for it. See [Account & billing](/docs/account-and-billing).