{"item":{"id":"obs-topic-cost","product":"cue","language":"en","title":"What does an always-on agent actually cost?","summary":"Count subscriptions, inference, computers, channels and failed retries separately. Included usage is an allowance, not a guarantee of zero marginal cost.","contentType":"guide","category":"deployment","revision":2,"canonicalUrl":"https://botclaw.tech/items/obs-topic-cost","sourceUrls":["https://x.ai/bot","https://manus.im/zh-cn/blog/introducing-manus-2-0","https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001530-getting-started-with-your-dot"],"sourcePublishedAt":"2026-10-01T16:24:26.193Z","reviewedAt":"2026-10-01T15:50:00.000Z","collectedAt":"2026-10-01T16:24:26.193Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-01T16:24:32.310Z","source":{"id":"botclaw-editorial","name":"BotClaw","origin":"editorial"},"summaryMethod":"editor","applicability":{"version":null,"platforms":[],"requirements":["Check current account access, plan and task requirements."]},"verification":{"kind":"official_documentation","checkedAt":"2026-10-01T15:50:00.000Z","urls":["https://x.ai/bot","https://manus.im/zh-cn/blog/introducing-manus-2-0","https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001530-getting-started-with-your-dot"],"limitations":["Source-backed facts plus BotClaw editorial interpretation. No product account, inference or agent performance test was run."]},"body":{"introduction":"Start with one completed task as the unit of comparison. A cheaper model call is not cheaper work if it produces repeated failures or needs extensive review.","sections":[{"heading":"Build the cost ledger","paragraphs":["For each task record plan fees attributable to use, inference usage, infrastructure time, paid external actions, retries and human review. Keep observed charges separate from estimates and vendor examples."]},{"heading":"Do not assume open means free","paragraphs":["A self-managed runtime can avoid a hosted subscription while still requiring model inference, a machine and maintenance. For a hosted agent, check included work, overage and any separately billed services before scheduling."]},{"heading":"A bounded trial","paragraphs":[],"steps":["Use one non-sensitive read-only task with a time and usage ceiling.","Disable optional paid actions and review the actual usage record.","Estimate a month from successful tasks and failed retries, not just one demo."]}]},"editorial":{"section":"topic","productIds":["openclaw","hermes","cue","grok-bot","dot"],"relatedIds":["obs-topic-model-access","obs-topic-cloud-access"],"sourceDate":null,"version":null},"indexable":true,"supersededBy":null,"review":{"state":"current","pendingChanges":0,"policyDays":7}}}