The April 2026 announcement marked a turning point: GitHub officially ended the principle of “Premium Requests” to switch to a real consumption (AI Credits) model. From now on, each interaction is billed by the weight of the data. For a developer, this means that poor context management can be costly.
Here is the complete guide to navigating this new AI economy.
1. The New Anatomy of Interaction (System June 2026)#
| Component | Definition | “Legacy” Logic (Pre-2026) | “Modern” Logic (June 2026) | Optimization (Save $) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Request | The API call (your “Enter”). | 1 question = 1 fixed unit. | Variable. A query costs according to its complexity. | Batching: Merge several requests into one. |
| Payload | Raw data (Code + Context). | Hidden in the package. | The cost driver. Defines the number of input tokens. | Repomix: Compress the project into a single optimized file. |
| Token | Atomic unit ($\approx$ 4 char.). | Invisible. | Universal currency. Around $0.01 / 1000 tokens. | Prompt Caching: Reuses the context (-90% on input). |
| AI Credits | Your monthly balance. | 300 or 1500 requests. | 1 Credit = $1. Your $10-39 is converted into your “purse”. | Model Routing: Only release the “Pro” model for architecture. |
2. Comparison of Offers & Use Cases (Target June 2026)#
This table summarizes the best options on the market according to your real needs, whether technical or daily.