MLC Credits System

Overview

The MECLABS AI platform uses MLC (Meclabs Credit) as the unified billing unit for AI consumption and platform usage. This system provides transparent, predictable pricing while supporting flexible business models including subscriptions, pay-as-you-go, and a 40% lifetime commission reseller program.

Core Concepts

MLC (Meclabs Credit)

• Definition: 1 MLC = $0.01 raw compute cost
• Top-up Price: $0.0135 per MLC (35% markup over base cost)
• Expiration: 90 days from purchase/allocation (applies to all credit types)
• Purpose: Standardized unit for tracking AI token consumption across all providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google)

Credit Pools

Credits are managed in hierarchical pools:

1. Platform Credits: Pooled credits included with subscription tiers (Build/Sell/Scale)
2. Customer Kit Credits: 1,000 MLC bundled with each Customer Kit for external users
3. Top-up Credits: Additional credits purchased on-demand at $0.0135/MLC

Subscription Tiers

Annual Billing Discount

All tiers offer 15% savings with annual billing and include a two-year price lock guarantee.

Build Tier

• Pricing: $495/month (annual), $585/month (monthly)
• Pooled Credits: 6,000 MLC
• Org Members: 5 included internal seats
• Customer Kits: None included
• Key Features: MVP build tools, lead-gen ADS, 21-Day Build Access Pass
• Use Case: Initial product development and launch

Sell Tier

• Pricing: $995/month (annual), $1,170/month (monthly)
• Pooled Credits: 18,000 MLC
• Org Members: 12 included internal seats
• Customer Kits: 10 included ($200 value)
• Key Features: Stripe connector, SuperFunnel Builder, payment processing
• Use Case: Monetization and customer deployment

Scale Tier

• Pricing: $2,995/month (annual), $3,525/month (monthly)
• Pooled Credits: 75,000 MLC
• Org Members: 30 included internal seats
• Customer Kits: 45 included ($900 value)
• Key Features: MCP connector, testing suite, enterprise analytics
• Use Case: Enterprise deployments and advanced integrations

Customer Kits

Definition

Customer Kits are re-sellable external seats that partners can deploy to their end users. Each kit functions as a standalone unit with its own credits and login.

Kit Specifications

• Platform Price: $20/month per kit
• Includes: 1 login + 1,000 MLC credits (90-day expiration)
• Target: External users accessing your Agent Delivery System (ADS)
• Availability: Purchased as add-ons or included with Sell/Scale tiers

Partner Economics

• Suggested Resale: $49/month (145% markup opportunity)
• Partner Gross Margin: ~$29/kit (~59% margin)
• Platform Gross Margin: ~$8.90/kit (~45% margin after costs)
• Breakage Benefit: Unused credits improve effective margins to 55-65%

Usage Tracking

Event Architecture

Usage events are tracked via OpenMeter integration:

interface AITokenUsage {
  provider: string; // "openai", "anthropic", "google"
  model: string; // Model identifier
  organizationId?: string;
  widgetId?: string;
  teamId?: string;
  userId?: string;
  inputTokens: number;
  outputTokens: number;
}

Attribution Hierarchy

1. Organization Level: Aggregate usage across all teams
2. Team Level: Department or project-specific tracking
3. User Level: Individual member consumption
4. Widget Level: Per-deployment analytics

Storage Structure

Usage data persists in Firestore with time-series organization:

• organization/{orgId}/usage/{timestamp}
• team/{teamId}/usage/{timestamp}
• team/{teamId}/member/{userId}/usage/{timestamp}

Token Consumption Rates

Model Cost Examples (per 1M tokens)

Model	Raw Cost	MLC Burned	Customer Pays	Effective Markup
Gemini 1.5 Flash-Lite	$0.375	38	$0.51	35%
GPT-4o mini	$0.75	75	$1.01	35%
GPT-4o	$12.50	1,250	$16.88	35%
Claude 3 Opus	$90.00	9,000	$121.50	35%

Cost Optimization

Use appropriate models for tasks: Flash-Lite for simple queries, GPT-4o mini for standard operations, and premium models only when complexity demands.

Credit Management

Allocation Rules

1. Subscription Credits: Allocated monthly on billing cycle renewal
2. Kit Credits: Activated immediately upon kit deployment
3. Overage Handling: Automatic draw from pooled credits at $0.0135/MLC
4. Expiration Policy: All credits expire after 90 days (consistent across all types)
5. 21-Day Build Access: Initial builds operate in MECLABS environment; ownership contingent on subscription acceptance at day 21

Add-On Pricing

Add-On Type	Price	Details
Org Member Seat	$80/month	Internal team member, uses pooled credits
Customer Kit	$20/month	External seat with 1,000 MLC included
Credit Top-ups	$0.0135/MLC	35% markup, 90-day expiration

Partner Program Economics

Certified Partner Revenue Model

Important

Partners earn 40% lifetime commission on all platform subscriptions they generate, creating compounding annuity revenue.

Customer Kit Resale

1. Platform Cost: $20/kit/month
2. Suggested Resale: $49/kit/month minimum
3. Partner Gross Profit: ~$29/kit (~59% margin)
4. Value-Add Opportunity: Bundle with support, onboarding, or premium content

Commission Structure

• Platform Subscriptions: 40% lifetime commission on all tiers
• Customer Kits: Keep 100% of markup above $20 base cost
• No Support Overhead: MECLABS handles all technical support
• Compounding Revenue: Each new customer adds to recurring income

Breakage Economics

Usage Pattern	Monthly Consumption	Breakage Rate	Effective Margin
Light	<300 MLC	High (~70%)	60-65%
Average	300-700 MLC	Moderate (~40%)	55-60%
Heavy	700-1000 MLC	Low (~10%)	50-55%

Implementation Details

OpenMeter Integration

The platform uses OpenMeter Cloud for real-time usage metering:

1. Event Ingestion: High-throughput token usage tracking
2. Real-time Aggregation: Instant usage visibility
3. Multi-dimensional Queries: Usage by provider, model, user, team
4. Billing Integration: Automated Stripe invoice generation

Rate Limiting

Credit consumption includes built-in protection:

• Message rate limits per user/team
• API call throttling
• Concurrent request limits
• Budget alerts and hard stops

Dashboard Features

Organization View

• Total credit balance and burn rate
• Usage breakdown by team/member
• Top consumers and models
• Projected runway based on current usage

Team View

• Team credit allocation and consumption
• Member usage rankings
• Widget deployment costs
• Daily/weekly/monthly trends

User View

• Personal credit usage
• Model preference analytics
• Session-based consumption
• Usage history and exports

Upgrade Triggers

Build → Sell Indicators

Trigger	Threshold	Unlocked Feature
Payment Processing	Need to accept payments	Stripe connector
Customer Deployment	First Customer Kit needed	10 included Kits
Team Growth	>5 Org Members	12 included seats
Credit Usage	>6,000 MLC/month	18,000 MLC pool
Funnel Optimization	Need landing pages	SuperFunnel Builder

Sell → Scale Indicators

Trigger	Threshold	Unlocked Feature
Customer Growth	>10 Customer Kits	45 included Kits
Team Expansion	>12 Org Members	30 included seats
Integration Needs	Advanced data requirements	MCP connector
Credit Demand	>18,000 MLC/month	75,000 MLC pool
Testing Requirements	A/B testing needed	Testing suite

API Integration

Usage Query Endpoint

trpc.usage.get({
  orgId?: string,
  teamId?: string,
  userId?: string,
  from: string,    // ISO datetime
  to: string,      // ISO datetime
  timeZone: string,
  limit: number    // max 30
})

Response Format

interface UsageResponse {
  date: string; // YYYY-MM-DD
  tokens: number; // Total MLC consumed
}
[];

Best Practices

Platform Administrators

Monitoring

Set up automated alerts at 50%, 75%, and 90% credit utilization thresholds.

1. Weekly Reviews: Monitor team and widget-level burn rates
2. Quarterly Optimization: Analyze model efficiency and adjust defaults
3. Prompt Engineering: Optimize system prompts to reduce token usage
4. Budget Planning: Track seasonal patterns for accurate forecasting

Reseller Partners

1. Value Stacking: Bundle Customer Kits with onboarding and support
2. Usage Monitoring: Identify power users for upsell opportunities
3. Education: Train customers on credit-efficient model selection
4. Commission Maximization: Focus on annual contracts for higher lifetime value
5. White-Label Strategy: Position as your own AI solution at premium pricing

End Users

1. Model Selection: Match model complexity to task requirements
2. Prompt Optimization: Use concise, specific prompts
3. Usage Tracking: Monitor consumption patterns in dashboard
4. Credit Planning: Purchase top-ups before 90-day expiration
5. Team Training: Educate members on efficient AI usage

Strategic Considerations

Pricing Levers (Held in Reserve)

Lever	Current	Potential	When to Adjust	Impact
Top-up Markup	$0.0135/MLC	$0.0138/MLC	Vendor price cuts stall	+3-4% margin
Customer Kit Price	$20/month	$22/month	High adoption, low churn	+6% per seat
Credit Expiration	90 days	60 days	Breakage <10%	+2-3% margin
Volume Discounts	None	Tiered	Enterprise demand	Negotiable

Platform Integration Points

• OpenMeter: Real-time usage metering and aggregation
• Stripe: Automated billing and invoice generation
• Firestore: Time-series usage data storage
• Vercel AI SDK: Multi-provider token tracking
• MCP: Advanced data integration (Scale tier)