> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cubic.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# AI review usage and limits

> How GitHub PR AI review usage and billing-period limits work.

cubic measures GitHub PR AI review usage in **reviewed lines** — the changed lines of code cubic actually reviewed in completed PR reviews.

Auto-generated files, binaries, vendored code, and anything matching your ignore patterns are discounted automatically and barely touch your quota. So a 30,000-line PR that's mostly a regenerated lockfile counts as a small fraction of that.

## Paid team capacity

Each paid seat adds to a shared reviewed-line pool for your whole team.

| Plan | Reviewed lines per seat per billing period |
| - | - |
| Trial | 20,000 |
| Team (paid) | 40,000 |
| Pro | 80,000 |
| Max | 160,000 |

A 5-seat Pro team gets `5 × 80,000 = 400,000` reviewed lines per billing period, pooled across everyone.

You can see your current usage, reset date, and a breakdown by review type, base branch, and repository in **[Settings → Usage](https://www.cubic.dev/settings?tab=usage)** when reviewed-line limits apply to your installation. The quota resets with your billing period, not a rolling 30-day window.

## What is not included

The reviewed-line meter applies to GitHub PR AI reviews. Other cubic features use separate limits and do not consume this reviewed-line pool:

* CLI/local reviews
* Codebase reviews and daily scans
* Wikis
* cubic coding agents

## When you run out

If your team uses its full reviewed-line capacity, new GitHub PR AI reviews pause until the next reset or until you add more capacity. Existing comments stay on PRs, and replying to cubic still works. Other features are unaffected by this reviewed-line quota because they have their own limits.

Paid workspaces can use [flex capacity](/account/flex-capacity) to keep reviews running automatically after included usage runs out. Flex capacity costs \$20 per 10,000 extra reviewed lines, is billed only as used, and stops at the monthly spend limit you set.

## Tips to reduce usage

Use these ideas when you want to lower reviewed-line consumption without changing your plan. Most options live in [AI review settings](https://www.cubic.dev/ai-review) or [`cubic.yaml`](/configure/cubic-yaml).

* **[Disable automatic reviews](https://www.cubic.dev/ai-review?tab=setup\&card=ai-review-card-code-review-agent)** for repositories where you only want cubic to review PRs manually. Turn off AI reviews for the repository, or set `reviews.enabled: false` in [`cubic.yaml`](/configure/cubic-yaml).
* **[Ignore specific files or directories](https://www.cubic.dev/ai-review?tab=setup\&card=ai-review-card-ignore-patterns)** that do not need AI review. Add file globs under **Ignore files**, or add them to `reviews.ignore.files` in [`cubic.yaml`](/configure/cubic-yaml).
* **[Ignore test files and fixtures](https://www.cubic.dev/ai-review?tab=setup\&card=ai-review-card-ignore-patterns)** if your team generates a lot of test code. Choose the repository, open **Ignore files**, and add file path patterns such as `**/*.test.*`, `**/*.spec.*`, `**/__tests__/**`, `tests/**`, `test/**`, or `fixtures/**`.
* **[Turn off automatic incremental reviews](https://www.cubic.dev/ai-review?tab=setup\&card=ai-review-card-incremental-reviews)** to review a PR once when it opens instead of re-reviewing every pushed commit, or set `reviews.incremental_commits: false` in [`cubic.yaml`](/configure/cubic-yaml). You can still request an incremental review by commenting `@cubic-dev-ai incremental review`.
* **[Use the cubic CLI locally](/ide/cli-review).** CLI and local reviews don't draw from your reviewed-line pool, so running in-progress checks with the cubic CLI keeps your cloud capacity for the PRs that need it.
* **[Skip automatic reviews on non-default base branches](https://www.cubic.dev/ai-review?tab=setup\&card=ai-review-card-ignore-pull-request-patterns)** when long-lived branches do not need continuous review, or set `reviews.ignore.base_branches` in [`cubic.yaml`](/configure/cubic-yaml). You can still request a review with `@cubic-dev-ai review` when one is useful.
* **Avoid unnecessary full reruns.** Pushing commits triggers incremental reviews when they are enabled. You can also comment `@cubic-dev-ai incremental review` to review only the changes since cubic's last completed review. Incremental reviews count only newly reviewed changes, while `@cubic-dev-ai review this PR` runs a full review and counts reviewed lines again.
* **[Use PR label ignores](https://www.cubic.dev/ai-review?tab=setup\&card=ai-review-card-ignore-pull-request-patterns)** for work-in-progress PRs. Add label patterns, or set `reviews.ignore.pr_labels` in [`cubic.yaml`](/configure/cubic-yaml), to suppress automatic reviews, including push-triggered incremental reviews, while still allowing manually requested reviews.

For example:

```yaml theme={null}
reviews:
  enabled: true
  ignore:
    files:
      - 'dist/**'
      - 'generated/**'
      - '**/*.test.*'
      - '**/*.spec.*'
      - '**/__tests__/**'
      - '*.lock'
```

When a file matches your ignore patterns, cubic skips it during PR review, so it does not spend reviewed-line capacity on that file.

## How to get more

* **[Set a flex capacity spend limit](/account/flex-capacity)** to cover overages automatically at \$20 per 10,000 extra reviewed lines.
* **[Upgrade to Pro or Max](https://www.cubic.dev/settings?tab=billing)** for a higher per-seat allowance.
* **Add seats** in [Settings → Billing](https://www.cubic.dev/settings?tab=billing). Capacity goes up immediately.
* **Tighten ignore patterns** in [`cubic.yaml`](/configure/cubic-yaml) for generated or vendored code you don't want reviewed.

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why did one PR use so much capacity?">
    Usage counts added and deleted lines actually reviewed, including full reruns. Ultrareviews
    count at 3× the standard rate. For example, a review of 1,000 added and 200 deleted lines uses
    1,200 reviewed lines, or 3,600 for an Ultrareview. A later incremental review of 100 new changed
    lines uses 100 more at the standard rate.

    Check **Settings → Usage** for a breakdown by review type and repository. Exclude generated
    files or fixtures with [ignore patterns](/configure/cubic-yaml) to keep them out of reviews.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Am I charged for reading the whole repository? Does caching reduce usage?">
    No. Only changed lines actually reviewed count, not the surrounding code cubic reads for context.
    Caching and learning your codebase do not reduce the reviewed-line count. Incremental reviews
    reduce usage by reviewing only new changes instead of repeating the full PR review.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do codebase scans, wikis, or CLI reviews consume my reviewed lines?">
    No. The reviewed-line allowance covers GitHub PR reviews only. Codebase scans, wikis, CLI reviews,
    and coding agents have separate limits.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do reruns count multiple times?">
    Full reruns can count the same lines again. Commenting `@cubic-dev-ai review this PR` runs a fresh
    full review, while `@cubic-dev-ai incremental review` reviews and counts only the changes since
    cubic's last completed review. Pushing new commits also triggers incremental reviews when they are
    enabled.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does changing review sensitivity reduce usage?">
    No. Reviewed-line usage is based on the changed lines of code cubic reviews, not how many comments cubic leaves. Changing sensitivity can make cubic more or less selective about the issues it reports, but it does not change how much code cubic reviews.

    To reduce reviewed-line usage, change when reviews run or which files cubic reviews. You can do that with [AI review settings](/ai-review/ai-review-settings) or [`cubic.yaml`](/configure/cubic-yaml).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I skip reviews while a PR has a label like WIP?">
    Yes. Add a PR label ignore pattern in [AI review settings](/ai-review/ai-review-settings), or add
    the label to `reviews.ignore.pr_labels` in [`cubic.yaml`](/configure/cubic-yaml). For example,
    labels such as `wip` or `skip-review` suppress automatic reviews, including push-triggered
    incremental reviews, until the label is removed. If you want a review before then, comment
    `@cubic-dev-ai review` on the PR.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do failed or cancelled reviews still count?">
    No. Only completed reviews count toward your billing-period capacity. If you cancel a review,
    merge a PR before its review finishes, or cubic hits an error, those reviews don't use any of your
    quota.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do public repositories count?">
    Public repositories can use cubic for open-source work at no cost, subject to separate reviewed-line fair-use and abuse-protection limits. These safeguards are designed for unusually large or high-volume usage, not normal OSS maintenance.

    On paid plans, reviews of public PRs from workspace members count toward the team's
    reviewed-line allowance. Reviews from external contributors use a separate public allowance
    and do not consume the team's reviewed lines. Unpaid public repositories use the public
    fair-use pool instead of the private free-plan review count.

    If your open-source project is blocked and you think the limit was applied incorrectly, email [contact@cubic.dev](mailto:contact@cubic.dev) with your organisation, repository, and PR link.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if I change seats during a billing period?">
    Your cap recalculates immediately. Adding seats gives you more capacity right away; removing seats
    lowers it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How does flex capacity pricing work?">
    Flex capacity costs \$20 per 10,000 extra reviewed lines. cubic buys whole blocks only when a
    review would otherwise be paused, and it never buys a partial block that would charge you without
    unblocking the review. See [Flex capacity](/account/flex-capacity) for examples and spend-limit
    behavior.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does Ultrareview count differently?">
    Yes. An Ultrareview is a longer, deeper review using cubic's most capable models, so it counts
    against your reviewed-line capacity at 3× the standard rate. There is no separate Ultrareview
    limit — usage shares the same reviewed-lines allowance as normal reviews.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My usage looks wrong.">
    Email [contact@cubic.dev](mailto:contact@cubic.dev) with your organisation name and we'll dig in.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>


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