Group chats · Credits
How Cole credits work in a busy group
In a group, one Pocodot account pays for Cole's replies. On LINE, iMessage and WhatsApp, it is the account that said yes when Cole asked, in a private chat, whether it should pay for everyone; on Telegram, it is the account of the person who added Cole to the group. Each reply uses a few credits, at most 3 credits for a short answer, and messages Cole does not reply to cost nothing. The free credits are 150, one time. The account that pays sees who used what and can turn Cole off in any of its groups.
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What one reply costs
- A short answer (under 300 characters) where Cole only replies in the chat: at most 3 credits. Setting, moving or cancelling a reminder is priced the same way.
- Any other answer where Cole uses no tools: at most 8.
- An answer where Cole searches the web or uses a connected app: up to 15.
- Long research with many steps: up to 40.
- Sending, posting or changing something in a connected app adds a few credits per action. An action that fails costs nothing.
Which messages Cole answers in each app
Only a message Cole answers is charged. A message reaches Cole like this:
| App | How a message reaches Cole | Setup guide |
|---|---|---|
| LINE | Start with "Cole,", @mention Cole, or reply to one of Cole's messages. | How to add AI to a LINE group |
| Telegram | Tag @Cole_chief_of_staff_bot (pick it from the list after @) or reply to one of Cole's messages. | How to add AI to a Telegram group |
| iMessage | Start the message with "Cole,". A reply to Cole needs the name too. | How to add AI to an iMessage group chat |
| Tag @Cole, start with "Cole,", or reply to one of Cole's messages. | How to add Cole to a WhatsApp group | |
| Slack | @mention Cole in the channel. | How to set up AI on Slack |
Frequently asked questions
Who pays when Cole is in a group?
One account pays for the group. On LINE, iMessage and WhatsApp, Cole asks the person once, in their private chat, whether their account should pay for everyone in that group, and only a yes makes them the payer. On Telegram, the account of the person who added Cole to the group pays for everyone's questions there, if they had connected Telegram to their Pocodot account before adding Cole; in an older group with no record of who added Cole, the group owner's account stands in. After that, everyone's questions in the group use the payer's credits, and the others need no account. Until a group has a payer, each person with an account pays for their own questions.
What is the "pay for everyone" offer?
On LINE, iMessage and WhatsApp, and in a Telegram group nobody pays for yet, it is one private question from Cole: should your account pay for everyone in this group? Cole asks it in your private chat with Cole, never in the group. A yes makes your account the group's payer; a no, or no answer within 24 hours, changes nothing, and you keep paying only for your own questions. The group is not told who pays. To take over paying later, tell Cole so in the group, and Cole asks you privately.
How many credits does one reply use?
A short answer (under 300 characters) where Cole only replies in the chat uses at most 3 credits, and setting a reminder is priced the same way. Any other answer with no tools uses at most 8, an answer with a web search or a connected app up to 15, and long research up to 40. An action that fails costs nothing.
How does a busy group spend credits?
Every message Cole answers is a reply paid by the account that pays for the group: a tag, a call by name, a reply to Cole, and on WhatsApp and iMessage the first answer to a question Cole asked the whole group. Messages Cole keeps as background without replying cost nothing. Games and banter spend the most, because each riddle and each answer is a reply. For example, 40 short replies in a day use at most 120 credits.
How do I cap it or turn it off?
In your private chat with Cole, ask "who used Cole in my groups this week?" for names and credit counts, never what anyone wrote. Write "turn off Cole in" and the group's name to stop Cole answering there until you turn it back on. In the group, a rule such as "Cole, only answer when someone asks you a question" keeps it calmer. On WhatsApp you can also set a monthly credit limit per person, let only members of your account use Cole, or leave someone out. To take Cole out for good, remove it from the group like any member.
Are the free credits one-time?
Yes. Every new account gets 150 free credits, one time, with no card. They do not reset daily, weekly or monthly. Paid plans add a new allowance every month, from $19 a month for 2,000 credits, and a one-off pack starts at $3 for 375 credits.
What happens when the account that pays runs out?
The account that pays gets a heads-up in its private chat as the credits run low. At zero, Cole stops doing work that uses credits and says how to add more; nobody is billed past zero, and if the last answer cost more than was left, the difference comes off the next top-up. A member with their own Pocodot account and credits can still be answered on their own credits until the payer adds more. Repeating reminders set on that account are skipped and it is told; a one-time reminder that is already set is still sent, at no charge.
Do reminders and scheduled posts in the group use credits?
Setting, moving or cancelling a reminder is priced like a short answer, at most 3 credits. A repeating post with the same words each time costs nothing when it goes out. One that has to look something up or write something new each time, such as a daily summary, is charged like an answer.