Running an app
What happens when you open an app, approve access, and are charged for a run.
Opening#
Apps are either hosted on the web or downloadable. Both work the same way from your side: you open the app, and the first time it needs your account it sends you through Connect.
Approving access#
The Connect screen is served by PortModels, not by the app. It shows:
- the app's name and publisher,
- the exact permissions being requested,
- what each permission allows.
Approve and the app receives a token limited to those permissions. Decline and nothing happens — the app gets no access at all.
You can change your mind later at any time; see Connected apps.
Being charged#
Charges happen per request, not per session:
- Opening an app costs nothing.
- Each model run costs provider cost plus the developer's markup.
- Every charge is written to your ledger with the app that made it.
If your balance cannot cover a request, the app is told so and the run does not start. Top up and try again.
If a run fails#
A failed request should not be charged for the work that never happened. When a model returns nothing usable, the platform records the outcome as an empty completion rather than billing it as a successful run. If you see a charge for a run that produced nothing, raise it through support with the timestamp.