Nova Units
Every Nova AI response uses 1 or more Nova Units. Units measure compute — every response requires AI processing whether it's a conversation, a skill action, or an investigation.
How Units Work
| Action | Units | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Conversation | 1 | Ask questions, get explanations, discuss architecture |
| Skill action | 1 | Query a cluster, check app status, search docs, calculate costs |
| Investigation | 5 | Run incident analysis, diagnose infrastructure issues |
One unit per response, minimum. If Nova calls multiple tools to answer a single question, you're charged once — based on the most expensive action in that response.
Plans
| Free | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly units | 175 | Custom (per contract) |
| Daily limit | 20 | Custom |
| Skill actions | ~175/month | Custom |
| Investigations | ~35/month | Custom |
| Message history | 30 days | Custom |
| Billing scope | Per user | Org-wide pool |
Free includes a daily limit to keep usage predictable (resets at midnight UTC). Enterprise customers get a per-org unit pool sized to your team — talk to sales for sizing and SSO/SOC 2.
Tracking Your Usage
Check your usage anytime at Nova > Usage. You'll see:
- Total units used this month and your remaining balance
- Breakdown by category (skill actions vs. investigations)
- Daily usage with reset countdown
- Monthly reset date
Each AI response also shows the units charged via the info icon next to the message.
FAQ
What happens when I run out of units? Nova will pause until your monthly reset or until you upgrade.
Do unused units roll over? No. Units reset at the start of each billing period.
Can I buy more units? Enterprise customers can extend their pool — contact your AstroPulse rep to resize. Free users hit the monthly cap and reset on the 1st.
Why does an investigation cost 5 units? Investigations run multiple AI agents in parallel — classifying incidents, testing hypotheses, collecting evidence, and generating root cause analysis. This requires significantly more compute than a single skill action.
Are AstroPulse Platform actions free? Platform queries (cluster info, app status, doc search) cost 1 unit each — the same as any skill action. You're already paying for the platform, so we keep this minimal.