Credit FAQ

FAQ-B · Billing essentials

// ROLLOVER

Do credits roll over?

Yes. Unspent credits stay in your balance indefinitely and new credits are added on top — including across plan switches. Monthly members receive 5 credits per 14-day cycle; annual members receive 120 credits upfront with no fortnightly drip. Top-up pack credits follow the same no-expiry rule.

// PAYMENT_FAILED

What happens if a payment fails?

Stripe retries the charge automatically and your membership is marked past due. While past due, members-only tools pause and no new subscription credits are issued. Your existing balance is kept and stays spendable, and every specification you already unlocked stays readable. Update your card in Manage subscription to restore membership.

// CANCELLATION

What happens when I cancel?

Cancel any time from Manage subscription. Membership stays active until the end of the period you have paid for; then subscription credit deposits stop and members-only tools close. Unspent credits are never deleted, and unlocked specifications remain readable for life.

FAQ-00 · Pack unit rates

Unit rate is price divided by credits. The saving column is measured against the Starter rate, not a notional list price.

FAQ-01 · The credit economy

Credits are the single access currency. Nothing on the platform is priced in cash at the point of use — every unlock is denominated in credits.

How are the 5 credits issued?

On the monthly plan, 5 unlock credits are issued at the start of each 14-day cycle — automatic, nothing to claim. Your first 5 land the moment your subscription is confirmed, and the countdown to the next drop is shown in the header and on your dashboard. Annual members are excluded from this drip: they receive a single upfront grant of 120 credits on activation, with no fortnightly cycle.

Do unspent credits accumulate?

Yes. On the monthly plan, anything you do not spend stays in your balance and the next 5 are added on top. Skip three cycles and you will be sitting on 15 — there is no per-cycle cap and no forced usage. Annual members receive 120 credits upfront, with no fortnightly deposits.

Do credits roll over between cycles and plans?

They roll over indefinitely, including across a switch between the monthly and annual plan. Switching plans, cancelling or letting a subscription lapse never resets or forfeits an existing balance; unspent credits remain spendable.

Do credits ever expire?

No expiry date is attached to subscription credits or purchased top-up credits. Unspent credits are kept and remain spendable even if your subscription is cancelled or lapses.

What happens to my balance if I cancel or payment fails?

Your balance is preserved, not deleted, and unspent credits can still be spent even if your subscription is cancelled, past due or unpaid. New subscription credit deposits stop when your subscription is no longer eligible. Everything you already unlocked stays permanently readable.

FAQ-02 · Pack value & pricing

Packs exist for members who move faster than the fortnightly drip. The unit rate falls as the pack size rises; nothing is a subscription.

How is pack value calculated?

Each pack advertises a unit rate — price divided by credits. Starter sets the baseline; Pro and Master reduce that rate, and the saving shown on each card is the percentage improvement against the Starter rate, not an invented RRP.

Is a pack cheaper than a membership?

No. The annual membership remains the lowest unit rate in the system by a clear margin, with 120 credits issued upfront and no fortnightly issuance. Packs are deliberately priced above the membership rate — they are a top-up instrument, not a replacement for it.

Are pack purchases one-off?

Yes. A pack is a single card payment with no recurring element, no auto top-up and no stored intent to re-charge. Buy one, buy three, or never buy one — your membership is unaffected either way.

When do pack credits arrive?

The moment the payment provider confirms the checkout session, the balance is written server-side. The confirmation is idempotent, so a retried or redelivered payment notification can never credit the same purchase twice.

Do I get a receipt?

Every completed pack checkout is written to your credit history with the pack code, amount paid, credits granted, resulting balance and provider session reference — and a downloadable PDF receipt per purchase.

FAQ-03 · How dossier unlocks work

A specialist dossier is a sealed container of related specifications. It is exempt from single-spec pricing and always costs a flat 10 credits.

What does 10 credits unlock?

The entire dossier container — every specification inside it, including full gravimetric matrices, thermal and phase protocols, measured parameters and the scientific notes bound to each component. There is no per-spec charge inside an unlocked dossier.

Why is a dossier 10 credits and a single spec 1?

Single specifications are metered individually so you only pay for what you read. Dossiers are curated multi-spec containers where the specifications are interdependent, so they are priced as one exempt unit rather than summed spec by spec.

Is a dossier unlock permanent?

Yes. The unlock is recorded against your account for life. Re-reads, later revisions and added specifications inside that dossier never cost further credits.

Can I see a dossier before unlocking?

Yes. Each dossier has a public open-source mirror showing the component index, phase titles, measured-parameter labels and tags with the weights and protocols redacted — enough to judge the container before spending credits.

What if I do not have 10 credits?

The locked dossier page offers the purchase in place: buy a pack, and the balance updates without leaving the unlock flow. You do not need an active membership to reach a dossier page and buy the unlock.

FAQ-04 · The dossier tiers, one by one

There is no single generic dossier product. Each specialist dossier is bought separately at the same flat 10-credit rate, and unlocking one never unlocks another.

D-01 — Hearth & Dough Dynamics: what is inside, and what does it cost?

High-hydration dough lattices, biga pre-ferments and 400°C+ deck transfer dynamics. It is an isolated container priced at a flat 10 credits, unlocked from its own dedicated page and permanent once granted. A redacted open-source preview of this dossier is public, so you can inspect the component index and phase titles before spending credits.

D-02 — Advanced Patisserie & Sugar Structure Archive: what is inside, and what does it cost?

Butter-block lamination, choux hydration, crust architecture and crème pâtissière emulsions. It is an isolated container priced at a flat 10 credits, unlocked from its own dedicated page and permanent once granted. A redacted open-source preview of this dossier is public, so you can inspect the component index and phase titles before spending credits.

D-03 — Shaved Gelato & Creami Formulations: what is inside, and what does it cost?

Dedicated master dossier for micro-shaved frozen desserts. Features precision stabilizer matrices, advanced thermal maceration protocols, and exact caster sugar/dextrose ratios engineered exclusively for shaving technology. It is an isolated container priced at a flat 10 credits, unlocked from its own dedicated page and permanent once granted. Hardware note: EQUIPMENT REQUIRED // NINJA CREAMI / SWIRL COMPATIBLE. A redacted open-source preview of this dossier is public, so you can inspect the component index and phase titles before spending credits.

D-04 — Asian Culinary Formulations: what is inside, and what does it cost?

Wok hei thermal transfer above 240 °C, chilli-paste lipid extraction, glutamate/inosinate umami stacking and controlled lactic fermentation schedules. It is an isolated container priced at a flat 10 credits, unlocked from its own dedicated page and permanent once granted. Hardware note: EQUIPMENT REQUIRED // CARBON-STEEL WOK / HIGH-BTU BURNER. A redacted open-source preview of this dossier is public, so you can inspect the component index and phase titles before spending credits.

D-05 — Seafood & Precision Proteins: what is inside, and what does it cost?

Myosin/actin denaturation windows, equilibrium cures, albumin suppression, collagen conversion and surface-moisture thresholds for reliable crusts. It is an isolated container priced at a flat 10 credits, unlocked from its own dedicated page and permanent once granted. Hardware note: EQUIPMENT REQUIRED // IMMERSION CIRCULATOR / PROBE THERMOMETER. A redacted open-source preview of this dossier is public, so you can inspect the component index and phase titles before spending credits.