diff --git a/src/backend/src/CoreModule.js b/src/backend/src/CoreModule.js
index 10cf8cc34..b4d37e8de 100644
--- a/src/backend/src/CoreModule.js
+++ b/src/backend/src/CoreModule.js
@@ -293,6 +293,9 @@ const install = async ({ services, app, useapi, modapi }) => {
     const { DevTODService } = require('./services/DevTODService');
     services.registerService('__dev-tod', DevTODService);
 
+    const { CostService } = require("./services/drivers/CostService");
+    services.registerService('cost', CostService);
+
     const { DriverService } = require("./services/drivers/DriverService");
     services.registerService('driver', DriverService);
 
diff --git a/src/backend/src/modules/puterai/AIChatService.js b/src/backend/src/modules/puterai/AIChatService.js
index 0d39a42e6..5cd6035cd 100644
--- a/src/backend/src/modules/puterai/AIChatService.js
+++ b/src/backend/src/modules/puterai/AIChatService.js
@@ -128,8 +128,9 @@ class AIChatService extends BaseService {
             this.log.noticeme('COST INFO', values);
 
 
-            await this.db.insert('ai_usage', values);
-
+            const svc_cost = this.services.get('cost');
+            svc_cost.record_cost({ cost: values.cost });
+            
             // USD cost from microcents
             const cost_usc = values.cost / 1000000;
             const cost_usd = cost_usc / 100;
@@ -404,11 +405,8 @@ class AIChatService extends BaseService {
                 });
 
                 // Updated: Check usage and get a boolean result instead of throwing error
-                const usageAllowed = await this.check_usage_({
-                    actor: Context.get('actor'),
-                    service: service_used,
-                    model: model_used,
-                });
+                const svc_cost = this.services.get('cost');
+                const usageAllowed = await svc_cost.get_funding_allowed();
 
                 // Handle usage limits reached case
                 if ( !usageAllowed ) {
@@ -496,11 +494,8 @@ class AIChatService extends BaseService {
                         });
 
                         // Check usage for fallback model too (with updated method)
-                        const fallbackUsageAllowed = await this.check_usage_({
-                            actor: Context.get('actor'),
-                            service: fallback_service_name,
-                            model: fallback_model_name,
-                        });
+                        const svc_cost = this.services.get('cost');
+                        const fallbackUsageAllowed = await svc_cost.get_funding_allowed();
                         
                         // If usage not allowed for fallback, use usage-limited-chat instead
                         if (!fallbackUsageAllowed) {
diff --git a/src/backend/src/modules/selfhosted/PermissiveCreditService.js b/src/backend/src/modules/selfhosted/PermissiveCreditService.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ffba55fd5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/backend/src/modules/selfhosted/PermissiveCreditService.js
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+const BaseService = require("../../services/BaseService");
+
+/**
+ * PermissiveCreditService listens to the event where DriverService asks
+ * for a credit context, and always provides one that allows use of
+ * cost-incurring services for no charge. This grants free use to
+ * everyone to services that incur a cost, as long as the user has
+ * permission to call the respective service.
+ */
+class PermissiveCreditService extends BaseService {
+    static MODULES = {
+        uuidv4: require('uuid').v4,
+    }
+    _init () {
+        const svc_event = this.services.get('event');
+        svc_event.on(`credit.check-available`, (_, event) => {
+            event.available = Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER;
+        });
+    }
+}
+
+module.exports = PermissiveCreditService;
diff --git a/src/backend/src/modules/selfhosted/SelfHostedModule.js b/src/backend/src/modules/selfhosted/SelfHostedModule.js
index e9ad85423..02c867711 100644
--- a/src/backend/src/modules/selfhosted/SelfHostedModule.js
+++ b/src/backend/src/modules/selfhosted/SelfHostedModule.js
@@ -35,6 +35,9 @@ class SelfHostedModule extends AdvancedBase {
         const DevWatcherService = require('./DevWatcherService');
         const path_ = require('path');
         
+        const PermissiveCreditService = require("./PermissiveCreditService");
+        services.registerService('__permissive-credit', PermissiveCreditService);
+        
         const { DBKVService } = require("../../services/DBKVService");
         services.registerService('puter-kvstore', DBKVService);
 
diff --git a/src/backend/src/services/drivers/CostService.js b/src/backend/src/services/drivers/CostService.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e2837161b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/backend/src/services/drivers/CostService.js
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+const APIError = require("../../api/APIError");
+const { Context } = require("../../util/context");
+const BaseService = require("../BaseService");
+
+class CreditContext {
+    constructor (svc, o) {
+        for ( const k in o ) this[k] = o[k];
+        this.svc = svc;
+    }
+}
+
+class CostService extends BaseService {
+    static MODULES = {
+        uuidv4: require('uuid').v4,
+    }
+
+    _init () {
+        const svc_cost = this;
+        const svc_event = this.services.get('event');
+        svc_event.on('driver.create-call-context', async (_, event) => {
+            event.context = event.context.sub({
+                // Future Use
+            });
+        });
+    }
+    async get_credit_context (params) {
+        return new CreditContext(this, params);
+    }
+
+    async get_funding_allowed () {
+        const cost_uuid = this.modules.uuidv4();
+        const svc_event = this.services.get('event');
+        const event = {
+            actor: Context.get('actor'),
+            available: 0,
+            cost_uuid,
+        };
+        await svc_event.emit('credit.check-available', event);
+        return event.available > 0;
+    }
+    async record_cost ({ cost }) {
+        const svc_event = this.services.get('event');
+        const event = {
+            actor: Context.get('actor'),
+            cost,
+        };
+        await svc_event.emit('credit.record-cost', event);
+    }
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+    CostService,
+};
diff --git a/src/backend/src/services/drivers/DriverService.js b/src/backend/src/services/drivers/DriverService.js
index 58d41a693..2a15bcfbc 100644
--- a/src/backend/src/services/drivers/DriverService.js
+++ b/src/backend/src/services/drivers/DriverService.js
@@ -268,9 +268,20 @@ class DriverService extends BaseService {
             skip_usage = true;
         }
         
-        return await Context.sub({
+        const svc_event = this.services.get('event');
+        const event = {};
+        event.context = Context.sub({
             client_driver_call,
-        }).arun(async () => {
+        });
+        event.call_details = {
+            service: driver,
+            iface, method, args,
+            skip_usage,
+        };
+        
+        svc_event.emit('driver.create-call-context', event);
+        
+        return event.context.arun(async () => {
             const result = await this.call_new_({
                 actor,
                 service,