Engineering log

How the system actually works, written down

Anyone can write marketing copy; nobody can write the edge cases of quota reservation without having built it. No vision here — only implementation and the things we got wrong.

2026-08-06Gateway & metering
When exactly should a streaming request be charged
You don't know the cost when the request starts, and by the time it ends the money is already spent. This is the easiest thing to get wrong in a metering system. We solve it in two phases.
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2026-07-24Supply & operations
Tripping the breaker is easy; where you go next is not
In the 19 July incident the circuit breaker worked exactly as designed. What failed was the reserve capacity sitting behind it.
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When exactly should a streaming request be charged

Tripping the breaker is easy; where you go next is not