# Plan or API key

> The two ways Dobby pays for Claude, how each is capped, and how to choose.

Dobby runs Claude Code for every role. It pays with your Claude plan or with an Anthropic API key.

| | Your plan | An API key |
|---|---|---|
| Costs | Nothing beyond the plan | Per token |
| Capped by | A share of your week, `pacing.weekCap` | Dollars, `billing.dailyUsd` and `billing.weeklyUsd` |
| Default cap | 95% of the week | $20 a day |
| Cost comment on a PR | Share of your week | Dollars |
| Key variable | | `DOBBY_API_KEY` |

## Which one

- You pay for Pro or Max: use the plan. Dobby uses the part you don't.
- You have no plan, or Dobby runs on a server: use an API key with a daily cap.

To set either one up, see [Cap spend](/docs/cap-spend.md).

:::note
Dobby reads `DOBBY_API_KEY`, never `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`. That keeps your own Claude Code sessions on your plan.
:::

## How estimates work on a plan

A pull request's share of the week is an estimate, converted at $26 per 1% of the week. The numbers in `dobby limits` come straight from Anthropic.

Dobby runs on Claude Code only today. Amazon Bedrock and Google Vertex AI are not supported.