# contracts.observe_usage

Record vendor usage observations (1–200) against a metered right of a vendor contract, each priced as an estimate and attributed to a customer, person, team or project. Re-sending an observation is safe.

## What it does

Record 1 to 200 usage observations for one right with a usage block, in one transaction: one event per usage period the batch touches, dated at that period's latest observation. Each observation is identified by producer and sourceId: the same revision with the same content is skipped (its evidence may differ), with different content refused, and a higher revision restates the bucket and prices only the change.

A priced meter prices each observation as the change in its usage period's price (tiers and allowances exact, the period rounded once), an observed_amount meter takes the vendor's own cost (observedAmount, in minor units times 10^amountDecimals), and a none meter only counts. The estimate accrues an expense (2120 Accrued expenses) or draws the right's credit pool (5950 for granted credit, 1150 for bought lots); its function is the meter's customerFunction (default cost of revenue) for usage attributed to a customer, the team's function when given with team, else the right's own.

Attribution is opaque context: customer (a party id), customerContract, holder (a person: a pseudonym or an email address, at most 254 characters), team with function, project, key and up to 8 tags, recorded as given. A usage period holds at most 1,000 attribution keys. After the period is billed an observation is late: counted and priced, never posted.

## Before you send it

An authorized OAuth connection may call it, including a headless client. Effective membership, application grant and token permissions still apply. Describe `contracts.observe_usage` through `GET /v1/catalog/commands/{name}` before acting.

This command does not accept `source_document_id` in its envelope. Any input evidence requirements remain as documented below.

## Inputs

Put these fields inside the envelope's `input` object. The outer envelope names the command, a stable `idempotency_key` and `effective_at`; [request and recovery rules](/docs/api/) explain those separately. Use exact minor-unit integer strings for monetary fields. Take existing IDs from prior reads or command results; choose a new identity only where the command asks for one.

Required means required within its containing object; an optional parent can be omitted.

| Field | Type | Required | Meaning and accepted values |
|---|---|---|---|
| `contractId` | string | Yes |  Minimum length: `1`. Example: `"ctr_example"`. |
| `activityKey` | string | Yes |  Minimum length: `1`. Example: `"actions_linux"`. |
| `observations` | array | Yes |  Items: object. Minimum items: `1`. Maximum items: `200`. |
| `observations[].producer` | string | Yes |  Minimum length: `1`. Maximum length: `64`. Example: `"github-billing-usage"`. |
| `observations[].sourceId` | string | Yes |  Minimum length: `1`. Maximum length: `256`. Example: `"2026-09-14/actions_linux/acme-org/acme-api"`. |
| `observations[].revision` | integer | Yes |  Minimum: `1`. Example: `1`. |
| `observations[].effectiveAt` | string | Yes |  Format: date-time. Example: `"2026-09-14T00:00:00Z"`. |
| `observations[].bucket` | object | No |   |
| `observations[].bucket.from` | string | Yes |  Format: date-time. |
| `observations[].bucket.through` | string | Yes |  Format: date-time. |
| `observations[].quantity` | string | No |  Pattern: `"^(0\|[1-9][0-9]*)$"`. Example: `"740"`. |
| `observations[].observedAmount` | string | No |  Pattern: `"^(0\|[1-9][0-9]*)$"`. |
| `observations[].unit` | string | No |  Minimum length: `1`. Maximum length: `64`. |
| `observations[].attribution` | object | No |   |
| `observations[].attribution.customer` | string | No |  Minimum length: `1`. Maximum length: `64`. Example: `"pty_acme"`. |
| `observations[].attribution.customerContract` | string | No |  Minimum length: `1`. Maximum length: `64`. |
| `observations[].attribution.holder` | string | No |  Minimum length: `1`. Maximum length: `254`. |
| `observations[].attribution.team` | string | No |  Minimum length: `1`. Maximum length: `64`. |
| `observations[].attribution.function` | string | No |  Choose `"cost_of_revenue"`, `"research_and_development"`, `"sales_and_marketing"`, `"general_and_administrative"`, `"other"`. |
| `observations[].attribution.project` | string | No |  Minimum length: `1`. Maximum length: `64`. Example: `"acme-api"`. |
| `observations[].attribution.key` | string | No |  Minimum length: `1`. Maximum length: `64`. |
| `observations[].attribution.tags` | object | No |   |
| `observations[].evidence` | array | Yes |  Items: object. Minimum items: `1`. Maximum items: `20`. |
| `observations[].evidence[].kind` | string | Yes |  Choose `"tap_message"`, `"x402_receipt"`, `"chain_tx"`, `"signed_doc"`, `"stripe_object"`, `"other"`. Example: `"other"`. |
| `observations[].evidence[].ref` | string | Yes |  Minimum length: `1`. Example: `"doc_example"`. |
| `observations[].evidence[].signer` | string | No |  Minimum length: `1`. |

## After acceptance

When the command emits events, its documented effects and receipt are recorded in the command transaction. The response returns `commandId`, `replayed`, the command-specific `result` below and emitted `events` with their IDs and CIDs. A command is not automatically a cash movement or revenue recognition: use the behavior above to determine what this command records.

Inspect `result` and the affected records or reports before continuing. Save returned identifiers for later calls. Fetch `GET /v1/commands/{id}` with `commandId` to recover the accepted receipt; retry the same intent with the same idempotency key if the response was lost. Some commands can succeed with `events: []` and return a transient result and `commandId` without persisting a receipt. A lookup of that ID can return null; retain the returned result and verify the affected record. Retrying can re-evaluate the current state rather than replay a stored result. A domain `no_change` is a separate success outcome with no persisted receipt.

### Result fields

See the exact schema below for the accepted shape.


[All commands](/docs/command-reference/) · [Operation and errors](/docs/api-reference/operations/commands-execute/) · [Reusable schemas](/docs/api-reference/components/)

Keep credentials out of prompts; rehearse writes only in a disposable sandbox.

## Exact request schema


```json
{
  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "name": {
      "const": "contracts.observe_usage"
    },
    "input": {
      "type": "object",
      "additionalProperties": false,
      "required": [
        "contractId",
        "activityKey",
        "observations"
      ],
      "properties": {
        "contractId": {
          "type": "string",
          "minLength": 1
        },
        "activityKey": {
          "type": "string",
          "minLength": 1
        },
        "observations": {
          "type": "array",
          "minItems": 1,
          "maxItems": 200,
          "items": {
            "type": "object",
            "additionalProperties": false,
            "required": [
              "producer",
              "sourceId",
              "revision",
              "effectiveAt",
              "evidence"
            ],
            "properties": {
              "producer": {
                "type": "string",
                "minLength": 1,
                "maxLength": 64
              },
              "sourceId": {
                "type": "string",
                "minLength": 1,
                "maxLength": 256
              },
              "revision": {
                "type": "integer",
                "minimum": 1
              },
              "effectiveAt": {
                "type": "string",
                "format": "date-time"
              },
              "bucket": {
                "type": "object",
                "additionalProperties": false,
                "required": [
                  "from",
                  "through"
                ],
                "properties": {
                  "from": {
                    "type": "string",
                    "format": "date-time"
                  },
                  "through": {
                    "type": "string",
                    "format": "date-time"
                  }
                }
              },
              "quantity": {
                "type": "string",
                "pattern": "^(0|[1-9][0-9]*)$"
              },
              "observedAmount": {
                "type": "string",
                "pattern": "^(0|[1-9][0-9]*)$"
              },
              "unit": {
                "type": "string",
                "minLength": 1,
                "maxLength": 64
              },
              "attribution": {
                "type": "object",
                "additionalProperties": false,
                "properties": {
                  "customer": {
                    "type": "string",
                    "minLength": 1,
                    "maxLength": 64
                  },
                  "customerContract": {
                    "type": "string",
                    "minLength": 1,
                    "maxLength": 64
                  },
                  "holder": {
                    "type": "string",
                    "minLength": 1,
                    "maxLength": 254
                  },
                  "team": {
                    "type": "string",
                    "minLength": 1,
                    "maxLength": 64
                  },
                  "function": {
                    "enum": [
                      "cost_of_revenue",
                      "research_and_development",
                      "sales_and_marketing",
                      "general_and_administrative",
                      "other"
                    ]
                  },
                  "project": {
                    "type": "string",
                    "minLength": 1,
                    "maxLength": 64
                  },
                  "key": {
                    "type": "string",
                    "minLength": 1,
                    "maxLength": 64
                  },
                  "tags": {
                    "type": "object",
                    "maxProperties": 8,
                    "additionalProperties": {
                      "type": "string",
                      "minLength": 1,
                      "maxLength": 64
                    }
                  }
                }
              },
              "evidence": {
                "type": "array",
                "minItems": 1,
                "maxItems": 20,
                "items": {
                  "type": "object",
                  "additionalProperties": false,
                  "required": [
                    "kind",
                    "ref"
                  ],
                  "properties": {
                    "kind": {
                      "enum": [
                        "tap_message",
                        "x402_receipt",
                        "chain_tx",
                        "signed_doc",
                        "stripe_object",
                        "other"
                      ]
                    },
                    "ref": {
                      "type": "string",
                      "minLength": 1
                    },
                    "signer": {
                      "type": "string",
                      "minLength": 1
                    }
                  }
                }
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    },
    "idempotency_key": {
      "type": "string",
      "minLength": 1,
      "maxLength": 256
    },
    "effective_at": {
      "type": "string",
      "format": "date-time",
      "pattern": "^(?:(?:\\d\\d[2468][048]|\\d\\d[13579][26]|\\d\\d0[48]|[02468][048]00|[13579][26]00)-02-29|\\d{4}-(?:(?:0[13578]|1[02])-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|3[01])|(?:0[469]|11)-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|30)|(?:02)-(?:0[1-9]|1\\d|2[0-8])))T(?:(?:[01]\\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\\d:[0-5]\\d(?:\\.\\d+)?(?:Z))$"
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "name",
    "input",
    "idempotency_key",
    "effective_at"
  ],
  "additionalProperties": false
}
```

## Accepted command receipt


```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "commandId",
    "replayed",
    "result",
    "events"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "commandId": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "replayed": {
      "type": "boolean"
    },
    "imported": {
      "const": true,
      "description": "The command's events are history from before the business joined Economico, recorded as an import: free of monthly events."
    },
    "result": {
      "type": "object"
    },
    "events": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "id": {
            "type": "integer"
          },
          "cid": {
            "type": "string"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
```

## Example request


```json
{
  "name": "contracts.observe_usage",
  "input": {
    "contractId": "ctr_example",
    "activityKey": "actions_linux",
    "observations": [
      {
        "producer": "github-billing-usage",
        "sourceId": "2026-09-14/actions_linux/acme-org/acme-api",
        "revision": 1,
        "effectiveAt": "2026-09-14T00:00:00Z",
        "quantity": "740",
        "attribution": {
          "customer": "pty_acme",
          "project": "acme-api"
        },
        "evidence": [
          {
            "kind": "other",
            "ref": "doc_example"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "effective_at": "2026-09-01T00:00:00Z",
  "idempotency_key": "contracts.observe_usage-example-0"
}
```