Knowledge Base & FAQ — RuntimeForce

1. What is RuntimeForce and how is it different from Cursor or Windsurf?

RuntimeForce is not a clone of VS Code and not a web editor. It is an AI Runtime Environment designed around local shell execution, remote SSH VPS clusters, and multi-model orchestration. Code modifications and commands are executed directly in your environment, while conversation history, audit logs, and SSH keys remain strictly on your machine in encrypted SQLite.

2. Can I use RuntimeForce completely free of charge?

Yes. The Free tier includes full access to local engines (Ollama, LM Studio) and free cloud providers with BYOK keys (Groq, Google Gemini Free, SambaNova, Cerebras). Over 90% of daily engineering tasks can be solved at sub-second latency with zero AI spend.

3. What are AI Credits and how do they work?

AI Credits are consumed exclusively when accessing managed cloud models through our proxy in Pro (5,000 credits/mo) and Studio (15,000 credits/mo). When using your own API keys in Free or Studio mode, zero AI Credits are consumed. Quick answers cost 1–2 credits; standard code edits cost 5–10 credits; multi-model consensus operations cost 100–300 credits.

4. Where are my SSH keys, Git tokens, and API credentials stored?

All credentials are encrypted with AES-256-GCM and persisted exclusively in your local SQLite database (~/.local/share/runtimeforce/runtime.db). The central SaaS server never receives or stores your SSH keys, Git tokens, source code, or private prompts.

5. How does multi-model failover work during generation?

RuntimeForce uses a client-side routing matrix. When a provider returns HTTP 429 (Rate Limit / Quota Exceeded) or drops a stream, the orchestrator switches to the next configured model in the rotation pool within milliseconds without losing prompt context.

6. What is Autonomous Team Mode (ATM)?

ATM organizes specialized AI agent personas into an autonomous delivery pipeline: the Architect breaks down tasks and verifies Definition of Done; the Engineer prepares environment dependencies; the Implementer writes code; the Designer builds UI components; the Critic validates final execution.

7. How does the Social Build-in-Public module work?

Available in the Studio tier, the background SMM agent detects release version bumps from your structured Changelog, composes human-like posts for X.com and Reddit subreddits (such as r/buildinpublic and r/SideProject), and provides a one-click approval button to publish directly.

8. What is the Offline Grace Period?

Pro and Studio subscribers can work disconnected from the internet for up to 48 hours. The local client verifies encrypted signed JWT cache tokens offline without interrupting local model development.

9. How does dangerous command protection work?

Commands like rm -rf, chmod 777, and git reset --hard trigger an interactive approval dialog with customizable duration (Once / Today / Always) and scope (Session / Workspace / Everywhere). Sudo commands run in an isolated memory window without writing passwords to logs or disk.

10. Who processes billing and payments?

Paddle acts as Merchant of Record, collecting and remitting global VAT, GST, and Sales Tax across 200+ jurisdictions. You can cancel your subscription anytime directly from your dashboard.