Open Source Program
Sponsored Atlas Cloud credits for open-source maintainers — eligibility, tiers, how to apply, and what's expected in return.
Atlas Cloud sponsors open-source projects with free inference credits — up to $1,500 per month — so maintainers can build on 400+ image, video, audio, 3D, and language models through a single key.
Apply at atlascloud.ai/oss-program.
Who can apply
You are eligible if all of the following are true:
- You are the primary or core maintainer of the project
- The repository is public and under an OSI-approved license
- It has been actively maintained — updated within the last three months
- You apply with the email address bound to your Atlas Cloud account
Not eligible: toy repositories, demos, projects built to farm stars, and projects that already have an integration partnership with Atlas Cloud.
One application per project.
Credit tiers
| Tier | Monthly credits | Typical signal | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $50 – $150 | 100 – 1,000 GitHub stars | One-off, 3 months |
| Growth | $150 – $400 | 1k – 10k stars, or 100k+ monthly downloads | One-off, 3 months |
| Flagship | $400 – $1,500+ | 10k+ stars, or critical ecosystem infrastructure | Renewed monthly |
Stars are a first-pass signal, not the whole assessment. Real usage, download counts, dependents, and ecosystem impact all count. If your project is widely depended on but light on stars, apply anyway and explain why.
How it works
Apply with your project. A short form: repository URL, your role, and how you plan to use the credits.
Verify with GitHub. Submission goes through GitHub authorization so we can confirm you maintain the repository. Applications from contributors rather than maintainers are routed to manual review.
Integrate and add the badge. Wire Atlas Cloud in as a real provider — through the API, CLI, or MCP Server — and add the "Powered by Atlas Cloud" badge to your README.
Receive your credits. Approved projects get a redemption code by email, usable across the whole model catalog.
Review typically takes 3–5 business days.
Keep your API key in environment variables or repository secrets. Never commit it — a public repository with a live key will be abused within hours. See API Keys for scoping and rotation.
Staying in the program
Sponsorship continues while the integration stays real:
- Credits are paused if the project records no actual API usage for two consecutive months
- Credits are paused if the badge is removed
Flagship projects are renewed monthly based on genuine usage. Starter and Growth grants run for three months.
The badge
Badge assets and a copyable snippet are available on the program page. Markdown, HTML, and a plain invite link are all provided.
The badge links through your referral code, so developers who arrive from your README also earn you referral credits as your project grows.
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