diff --git a/cmd/imagen/backends.go b/cmd/imagen/backends.go
index c8d01ad..97bd1d3 100644
--- a/cmd/imagen/backends.go
+++ b/cmd/imagen/backends.go
@@ -10,6 +10,27 @@ import (
 	"mgit.msbls.de/m/ImaGen/internal/config"
 )
 
+// instanceStatus checks adapter-specific preconditions (e.g. the
+// Replicate API token env var being set) and returns a short
+// user-facing status string.
+func instanceStatus(spec config.BackendSpec) string {
+	if !backend.Default.Has(spec.Type) {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("type %q not compiled in", spec.Type)
+	}
+	switch spec.Type {
+	case backend.ReplicateType:
+		envName, _ := spec.Raw["api_token_env"].(string)
+		if envName == "" {
+			envName = "REPLICATE_API_TOKEN"
+		}
+		if os.Getenv(envName) == "" {
+			return fmt.Sprintf("not configured (set %s)", envName)
+		}
+		return "ok"
+	}
+	return "registered"
+}
+
 func runBackends(args []string) error {
 	fs := flag.NewFlagSet("backends", flag.ContinueOnError)
 	var configPath string
@@ -27,10 +48,7 @@ func runBackends(args []string) error {
 	fmt.Fprintln(tw, "INSTANCE\tTYPE\tSTATUS")
 	if cfg != nil {
 		for name, spec := range cfg.Backends {
-			status := "registered"
-			if !backend.Default.Has(spec.Type) {
-				status = fmt.Sprintf("type %q not compiled in", spec.Type)
-			}
+			status := instanceStatus(spec)
 			marker := ""
 			if name == cfg.DefaultBackend {
 				marker = " (default)"
diff --git a/cmd/imagen/generate.go b/cmd/imagen/generate.go
index 19b596c..00ba642 100644
--- a/cmd/imagen/generate.go
+++ b/cmd/imagen/generate.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"mgit.msbls.de/m/ImaGen/internal/output"
 	"mgit.msbls.de/m/ImaGen/internal/preview"
 	"mgit.msbls.de/m/ImaGen/internal/prompt"
+	"mgit.msbls.de/m/ImaGen/internal/usage"
 )
 
 func runGenerate(ctx context.Context, args []string) error {
@@ -81,6 +82,7 @@ func runGenerate(ctx context.Context, args []string) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	attachUsageSink(be)
 
 	finalPrompt, err := prompt.Apply(rawPrompt, style)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -219,6 +221,21 @@ func parseSize(s string) (int, int, error) {
 	return w, h, nil
 }
 
+// attachUsageSink wires a Supabase cost-tracking sink into the backend
+// when it accepts one and the env is configured. Adapters that record
+// usage expose a public Sink field of type backend.UsageSink.
+func attachUsageSink(be backend.Backend) {
+	r, ok := be.(*backend.Replicate)
+	if !ok {
+		return
+	}
+	sink, ok := usage.NewSupabaseSinkFromEnv()
+	if !ok {
+		return
+	}
+	r.Sink = sink
+}
+
 func buildBackend(cfg *config.Config, name string) (backend.Backend, error) {
 	if cfg != nil {
 		spec, ok := cfg.Backends[name]
diff --git a/cmd/imagen/main.go b/cmd/imagen/main.go
index d62c794..e5d227a 100644
--- a/cmd/imagen/main.go
+++ b/cmd/imagen/main.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import (
 	_ "mgit.msbls.de/m/ImaGen/internal/backend"
 )
 
-const usage = `imagen — model-agnostic image generation
+const helpText = `imagen — model-agnostic image generation
 
 Usage:
   imagen generate <prompt> [flags]    generate one image
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ Usage:
   imagen config init                  print a sample imagen.yaml on stdout
   imagen config validate              validate the active config
   imagen serve [--addr :8080]         (stub) start the HTTP server
+  imagen usage [--since DATE]         show cost-tracking rows
   imagen version                      print version
   imagen help                         show this help
 
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ var Version = "dev"
 
 func main() {
 	if len(os.Args) < 2 {
-		fmt.Fprint(os.Stderr, usage)
+		fmt.Fprint(os.Stderr, helpText)
 		os.Exit(2)
 	}
 	ctx, cancel := signal.NotifyContext(context.Background(), os.Interrupt, syscall.SIGTERM)
@@ -50,12 +51,14 @@ func main() {
 		err = runConfig(args)
 	case "serve":
 		err = runServe(args)
+	case "usage":
+		err = runUsage(ctx, args)
 	case "version", "-v", "--version":
 		fmt.Println(Version)
 	case "help", "-h", "--help":
-		fmt.Print(usage)
+		fmt.Print(helpText)
 	default:
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "imagen: unknown subcommand %q\n\n%s", os.Args[1], usage)
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "imagen: unknown subcommand %q\n\n%s", os.Args[1], helpText)
 		os.Exit(2)
 	}
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/cmd/imagen/usage.go b/cmd/imagen/usage.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8dfa0c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/imagen/usage.go
@@ -0,0 +1,189 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"flag"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
+	"text/tabwriter"
+	"time"
+
+	"mgit.msbls.de/m/ImaGen/internal/usage"
+)
+
+// runUsage handles `imagen usage [--since DATE]`. Reads mai.imagen_usage
+// via Supabase REST and prints a tab-aligned table grouped by week +
+// backend + model + caller, with totals at the bottom.
+func runUsage(ctx context.Context, args []string) error {
+	fs := flag.NewFlagSet("usage", flag.ContinueOnError)
+	var (
+		since string
+		raw   bool
+	)
+	fs.StringVar(&since, "since", "", "ISO date (YYYY-MM-DD) — only rows on/after this UTC date")
+	fs.BoolVar(&raw, "raw", false, "print one line per row instead of grouped")
+	fs.Usage = func() {
+		fmt.Fprintln(fs.Output(), "Usage: imagen usage [--since YYYY-MM-DD] [--raw]")
+		fs.PrintDefaults()
+	}
+	if err := fs.Parse(args); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	var sinceT time.Time
+	if since != "" {
+		t, err := time.Parse("2006-01-02", since)
+		if err != nil {
+			return userErr("--since must be YYYY-MM-DD: %v", err)
+		}
+		sinceT = t
+	}
+
+	sink, ok := usage.NewSupabaseSinkFromEnv()
+	if !ok {
+		return userErr("SUPABASE_URL and SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY (or MAI_SUPABASE_KEY) must be set to read mai.imagen_usage")
+	}
+	rows, err := sink.Query(ctx, sinceT)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if raw {
+		printRawRows(rows)
+		return nil
+	}
+	printGroupedRows(rows)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func printRawRows(rows []usage.Row) {
+	tw := tabwriter.NewWriter(os.Stdout, 0, 0, 2, ' ', 0)
+	fmt.Fprintln(tw, "TIME\tBACKEND\tMODEL\tCALLER\tLATENCY_MS\tCOST_USD")
+	var totalCost float64
+	for _, r := range rows {
+		fmt.Fprintf(tw, "%s\t%s\t%s\t%s\t%s\t%s\n",
+			r.CreatedAt.Local().Format("2006-01-02 15:04"),
+			r.Backend,
+			r.Model,
+			derefString(r.Caller),
+			intOrDash(r.LatencyMs),
+			costOrDash(r.CostUSDEstimate),
+		)
+		if r.CostUSDEstimate != nil {
+			totalCost += *r.CostUSDEstimate
+		}
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(tw, "\t\t\t\t%d rows\t%.4f USD\n", len(rows), totalCost)
+	_ = tw.Flush()
+}
+
+type group struct {
+	week    string
+	backend string
+	model   string
+	caller  string
+	count   int
+	cost    float64
+	costSet bool
+}
+
+type groupKey struct {
+	week, backend, model, caller string
+}
+
+func printGroupedRows(rows []usage.Row) {
+	groups := map[groupKey]*group{}
+	for _, r := range rows {
+		caller := derefString(r.Caller)
+		k := groupKey{
+			week:    weekStart(r.CreatedAt).Format("2006-01-02"),
+			backend: r.Backend,
+			model:   r.Model,
+			caller:  caller,
+		}
+		g, ok := groups[k]
+		if !ok {
+			g = &group{week: k.week, backend: r.Backend, model: r.Model, caller: caller}
+			groups[k] = g
+		}
+		g.count++
+		if r.CostUSDEstimate != nil {
+			g.cost += *r.CostUSDEstimate
+			g.costSet = true
+		}
+	}
+
+	keys := make([]groupKey, 0, len(groups))
+	for k := range groups {
+		keys = append(keys, k)
+	}
+	sort.Slice(keys, func(i, j int) bool {
+		if keys[i].week != keys[j].week {
+			return keys[i].week > keys[j].week // newest first
+		}
+		if keys[i].backend != keys[j].backend {
+			return keys[i].backend < keys[j].backend
+		}
+		if keys[i].model != keys[j].model {
+			return keys[i].model < keys[j].model
+		}
+		return keys[i].caller < keys[j].caller
+	})
+
+	tw := tabwriter.NewWriter(os.Stdout, 0, 0, 2, ' ', 0)
+	fmt.Fprintln(tw, "WEEK_OF\tBACKEND\tMODEL\tCALLER\tCOUNT\tCOST_USD")
+	var totalCount int
+	var totalCost float64
+	for _, k := range keys {
+		g := groups[k]
+		fmt.Fprintf(tw, "%s\t%s\t%s\t%s\t%d\t%s\n",
+			g.week, g.backend, g.model, g.caller, g.count, costStr(g.cost, g.costSet),
+		)
+		totalCount += g.count
+		totalCost += g.cost
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(tw, "\t\t\tTOTAL\t%d\t%.4f USD\n", totalCount, totalCost)
+	_ = tw.Flush()
+}
+
+// weekStart returns the Monday of the week containing t (UTC).
+func weekStart(t time.Time) time.Time {
+	t = t.UTC()
+	wd := int(t.Weekday())
+	if wd == 0 {
+		wd = 7 // shift Sunday to end-of-week
+	}
+	delta := time.Duration(wd-1) * -24 * time.Hour
+	d := time.Date(t.Year(), t.Month(), t.Day(), 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	return d.Add(delta)
+}
+
+func derefString(s *string) string {
+	if s == nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return *s
+}
+
+func intOrDash(p *int) string {
+	if p == nil {
+		return "-"
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%d", *p)
+}
+
+func costOrDash(p *float64) string {
+	if p == nil {
+		return "-"
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%.4f", *p)
+}
+
+func costStr(v float64, set bool) string {
+	if !set {
+		return "-"
+	}
+	return strings.TrimSpace(fmt.Sprintf("%.4f", v))
+}
diff --git a/docs/usage.md b/docs/usage.md
index 3f347d0..01fd1ea 100644
--- a/docs/usage.md
+++ b/docs/usage.md
@@ -91,3 +91,26 @@ API-backed adapters read tokens from env vars referenced by the config
 export REPLICATE_API_TOKEN=...
 imagen generate "a cat" --backend flux-dev-replicate
 ```
+
+## Cost-tracking (Replicate)
+
+Successful generations through the Replicate adapter write one row to
+`mai.imagen_usage` on Supabase: backend, model, latency, per-image cost
+estimate, prompt sha256 hash (never the prompt itself), and the caller
+identity (resolved from `MAI_FROM_ID` or the tmux pane's `@mai-name`).
+
+The writer is best-effort. If `SUPABASE_URL` / `SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY` are
+unset, or the database write fails, the image still lands and the CLI
+prints a warning to stderr.
+
+Inspect spend:
+
+```sh
+imagen usage                       # all rows, grouped by week + backend + model + caller
+imagen usage --since 2026-05-01    # only rows on/after a UTC date
+imagen usage --since 2026-05-01 --raw
+```
+
+Per-model rates live in `internal/backend/replicate_pricing.go` — they
+are snapshotted from <https://replicate.com/pricing> and refreshed on a
+quarterly cadence.
diff --git a/internal/backend/replicate.go b/internal/backend/replicate.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8ed5034
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/backend/replicate.go
@@ -0,0 +1,567 @@
+package backend
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"crypto/sha256"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"maps"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/url"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// ReplicateType is the type-name adapters register under for Replicate
+// instances.
+const ReplicateType = "replicate"
+
+// Replicate is the Replicate API adapter. It speaks the public REST API
+// — POST /v1/predictions or POST /v1/models/{owner}/{name}/predictions
+// to submit, then polls /v1/predictions/{id} until the prediction
+// settles, then downloads the produced image.
+//
+// Concurrency: a single Replicate is safe to share across goroutines.
+type Replicate struct {
+	instance string
+
+	apiBase    string
+	apiToken   string
+	tokenEnv   string
+	model      string // "owner/name" or "owner/name:version-hash"
+	owner      string
+	name       string
+	version    string // optional; empty means "use the model-based predictions endpoint"
+	defaultSteps int
+	defaultAspect string
+
+	httpClient    *http.Client
+	pollInterval  time.Duration
+	pollTimeout   time.Duration
+
+	// Hooks for tests; production paths use the package-level defaults.
+	randSeed       func() int64
+	initialBackoff time.Duration
+
+	// Sink is where successful generations are recorded for cost-tracking.
+	// nil means "do not record". The framework wires this up in the CLI;
+	// adapter tests inject a fake.
+	Sink UsageSink
+}
+
+// UsageSink writes one row per successful generation. Implementations
+// should treat write failures as warnings, not errors — the image has
+// already landed on disk; failing the call would lose the artefact.
+type UsageSink interface {
+	Record(ctx context.Context, row UsageRow) error
+}
+
+// UsageRow is the cost-tracking row stored in mai.imagen_usage. Note the
+// prompt itself is intentionally NOT included — only the sha256 hash.
+type UsageRow struct {
+	Backend         string
+	Model           string
+	Seed            *int64
+	PromptHash      string
+	LatencyMs       int
+	CostUSDEstimate *float64
+	Caller          string
+}
+
+// NewReplicate is the registry constructor. cfg is the adapter's slice
+// of imagen.yaml.
+func NewReplicate(name string, cfg map[string]any) (Backend, error) {
+	if name == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("replicate: empty instance name")
+	}
+	tokenEnv := getString(cfg, "api_token_env", "REPLICATE_API_TOKEN")
+	model := getString(cfg, "model", "")
+	if model == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("replicate[%s]: model is required (e.g. black-forest-labs/flux-schnell)", name)
+	}
+	owner, modelName, version, err := parseModelRef(model)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("replicate[%s]: %w", name, err)
+	}
+	apiBase := strings.TrimRight(getString(cfg, "api_base", "https://api.replicate.com"), "/")
+	pollTimeout := timeoutForModel(modelName)
+	r := &Replicate{
+		instance:      name,
+		apiBase:       apiBase,
+		tokenEnv:      tokenEnv,
+		apiToken:      os.Getenv(tokenEnv),
+		model:         model,
+		owner:         owner,
+		name:          modelName,
+		version:       version,
+		defaultSteps:  getInt(cfg, "default_steps", 0),
+		defaultAspect: getString(cfg, "default_aspect_ratio", "1:1"),
+		httpClient:     &http.Client{Timeout: 30 * time.Second},
+		pollInterval:   500 * time.Millisecond,
+		pollTimeout:    pollTimeout,
+		randSeed:       cryptoSeed,
+		initialBackoff: time.Second,
+	}
+	return r, nil
+}
+
+// Name returns the instance name from imagen.yaml.
+func (r *Replicate) Name() string { return r.instance }
+
+// Generate submits one prediction and returns the resulting PNG.
+func (r *Replicate) Generate(ctx context.Context, req Request) (*Result, error) {
+	if r.apiToken == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("replicate[%s]: API token missing — export %s with a Replicate API token", r.instance, r.tokenEnv)
+	}
+
+	width := orDefaultInt(req.Width, 1024)
+	height := orDefaultInt(req.Height, 1024)
+	aspect := computeAspectRatio(width, height, r.defaultAspect)
+
+	steps := orDefaultInt(req.Steps, r.defaultSteps)
+
+	seed := req.Seed
+	if seed == 0 {
+		seed = r.randSeed()
+	}
+
+	input := map[string]any{
+		"prompt":        req.Prompt,
+		"aspect_ratio":  aspect,
+		"num_outputs":   1,
+		"output_format": "png",
+		"seed":          seed,
+	}
+	if steps > 0 {
+		input["num_inference_steps"] = steps
+	}
+	if req.NegativePrompt != "" {
+		input["negative_prompt"] = req.NegativePrompt
+	}
+	maps.Copy(input, req.BackendOpts)
+
+	start := time.Now()
+	pred, err := r.submitPrediction(ctx, input)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	final, err := r.waitForCompletion(ctx, pred.ID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("replicate[%s] prediction %s: %w", r.instance, pred.ID, err)
+	}
+	imgURL, err := pickFirstOutputURL(final.Output)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("replicate[%s] prediction %s: %w", r.instance, pred.ID, err)
+	}
+	imgBytes, mime, err := r.fetchImage(ctx, imgURL)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	latencyMs := int(time.Since(start).Milliseconds())
+
+	predictTime := final.Metrics.PredictTime
+	costEst, costKnown := replicatePerImageUSD(r.model)
+
+	meta := map[string]any{
+		"backend":       r.instance,
+		"backend_type":  ReplicateType,
+		"model":         r.model,
+		"model_version": final.Version,
+		"prediction_id": pred.ID,
+		"seed":          seed,
+		"width":         width,
+		"height":        height,
+		"aspect_ratio":  aspect,
+		"latency_ms":    int64(latencyMs),
+	}
+	if predictTime > 0 {
+		meta["predict_time_seconds"] = predictTime
+	}
+	if costKnown {
+		meta["cost_usd_estimate"] = costEst
+	}
+
+	if r.Sink != nil {
+		row := UsageRow{
+			Backend:    r.instance,
+			Model:      r.model,
+			PromptHash: hashPrompt(req.Prompt),
+			LatencyMs:  latencyMs,
+			Caller:     ResolveCaller(),
+		}
+		row.Seed = new(int64)
+		*row.Seed = seed
+		if costKnown {
+			c := costEst
+			row.CostUSDEstimate = &c
+		}
+		if err := r.Sink.Record(ctx, row); err != nil {
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "imagen: cost-tracking write failed (continuing): %v\n", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return &Result{
+		ImageReader: io.NopCloser(bytes.NewReader(imgBytes)),
+		MimeType:    mime,
+		Metadata:    meta,
+	}, nil
+}
+
+// replicatePrediction is what the REST API returns under /v1/predictions
+// and /v1/models/{owner}/{name}/predictions. Only the fields we use are
+// declared.
+type replicatePrediction struct {
+	ID      string          `json:"id"`
+	Status  string          `json:"status"`
+	Version string          `json:"version"`
+	Error   json.RawMessage `json:"error"`
+	Output  json.RawMessage `json:"output"`
+	Metrics struct {
+		PredictTime float64 `json:"predict_time"`
+	} `json:"metrics"`
+}
+
+// submitPrediction creates a prediction and returns it. Picks the
+// model-based endpoint when no version was given (recommended for
+// Replicate's official models), and the legacy /v1/predictions otherwise.
+func (r *Replicate) submitPrediction(ctx context.Context, input map[string]any) (*replicatePrediction, error) {
+	var (
+		reqURL string
+		body   []byte
+		err    error
+	)
+	if r.version == "" {
+		reqURL = fmt.Sprintf("%s/v1/models/%s/%s/predictions", r.apiBase, r.owner, r.name)
+		body, err = json.Marshal(map[string]any{"input": input})
+	} else {
+		reqURL = r.apiBase + "/v1/predictions"
+		body, err = json.Marshal(map[string]any{
+			"version": r.version,
+			"input":   input,
+		})
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("replicate: marshal prediction body: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	respBody, err := r.doWithRetry(ctx, http.MethodPost, reqURL, body)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	var pred replicatePrediction
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(respBody, &pred); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("replicate: parse predictions response: %w (body: %s)", err, snip(respBody))
+	}
+	if pred.ID == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("replicate: empty prediction id (body: %s)", snip(respBody))
+	}
+	return &pred, nil
+}
+
+// waitForCompletion polls /v1/predictions/{id} until the status is a
+// terminal value (succeeded, failed, canceled) or the timeout fires.
+func (r *Replicate) waitForCompletion(ctx context.Context, id string) (*replicatePrediction, error) {
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(r.pollTimeout)
+	getURL := r.apiBase + "/v1/predictions/" + url.PathEscape(id)
+	start := time.Now()
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			return nil, ctx.Err()
+		default:
+		}
+		if time.Now().After(deadline) {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("did not complete within %s (waited %s)", r.pollTimeout, time.Since(start).Round(time.Millisecond))
+		}
+		body, err := r.doWithRetry(ctx, http.MethodGet, getURL, nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		var pred replicatePrediction
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(body, &pred); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("replicate: parse poll response: %w (body: %s)", err, snip(body))
+		}
+		switch pred.Status {
+		case "succeeded":
+			return &pred, nil
+		case "failed":
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("status=failed: %s", snip(pred.Error))
+		case "canceled":
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("status=canceled")
+		case "starting", "processing", "":
+		default:
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("status=%q (unknown): %s", pred.Status, snip(body))
+		}
+		select {
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			return nil, ctx.Err()
+		case <-time.After(r.pollInterval):
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// doWithRetry executes a Replicate API request and applies the resilience
+// policy: 401 surfaces a clean message naming the env var; 429 retries
+// with exponential backoff up to three times; 5xx retries once; other
+// errors surface unchanged.
+func (r *Replicate) doWithRetry(ctx context.Context, method, reqURL string, body []byte) ([]byte, error) {
+	const max429Retries = 3
+	backoff := r.initialBackoff
+	if backoff <= 0 {
+		backoff = time.Second
+	}
+
+	var lastErr error
+	for attempt := 0; ; attempt++ {
+		req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, method, reqURL, bytesReader(body))
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Token "+r.apiToken)
+		if body != nil {
+			req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		}
+
+		resp, err := r.httpClient.Do(req)
+		if err != nil {
+			if errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) || errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			if attempt >= 1 {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("replicate %s %s: %w", method, shortPath(reqURL), err)
+			}
+			lastErr = err
+			if !sleepCtx(ctx, backoff) {
+				return nil, ctx.Err()
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+		respBody, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		_ = resp.Body.Close()
+
+		switch {
+		case resp.StatusCode >= 200 && resp.StatusCode < 300:
+			return respBody, nil
+		case resp.StatusCode == http.StatusUnauthorized:
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("replicate[%s] %d: API token missing or invalid; export %s with a valid Replicate API token", r.instance, resp.StatusCode, r.tokenEnv)
+		case resp.StatusCode == http.StatusTooManyRequests:
+			if attempt >= max429Retries {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("replicate %s %s 429 after %d retries: %s", method, shortPath(reqURL), max429Retries, snip(respBody))
+			}
+			wait := backoffFor429(resp.Header.Get("Retry-After"), backoff)
+			lastErr = fmt.Errorf("429 (retry %d): %s", attempt+1, snip(respBody))
+			if !sleepCtx(ctx, wait) {
+				return nil, ctx.Err()
+			}
+			backoff *= 2
+			continue
+		case resp.StatusCode >= 500:
+			if attempt >= 1 {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("replicate %s %s %d: %s", method, shortPath(reqURL), resp.StatusCode, snip(respBody))
+			}
+			lastErr = fmt.Errorf("%d: %s", resp.StatusCode, snip(respBody))
+			if !sleepCtx(ctx, backoff) {
+				return nil, ctx.Err()
+			}
+			continue
+		default:
+			_ = lastErr
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("replicate %s %s %d: %s", method, shortPath(reqURL), resp.StatusCode, snip(respBody))
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// fetchImage downloads the rendered image from the Replicate-provided
+// CDN URL. One retry on a generic network error.
+func (r *Replicate) fetchImage(ctx context.Context, imgURL string) ([]byte, string, error) {
+	var lastErr error
+	for attempt := range 2 {
+		req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, http.MethodGet, imgURL, nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, "", err
+		}
+		resp, err := r.httpClient.Do(req)
+		if err != nil {
+			if errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) || errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) {
+				return nil, "", err
+			}
+			lastErr = err
+			continue
+		}
+		body, readErr := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		_ = resp.Body.Close()
+		if readErr != nil {
+			lastErr = readErr
+			continue
+		}
+		if resp.StatusCode < 200 || resp.StatusCode >= 300 {
+			if resp.StatusCode >= 500 && attempt == 0 {
+				lastErr = fmt.Errorf("image download %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, snip(body))
+				continue
+			}
+			return nil, "", fmt.Errorf("replicate image download %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, snip(body))
+		}
+		mime := resp.Header.Get("Content-Type")
+		if mime == "" {
+			mime = "image/png"
+		}
+		return body, mime, nil
+	}
+	return nil, "", fmt.Errorf("replicate image download failed: %w", lastErr)
+}
+
+// parseModelRef accepts "owner/name" or "owner/name:version-hash".
+func parseModelRef(ref string) (owner, name, version string, err error) {
+	rest := ref
+	if i := strings.IndexByte(rest, ':'); i >= 0 {
+		version = rest[i+1:]
+		rest = rest[:i]
+	}
+	parts := strings.SplitN(rest, "/", 2)
+	if len(parts) != 2 || parts[0] == "" || parts[1] == "" {
+		return "", "", "", fmt.Errorf("model %q must be of the form owner/name or owner/name:version", ref)
+	}
+	return parts[0], parts[1], version, nil
+}
+
+// timeoutForModel picks the polling timeout. FLUX dev takes notably longer
+// than schnell; everything else gets the dev timeout for safety.
+func timeoutForModel(name string) time.Duration {
+	switch strings.ToLower(name) {
+	case "flux-schnell":
+		return 60 * time.Second
+	default:
+		return 120 * time.Second
+	}
+}
+
+// pickFirstOutputURL extracts the first image URL from the output field.
+// Replicate returns either a single string or an array of strings for image
+// models — we accept both.
+func pickFirstOutputURL(raw json.RawMessage) (string, error) {
+	if len(raw) == 0 {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("output is empty")
+	}
+	var s string
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(raw, &s); err == nil && s != "" {
+		return s, nil
+	}
+	var arr []string
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(raw, &arr); err == nil && len(arr) > 0 && arr[0] != "" {
+		return arr[0], nil
+	}
+	return "", fmt.Errorf("output is not a string or non-empty string array (got: %s)", snip(raw))
+}
+
+// computeAspectRatio reduces width:height to a Replicate-supported aspect
+// ratio when the reduction lands on one of the canonical values; otherwise
+// returns fallback.
+func computeAspectRatio(w, h int, fallback string) string {
+	if w <= 0 || h <= 0 {
+		return fallback
+	}
+	g := gcd(w, h)
+	a, b := w/g, h/g
+	s := fmt.Sprintf("%d:%d", a, b)
+	if isReplicateAspectRatio(s) {
+		return s
+	}
+	return fallback
+}
+
+func isReplicateAspectRatio(s string) bool {
+	switch s {
+	case "1:1", "16:9", "21:9", "3:2", "2:3", "4:5", "5:4", "3:4", "4:3", "9:16", "9:21":
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func gcd(a, b int) int {
+	for b != 0 {
+		a, b = b, a%b
+	}
+	if a < 0 {
+		return -a
+	}
+	return a
+}
+
+// hashPrompt returns the sha256 hex digest of the prompt. The raw prompt
+// is intentionally never written to the cost-tracking table.
+func hashPrompt(p string) string {
+	sum := sha256.Sum256([]byte(p))
+	return hex.EncodeToString(sum[:])
+}
+
+// ResolveCaller returns the agent identity the cost-tracking row is
+// attributed to. Order of resolution mirrors the maimcp identity logic:
+// MAI_FROM_ID env var first, then the tmux pane's @mai-name option, then
+// "unknown".
+func ResolveCaller() string {
+	if v := strings.TrimSpace(os.Getenv("MAI_FROM_ID")); v != "" {
+		return v
+	}
+	if pane := os.Getenv("TMUX_PANE"); pane != "" {
+		out, err := exec.Command("tmux", "display-message", "-p", "-t", pane, "#{@mai-name}").Output()
+		if err == nil {
+			if name := strings.TrimSpace(string(out)); name != "" {
+				return name
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return "unknown"
+}
+
+// backoffFor429 honours a Retry-After header (in seconds) when present
+// and within reason, otherwise falls back to the caller's backoff.
+func backoffFor429(retryAfter string, fallback time.Duration) time.Duration {
+	if retryAfter == "" {
+		return fallback
+	}
+	d, err := time.ParseDuration(retryAfter + "s")
+	if err != nil || d <= 0 {
+		return fallback
+	}
+	if d > 30*time.Second {
+		return 30 * time.Second
+	}
+	return d
+}
+
+func sleepCtx(ctx context.Context, d time.Duration) bool {
+	if d <= 0 {
+		return true
+	}
+	select {
+	case <-ctx.Done():
+		return false
+	case <-time.After(d):
+		return true
+	}
+}
+
+func bytesReader(b []byte) io.Reader {
+	if b == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return bytes.NewReader(b)
+}
+
+// shortPath strips the host so error messages don't leak the API base.
+func shortPath(u string) string {
+	if i := strings.Index(u, "/v1/"); i >= 0 {
+		return u[i:]
+	}
+	return u
+}
+
+func init() {
+	Register(ReplicateType, NewReplicate)
+}
diff --git a/internal/backend/replicate_pricing.go b/internal/backend/replicate_pricing.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b05cf9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/backend/replicate_pricing.go
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+package backend
+
+import "strings"
+
+// Replicate pricing snapshot.
+//
+// Source: https://replicate.com/pricing and the per-model "Run" tab on
+// each model page. Replicate bills per second of GPU time, but the
+// black-forest-labs FLUX models also publish a flat per-image price for
+// the typical settings — that flat number is what we hardcode here.
+//
+// Snapshot date: 2026-05-08. TODO(refresh): re-check quarterly. If the
+// rates drift more than ~10%, update the table and bump snapshotDate.
+const replicatePricingSnapshotDate = "2026-05-08"
+
+// replicatePerImageUSD is the per-image cost estimate keyed by Replicate
+// model identifier ("owner/name", with any ":version" trimmed). Returns
+// the rate and true if the model is known, 0 and false otherwise — an
+// unknown model writes a row with NULL cost rather than a wrong number.
+func replicatePerImageUSD(model string) (float64, bool) {
+	key := normalisePricingKey(model)
+	switch key {
+	case "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell":
+		return 0.003, true
+	case "black-forest-labs/flux-dev":
+		return 0.025, true
+	case "black-forest-labs/flux-pro":
+		return 0.055, true
+	case "black-forest-labs/flux-1.1-pro":
+		return 0.040, true
+	}
+	return 0, false
+}
+
+// normalisePricingKey strips the optional ":version" suffix and lowercases
+// the owner/name pair. "Owner/Name:hash" → "owner/name".
+func normalisePricingKey(model string) string {
+	if i := strings.IndexByte(model, ':'); i >= 0 {
+		model = model[:i]
+	}
+	return strings.ToLower(model)
+}
diff --git a/internal/backend/replicate_test.go b/internal/backend/replicate_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a70a05a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/backend/replicate_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,675 @@
+package backend
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"sync/atomic"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// fakeReplicate is a programmable mock of the Replicate REST API.
+type fakeReplicate struct {
+	t *testing.T
+
+	mu sync.Mutex
+
+	// Responses for the predictions submission. If the request matches the
+	// model-based path, modelEndpointHits increments; for /v1/predictions,
+	// versionEndpointHits increments.
+	createStatus int
+	createBody   []byte
+	createCalls  atomic.Int32
+
+	// Auth-fail policy: if true, every request to the prediction endpoints
+	// returns 401 with a stock body.
+	auth401 bool
+
+	// 429-then-OK policy: first N create calls return 429.
+	create429Until int32
+	retryAfter     string
+
+	// Sequence of /predictions/{id} responses, walked in order; once
+	// exhausted, the last entry is returned indefinitely.
+	pollResponses []string
+	pollIdx       atomic.Int32
+	pollCalls     atomic.Int32
+
+	// Image download policy.
+	imageStatus    int
+	imageBody      []byte
+	image5xxFirst  int32
+	imageCalls     atomic.Int32
+
+	server *httptest.Server
+}
+
+func (f *fakeReplicate) handler() http.Handler {
+	return http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		switch {
+		case r.Method == http.MethodPost && strings.HasPrefix(r.URL.Path, "/v1/models/") && strings.HasSuffix(r.URL.Path, "/predictions"):
+			f.handleCreate(w, r)
+		case r.Method == http.MethodPost && r.URL.Path == "/v1/predictions":
+			f.handleCreate(w, r)
+		case r.Method == http.MethodGet && strings.HasPrefix(r.URL.Path, "/v1/predictions/"):
+			f.handlePoll(w, r)
+		case r.Method == http.MethodGet && r.URL.Path == "/img":
+			f.handleImage(w, r)
+		default:
+			f.t.Errorf("fakeReplicate: unexpected %s %s", r.Method, r.URL.Path)
+			http.NotFound(w, r)
+		}
+	})
+}
+
+func (f *fakeReplicate) handleCreate(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
+	n := f.createCalls.Add(1)
+	if f.auth401 {
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusUnauthorized)
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"detail":"Invalid token"}`))
+		return
+	}
+	if n <= f.create429Until {
+		if f.retryAfter != "" {
+			w.Header().Set("Retry-After", f.retryAfter)
+		}
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusTooManyRequests)
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"detail":"too many requests"}`))
+		return
+	}
+	w.WriteHeader(f.createStatus)
+	_, _ = w.Write(f.createBody)
+}
+
+func (f *fakeReplicate) handlePoll(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
+	f.pollCalls.Add(1)
+	idx := int(f.pollIdx.Add(1)) - 1
+	if idx >= len(f.pollResponses) {
+		idx = len(f.pollResponses) - 1
+	}
+	if idx < 0 {
+		http.Error(w, "no poll response configured", http.StatusInternalServerError)
+		return
+	}
+	w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+	_, _ = w.Write([]byte(f.pollResponses[idx]))
+}
+
+func (f *fakeReplicate) handleImage(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
+	n := f.imageCalls.Add(1)
+	if n <= f.image5xxFirst {
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusBadGateway)
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte("upstream unavailable"))
+		return
+	}
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "image/png")
+	w.WriteHeader(f.imageStatus)
+	_, _ = w.Write(f.imageBody)
+}
+
+func (f *fakeReplicate) start() {
+	f.server = httptest.NewServer(f.handler())
+	f.t.Cleanup(f.server.Close)
+}
+
+func (f *fakeReplicate) imageURL() string { return f.server.URL + "/img" }
+
+func newFakeReplicate(t *testing.T) *fakeReplicate {
+	t.Helper()
+	f := &fakeReplicate{
+		t:            t,
+		createStatus: http.StatusCreated,
+		imageStatus:  http.StatusOK,
+		imageBody:    mustPNG(t, 8, 8),
+	}
+	f.start()
+	// Default happy-path responses now that the server URL is known.
+	f.createBody = []byte(`{"id":"pred-abc","status":"starting","version":"v1","output":null}`)
+	f.pollResponses = []string{
+		`{"id":"pred-abc","status":"starting","version":"v1","output":null}`,
+		`{"id":"pred-abc","status":"processing","version":"v1","output":null}`,
+		fmt.Sprintf(`{"id":"pred-abc","status":"succeeded","version":"v1","output":"%s","metrics":{"predict_time":1.23}}`, f.imageURL()),
+	}
+	return f
+}
+
+func newReplicate(t *testing.T, f *fakeReplicate, model string) *Replicate {
+	t.Helper()
+	be, err := NewReplicate("flux-test", map[string]any{
+		"api_token_env": "TEST_REPLICATE_TOKEN",
+		"model":         model,
+		"api_base":      f.server.URL,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("NewReplicate: %v", err)
+	}
+	r := be.(*Replicate)
+	r.apiToken = "fake-token"
+	r.pollInterval = time.Millisecond
+	r.pollTimeout = 5 * time.Second
+	r.initialBackoff = time.Millisecond
+	r.randSeed = func() int64 { return 42 }
+	return r
+}
+
+func TestReplicateConstructorRejectsBadInputs(t *testing.T) {
+	if _, err := NewReplicate("", map[string]any{"model": "owner/name"}); err == nil {
+		t.Errorf("expected error for empty instance name")
+	}
+	if _, err := NewReplicate("x", map[string]any{}); err == nil {
+		t.Errorf("expected error for missing model")
+	}
+	if _, err := NewReplicate("x", map[string]any{"model": "no-slash"}); err == nil {
+		t.Errorf("expected error for malformed model")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicateMissingTokenSurfacesEnvName(t *testing.T) {
+	f := newFakeReplicate(t)
+	r := newReplicate(t, f, "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell")
+	r.apiToken = "" // simulate the env var being unset
+	_, err := r.Generate(context.Background(), Request{Prompt: "p"})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error when token is missing")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "TEST_REPLICATE_TOKEN") {
+		t.Errorf("error should name the env var: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicateHappyPathSchnellUsesModelEndpoint(t *testing.T) {
+	f := newFakeReplicate(t)
+	sink := &recordingSink{}
+	r := newReplicate(t, f, "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell")
+	r.Sink = sink
+
+	res, err := r.Generate(context.Background(), Request{
+		Prompt: "a tiny dragon",
+		Width:  1024, Height: 1024,
+		Seed: 0,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Generate: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer res.ImageReader.Close()
+	body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.ImageReader)
+	if !bytes.Equal(body, f.imageBody) {
+		t.Errorf("image body did not round-trip")
+	}
+
+	if mime := res.MimeType; mime != "image/png" {
+		t.Errorf("mime = %q", mime)
+	}
+	if got, _ := res.Metadata["model"].(string); got != "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell" {
+		t.Errorf("metadata model = %v", got)
+	}
+	if got, _ := res.Metadata["model_version"].(string); got != "v1" {
+		t.Errorf("metadata model_version = %v", got)
+	}
+	if got, _ := res.Metadata["predict_time_seconds"].(float64); got != 1.23 {
+		t.Errorf("metadata predict_time_seconds = %v", got)
+	}
+	if got, ok := res.Metadata["cost_usd_estimate"].(float64); !ok || got != 0.003 {
+		t.Errorf("metadata cost_usd_estimate = %v (ok=%v)", got, ok)
+	}
+	if got, _ := res.Metadata["aspect_ratio"].(string); got != "1:1" {
+		t.Errorf("aspect_ratio = %q", got)
+	}
+
+	if got := f.pollCalls.Load(); got < 3 {
+		t.Errorf("expected at least 3 poll calls (starting → processing → succeeded), got %d", got)
+	}
+
+	if len(sink.rows) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 1 sink row, got %d", len(sink.rows))
+	}
+	row := sink.rows[0]
+	if row.Backend != "flux-test" || row.Model != "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell" {
+		t.Errorf("sink row backend/model = %q/%q", row.Backend, row.Model)
+	}
+	if row.PromptHash == "" || row.PromptHash == "a tiny dragon" {
+		t.Errorf("sink row should have sha256 hash, got %q", row.PromptHash)
+	}
+	if len(row.PromptHash) != 64 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 64-char sha256 hex, got %d chars", len(row.PromptHash))
+	}
+	if row.CostUSDEstimate == nil || *row.CostUSDEstimate != 0.003 {
+		t.Errorf("sink row cost = %v", row.CostUSDEstimate)
+	}
+	if row.LatencyMs <= 0 {
+		t.Errorf("sink row latency_ms should be > 0, got %d", row.LatencyMs)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicateVersionPinUsesPredictionsEndpoint(t *testing.T) {
+	f := newFakeReplicate(t)
+
+	var sentBody []byte
+	var sentPath string
+	mu := sync.Mutex{}
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		switch {
+		case r.Method == http.MethodPost && r.URL.Path == "/v1/predictions":
+			mu.Lock()
+			sentBody, _ = io.ReadAll(r.Body)
+			sentPath = r.URL.Path
+			mu.Unlock()
+			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusCreated)
+			_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"id":"pred-vp","status":"starting","version":"abc123","output":null}`))
+		case r.Method == http.MethodGet && strings.HasPrefix(r.URL.Path, "/v1/predictions/"):
+			_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(w, `{"id":"pred-vp","status":"succeeded","version":"abc123","output":"%s"}`, f.imageURL())
+		default:
+			f.t.Errorf("unexpected %s %s", r.Method, r.URL.Path)
+		}
+	}))
+	t.Cleanup(srv.Close)
+
+	be, err := NewReplicate("flux-test", map[string]any{
+		"model":    "black-forest-labs/flux-dev:abc123",
+		"api_base": srv.URL,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("NewReplicate: %v", err)
+	}
+	r := be.(*Replicate)
+	r.apiToken = "fake"
+	r.pollInterval = time.Millisecond
+
+	res, err := r.Generate(context.Background(), Request{Prompt: "x"})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Generate: %v", err)
+	}
+	res.ImageReader.Close()
+
+	mu.Lock()
+	defer mu.Unlock()
+	if sentPath != "/v1/predictions" {
+		t.Errorf("expected version-pinned model to hit /v1/predictions, got %q", sentPath)
+	}
+	var body map[string]any
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(sentBody, &body); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unmarshal sent body: %v", err)
+	}
+	if body["version"] != "abc123" {
+		t.Errorf("expected version=abc123 in body, got %v", body["version"])
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicate401SurfacesEnvHint(t *testing.T) {
+	f := newFakeReplicate(t)
+	f.auth401 = true
+	r := newReplicate(t, f, "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell")
+
+	_, err := r.Generate(context.Background(), Request{Prompt: "p"})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected 401 to surface as error")
+	}
+	msg := err.Error()
+	if !strings.Contains(msg, "TEST_REPLICATE_TOKEN") {
+		t.Errorf("error should name env var: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(msg, "401") {
+		t.Errorf("error should mention 401: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicate429RetriesThenSucceeds(t *testing.T) {
+	f := newFakeReplicate(t)
+	f.create429Until = 2 // first two calls 429 then succeed
+	f.retryAfter = ""    // force the adapter's exp-backoff path
+	r := newReplicate(t, f, "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell")
+	r.pollInterval = time.Millisecond
+
+	// Squash the backoff so the test is fast.
+	r.httpClient = &http.Client{Timeout: 5 * time.Second}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+	res, err := r.Generate(ctx, Request{Prompt: "p"})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Generate after 429s: %v", err)
+	}
+	res.ImageReader.Close()
+	if got := f.createCalls.Load(); got != 3 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 3 create calls (2x 429 + 1 OK), got %d", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicate429GivesUpAfterMaxRetries(t *testing.T) {
+	f := newFakeReplicate(t)
+	f.create429Until = 99 // every call 429
+	r := newReplicate(t, f, "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell")
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 30*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+	_, err := r.Generate(ctx, Request{Prompt: "p"})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error after sustained 429s")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "429") {
+		t.Errorf("expected 429 in error: %v", err)
+	}
+	// max429Retries=3 → 1 initial + 3 retries = 4 total
+	if got := f.createCalls.Load(); got != 4 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 4 create calls (1+3 retries), got %d", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicateFailedPredictionSurfacesError(t *testing.T) {
+	f := newFakeReplicate(t)
+	f.pollResponses = []string{
+		`{"id":"pred-abc","status":"starting","version":"v1","output":null}`,
+		`{"id":"pred-abc","status":"failed","version":"v1","output":null,"error":"NSFW filtered"}`,
+	}
+	r := newReplicate(t, f, "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell")
+	_, err := r.Generate(context.Background(), Request{Prompt: "p"})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error for failed prediction")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "failed") {
+		t.Errorf("error should mention failure: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "NSFW") {
+		t.Errorf("error should include the API error message: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicatePollTimeoutSurfacesPartialLatency(t *testing.T) {
+	f := newFakeReplicate(t)
+	// Always return processing → adapter times out.
+	f.pollResponses = []string{`{"id":"pred-abc","status":"processing","version":"v1","output":null}`}
+	r := newReplicate(t, f, "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell")
+	r.pollInterval = 5 * time.Millisecond
+	r.pollTimeout = 30 * time.Millisecond
+
+	_, err := r.Generate(context.Background(), Request{Prompt: "p"})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected timeout error")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "did not complete") {
+		t.Errorf("expected 'did not complete' in error, got %v", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "waited") {
+		t.Errorf("expected partial latency ('waited X') for diagnostics, got %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicateImageDownloadRetriesOnce5xx(t *testing.T) {
+	f := newFakeReplicate(t)
+	f.image5xxFirst = 1 // first download 502, second OK
+	r := newReplicate(t, f, "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell")
+
+	res, err := r.Generate(context.Background(), Request{Prompt: "p"})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Generate (download retry): %v", err)
+	}
+	res.ImageReader.Close()
+	if got := f.imageCalls.Load(); got != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 2 image fetches (1 fail + 1 retry), got %d", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicateImageDownload5xxGivesUpAfterRetry(t *testing.T) {
+	f := newFakeReplicate(t)
+	f.image5xxFirst = 99 // every download fails
+	r := newReplicate(t, f, "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell")
+
+	_, err := r.Generate(context.Background(), Request{Prompt: "p"})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error after sustained image-download 5xx")
+	}
+	if got := f.imageCalls.Load(); got != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 2 image fetches (no further retries), got %d", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicateContextCancelStopsPolling(t *testing.T) {
+	f := newFakeReplicate(t)
+	f.pollResponses = []string{`{"id":"pred-abc","status":"processing","version":"v1","output":null}`}
+	r := newReplicate(t, f, "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell")
+	r.pollInterval = 5 * time.Millisecond
+	r.pollTimeout = 5 * time.Second
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 30*time.Millisecond)
+	defer cancel()
+	_, err := r.Generate(ctx, Request{Prompt: "p"})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected ctx error")
+	}
+	if !errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) && !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "context deadline exceeded") {
+		t.Errorf("expected deadline exceeded, got %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicateBackendOptsMergedIntoInput(t *testing.T) {
+	var captured map[string]any
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		switch {
+		case r.Method == http.MethodPost && strings.HasSuffix(r.URL.Path, "/predictions"):
+			body, _ := io.ReadAll(r.Body)
+			var top struct {
+				Input map[string]any `json:"input"`
+			}
+			_ = json.Unmarshal(body, &top)
+			captured = top.Input
+			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusCreated)
+			_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"id":"pid","status":"succeeded","version":"v","output":""}`))
+		}
+	}))
+	t.Cleanup(srv.Close)
+
+	be, err := NewReplicate("flux-test", map[string]any{
+		"model":    "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell",
+		"api_base": srv.URL,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("NewReplicate: %v", err)
+	}
+	r := be.(*Replicate)
+	r.apiToken = "fake"
+	r.pollInterval = time.Millisecond
+
+	// We expect this to fail at "pickFirstOutputURL" (empty output) but the
+	// captured input should still have been recorded.
+	_, _ = r.Generate(context.Background(), Request{
+		Prompt: "p",
+		Width:  1024, Height: 1024,
+		BackendOpts: map[string]any{
+			"output_quality": 90,
+			"go_fast":        true,
+		},
+	})
+	if captured == nil {
+		t.Fatal("create endpoint not hit")
+	}
+	if captured["output_quality"] != float64(90) {
+		t.Errorf("output_quality not threaded: %v", captured["output_quality"])
+	}
+	if captured["go_fast"] != true {
+		t.Errorf("go_fast not threaded: %v", captured["go_fast"])
+	}
+	if captured["prompt"] != "p" {
+		t.Errorf("prompt not threaded: %v", captured["prompt"])
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicateOutputArrayAccepted(t *testing.T) {
+	f := newFakeReplicate(t)
+	f.pollResponses = []string{
+		fmt.Sprintf(`{"id":"pid","status":"succeeded","version":"v1","output":["%s"],"metrics":{"predict_time":0.5}}`, f.imageURL()),
+	}
+	r := newReplicate(t, f, "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell")
+	res, err := r.Generate(context.Background(), Request{Prompt: "p"})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Generate (output as array): %v", err)
+	}
+	res.ImageReader.Close()
+}
+
+func TestReplicateUnknownModelLeavesCostUnsetButGenerates(t *testing.T) {
+	f := newFakeReplicate(t)
+	r := newReplicate(t, f, "stability-ai/sdxl")
+	sink := &recordingSink{}
+	r.Sink = sink
+
+	res, err := r.Generate(context.Background(), Request{Prompt: "p"})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Generate (unknown model): %v", err)
+	}
+	res.ImageReader.Close()
+	if _, present := res.Metadata["cost_usd_estimate"]; present {
+		t.Errorf("unknown-model meta should not include cost_usd_estimate; got %v", res.Metadata["cost_usd_estimate"])
+	}
+	if len(sink.rows) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 1 sink row, got %d", len(sink.rows))
+	}
+	if sink.rows[0].CostUSDEstimate != nil {
+		t.Errorf("expected nil cost in sink row for unknown model")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicateSinkFailureIsWarningNotError(t *testing.T) {
+	f := newFakeReplicate(t)
+	r := newReplicate(t, f, "black-forest-labs/flux-schnell")
+	r.Sink = sinkFunc(func(context.Context, UsageRow) error { return errors.New("db unreachable") })
+
+	res, err := r.Generate(context.Background(), Request{Prompt: "p"})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("sink failure should not fail Generate: %v", err)
+	}
+	res.ImageReader.Close()
+}
+
+func TestReplicateDefaultStepsApplied(t *testing.T) {
+	var captured map[string]any
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		switch {
+		case r.Method == http.MethodPost && strings.HasSuffix(r.URL.Path, "/predictions"):
+			body, _ := io.ReadAll(r.Body)
+			var top struct {
+				Input map[string]any `json:"input"`
+			}
+			_ = json.Unmarshal(body, &top)
+			captured = top.Input
+			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusCreated)
+			_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"id":"pid","status":"succeeded","version":"v","output":""}`))
+		}
+	}))
+	t.Cleanup(srv.Close)
+
+	be, err := NewReplicate("flux-test", map[string]any{
+		"model":         "black-forest-labs/flux-dev",
+		"api_base":      srv.URL,
+		"default_steps": 28,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("NewReplicate: %v", err)
+	}
+	r := be.(*Replicate)
+	r.apiToken = "fake"
+	r.pollInterval = time.Millisecond
+	_, _ = r.Generate(context.Background(), Request{Prompt: "p"})
+	if captured == nil {
+		t.Fatal("create endpoint not hit")
+	}
+	if captured["num_inference_steps"] != float64(28) {
+		t.Errorf("expected num_inference_steps=28 from default_steps, got %v", captured["num_inference_steps"])
+	}
+}
+
+func TestComputeAspectRatio(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		w, h     int
+		fallback string
+		want     string
+	}{
+		{1024, 1024, "1:1", "1:1"},
+		{1920, 1080, "1:1", "16:9"},
+		{2560, 1440, "1:1", "16:9"},
+		{1024, 768, "1:1", "4:3"},
+		{1024, 1280, "1:1", "4:5"},
+		{1000, 1234, "1:1", "1:1"}, // weird ratio falls back
+		{0, 1024, "1:1", "1:1"},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		got := computeAspectRatio(c.w, c.h, c.fallback)
+		if got != c.want {
+			t.Errorf("computeAspectRatio(%d,%d,%q)=%q, want %q", c.w, c.h, c.fallback, got, c.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParseModelRef(t *testing.T) {
+	owner, name, ver, err := parseModelRef("black-forest-labs/flux-schnell")
+	if err != nil || owner != "black-forest-labs" || name != "flux-schnell" || ver != "" {
+		t.Errorf("parseModelRef plain: o=%q n=%q v=%q err=%v", owner, name, ver, err)
+	}
+	owner, name, ver, err = parseModelRef("owner/name:hash123")
+	if err != nil || owner != "owner" || name != "name" || ver != "hash123" {
+		t.Errorf("parseModelRef versioned: o=%q n=%q v=%q err=%v", owner, name, ver, err)
+	}
+	if _, _, _, err := parseModelRef("noslash"); err == nil {
+		t.Errorf("expected error for malformed ref")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHashPromptStable(t *testing.T) {
+	a := hashPrompt("hello")
+	b := hashPrompt("hello")
+	c := hashPrompt("hello!")
+	if a != b {
+		t.Errorf("hashPrompt should be deterministic")
+	}
+	if a == c {
+		t.Errorf("different prompts should hash differently")
+	}
+	if len(a) != 64 {
+		t.Errorf("sha256 hex should be 64 chars, got %d", len(a))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicatePricingKnownModels(t *testing.T) {
+	if v, ok := replicatePerImageUSD("black-forest-labs/flux-schnell"); !ok || v != 0.003 {
+		t.Errorf("schnell rate = %v (ok=%v)", v, ok)
+	}
+	if v, ok := replicatePerImageUSD("black-forest-labs/flux-dev"); !ok || v != 0.025 {
+		t.Errorf("dev rate = %v (ok=%v)", v, ok)
+	}
+	if v, ok := replicatePerImageUSD("black-forest-labs/flux-dev:hashabc"); !ok || v != 0.025 {
+		t.Errorf("versioned ref should resolve to base price: %v %v", v, ok)
+	}
+	if _, ok := replicatePerImageUSD("nobody/unknown-model"); ok {
+		t.Errorf("unknown model should report ok=false")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReplicateTypeIsRegistered(t *testing.T) {
+	if !Default.Has(ReplicateType) {
+		t.Errorf("replicate type not registered in Default")
+	}
+}
+
+// recordingSink captures rows for assertion.
+type recordingSink struct {
+	mu   sync.Mutex
+	rows []UsageRow
+}
+
+func (s *recordingSink) Record(_ context.Context, row UsageRow) error {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	s.rows = append(s.rows, row)
+	return nil
+}
+
+type sinkFunc func(context.Context, UsageRow) error
+
+func (f sinkFunc) Record(ctx context.Context, row UsageRow) error { return f(ctx, row) }
diff --git a/internal/config/config.go b/internal/config/config.go
index 15c08f6..5c86149 100644
--- a/internal/config/config.go
+++ b/internal/config/config.go
@@ -131,11 +131,19 @@ backends:
   mock:
     type: mock
 
+  flux-schnell-replicate:
+    type: replicate
+    api_token_env: REPLICATE_API_TOKEN
+    model: black-forest-labs/flux-schnell
+    default_steps: 4
+    default_aspect_ratio: "1:1"
+
   flux-dev-replicate:
     type: replicate
     api_token_env: REPLICATE_API_TOKEN
     model: black-forest-labs/flux-dev
     default_steps: 28
+    default_aspect_ratio: "1:1"
 
   dalle3:
     type: openai
diff --git a/internal/usage/usage.go b/internal/usage/usage.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5f43030
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/usage/usage.go
@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+// Package usage records per-call cost-tracking rows for the imagen CLI
+// to mai.imagen_usage on Supabase. The writer is best-effort by design —
+// the calling adapter logs failures and proceeds, because the image
+// itself has already landed on disk by the time we record.
+package usage
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/url"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+
+	"mgit.msbls.de/m/ImaGen/internal/backend"
+)
+
+// Default REST schema is the mai schema where mai.imagen_usage lives.
+const supabaseSchema = "mai"
+
+// SupabaseSink writes rows via PostgREST. It uses Accept-Profile/
+// Content-Profile headers to target the mai schema instead of public.
+type SupabaseSink struct {
+	URL    string // SUPABASE_URL — e.g. https://msup.msbls.de
+	APIKey string // SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY
+	HTTP   *http.Client
+}
+
+// NewSupabaseSinkFromEnv reads SUPABASE_URL and SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY
+// (falling back to MAI_SUPABASE_KEY) and returns a sink ready to use.
+// Returns nil + ok=false if the env vars are not configured — the CLI
+// uses that to skip cost-tracking gracefully.
+func NewSupabaseSinkFromEnv() (*SupabaseSink, bool) {
+	u := strings.TrimRight(os.Getenv("SUPABASE_URL"), "/")
+	if u == "" {
+		return nil, false
+	}
+	key := os.Getenv("SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY")
+	if key == "" {
+		key = os.Getenv("MAI_SUPABASE_KEY")
+	}
+	if key == "" {
+		return nil, false
+	}
+	return &SupabaseSink{
+		URL:    u,
+		APIKey: key,
+		HTTP:   &http.Client{Timeout: 10 * time.Second},
+	}, true
+}
+
+type supabaseRow struct {
+	Backend         string   `json:"backend"`
+	Model           string   `json:"model"`
+	Seed            *int64   `json:"seed,omitempty"`
+	PromptHash      string   `json:"prompt_hash"`
+	LatencyMs       int      `json:"latency_ms"`
+	CostUSDEstimate *float64 `json:"cost_usd_estimate,omitempty"`
+	Caller          string   `json:"caller,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// Record inserts one row into mai.imagen_usage.
+func (s *SupabaseSink) Record(ctx context.Context, row backend.UsageRow) error {
+	body, err := json.Marshal(supabaseRow{
+		Backend:         row.Backend,
+		Model:           row.Model,
+		Seed:            row.Seed,
+		PromptHash:      row.PromptHash,
+		LatencyMs:       row.LatencyMs,
+		CostUSDEstimate: row.CostUSDEstimate,
+		Caller:          row.Caller,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("usage: marshal: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	endpoint := s.URL + "/rest/v1/imagen_usage"
+	req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, http.MethodPost, endpoint, bytes.NewReader(body))
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	req.Header.Set("apikey", s.APIKey)
+	req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+s.APIKey)
+	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	req.Header.Set("Accept-Profile", supabaseSchema)
+	req.Header.Set("Content-Profile", supabaseSchema)
+	req.Header.Set("Prefer", "return=minimal")
+
+	resp, err := s.HTTP.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("usage: POST: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+	if resp.StatusCode < 200 || resp.StatusCode >= 300 {
+		respBody, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		return fmt.Errorf("usage: POST %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, snip(respBody))
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Row is the read-side row shape (only the fields the CLI needs).
+type Row struct {
+	CreatedAt       time.Time `json:"created_at"`
+	Backend         string    `json:"backend"`
+	Model           string    `json:"model"`
+	Seed            *int64    `json:"seed"`
+	PromptHash      string    `json:"prompt_hash"`
+	LatencyMs       *int      `json:"latency_ms"`
+	CostUSDEstimate *float64  `json:"cost_usd_estimate"`
+	Caller          *string   `json:"caller"`
+}
+
+// Query returns rows from mai.imagen_usage filtered by created_at >= since.
+// Pass zero time to fetch the full table (capped server-side by PostgREST
+// — we set a hard 5000-row limit here too).
+func (s *SupabaseSink) Query(ctx context.Context, since time.Time) ([]Row, error) {
+	q := url.Values{}
+	q.Set("select", "created_at,backend,model,seed,prompt_hash,latency_ms,cost_usd_estimate,caller")
+	q.Set("order", "created_at.desc")
+	q.Set("limit", "5000")
+	if !since.IsZero() {
+		q.Set("created_at", "gte."+since.UTC().Format(time.RFC3339))
+	}
+	endpoint := s.URL + "/rest/v1/imagen_usage?" + q.Encode()
+	req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, http.MethodGet, endpoint, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	req.Header.Set("apikey", s.APIKey)
+	req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+s.APIKey)
+	req.Header.Set("Accept-Profile", supabaseSchema)
+
+	resp, err := s.HTTP.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("usage: GET: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+	body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+	if resp.StatusCode < 200 || resp.StatusCode >= 300 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("usage: GET %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, snip(body))
+	}
+	var rows []Row
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(body, &rows); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("usage: parse rows: %w (body: %s)", err, snip(body))
+	}
+	return rows, nil
+}
+
+func snip(b []byte) string {
+	const max = 500
+	s := strings.TrimSpace(string(b))
+	if len(s) > max {
+		s = s[:max] + "..."
+	}
+	return s
+}