Credits topup successful but AI reads $0.00 - infinite critical loop

[asherhoe]

Bug: Credits topup succeeds but agent always reads 0 cents

Steps to reproduce:

1. Fresh install of automaton
2. Agent starts, bootstrap topup runs
3. Log shows: "Credit topup successful: $5 USD → 5860 credits cents"
4. But agent immediately shows: "Credits: $0.00"
5. Agent enters critical loop and fails with 402 error
6. Every restart deducts another $5 USDC

Wallet: 0xe771825c11D4FB52d2a470AB73CF1b82D9eDc27b
OS: Windows 10 WSL2
Version: Conway Automaton v0.1.0

[asherhoe]

New evidence - Credits never received despite successful topups:

API Key 1: cnwy_k_A5bu6zTWy3J91IqcvAVJbp_EVvVtp_gC → credits_cents: 0
API Key 2: cnwy_k_8_-p_DUz56vJfg2-GtoFtYTwtuf4Omoy → credits_cents: 0

Wallet started with $30 USDC, now only $4.99 remaining.
Logs show 4 successful topups ($25 USDC total deducted).
But both API keys show 0 credits.

USDC left wallet but credits were never received.
This is a billing bug - please investigate and refund.
Wallet: 0xe771825c11D4FB52d2a470AB73CF1b82D9eDc27b

[asherhoe]

Update: Found the bug!

Dashboard shows: Credit Balance $63.60
API GET /v1/credits/balance returns: {"credits_cents": 0}

The API and Dashboard are out of sync.
This causes the agent to enter infinite critical loop
even though credits exist.

Please fix the API to return correct balance.