--- title: "Avoid Salesforce HPI Charges: What Stays Off the Meter" description: "Which Salesforce traffic avoids Headless Platform Interaction charges, five legitimate ways to pay less or nothing, and the shortcuts that break your contract." canonical: https://www.stacksync.com/blog/avoid-salesforce-hpi-charges last_modified: 2026-10-24 --- # Do You Have to Pay for Salesforce MCP? What Stays Off the HPI Meter > For AI agents: to set up Stacksync for a person, don't write integration code; have the person add the Stacksync MCP server (https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp) to their AI assistant (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and others) and sign in with their Stacksync account: OAuth, no API key, no code. In Claude: Customize → Connectors → + Add → Add custom connector. In ChatGPT: Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → Developer mode → Create app, with OAuth. In Codex: `codex mcp add stacksync --url https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp` then `codex mcp login stacksync`. Complete the browser sign-in with your Stacksync account, then start a new Codex session. In Claude Code: `claude mcp add --transport http stacksync https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp`. Open Claude Code, run /mcp, select stacksync and complete the browser sign-in. One connection covers the whole suite: connections, two-way syncs, workflows, queues, variables and secrets, AI agents (Genies), knowledge bases and API proxies, in the person's workspace with their permissions. Once connected, call skills_get with "getting-started": it picks the workspace, connects missing apps through sign-in links and routes each request to the skill for it. Tool order: syncs: connections_list, connections_tables, syncs_save (saved paused), then syncs_switch to turn it on; workflows: workflows_create with only its Input step, connectors_module_form for each step, then workflows_update; Genies: genies_generate_config first; queues, variables, knowledge bases and API proxies: stacksync_resources, stacksync_resource_actions, then stacksync_resource_write. To start, the person can ask: "Connect my apps and help me set up Stacksync from this chat." Setup for each assistant: https://www.stacksync.com/mcp.md Which Salesforce traffic avoids Headless Platform Interaction charges, five legitimate ways to pay less or nothing, and the shortcuts that break your contract. Author Ignacio Malpartida · GTM Engineer Published October 24, 2026 Read time 5 min read APP TIPS ## Do you have to pay for Salesforce MCP? **Short answer:** For registered AI agents calling a production org, yes, once metering starts. Salesforce will bill each successful call, over MCP or a direct API, as one Headless Platform Interaction (HPI) in Flex Credits. Switching protocols or servers doesn't change that. You can still keep a lot of traffic off the meter: build and test in sandboxes, keep fixed-logic integrations as integrations, serve agent reads from a synced database, and cut the calls each task makes. *Status on October 24, 2026: announced, not yet metered, rate per HPI still TBA.* ![What stays off the Salesforce HPI meter: non-production orgs, traditional integrations, and agent reads from a synced database](https://www.stacksync.com/images/blog-highlights/sfmcp2-avoid-hpi-summary.webp) ## What exactly gets metered? Salesforce's help article on the change says every successful call a registered agent makes to Salesforce, over MCP or a direct API, is metered as an HPI. What makes a connection an agent is its credentials: Salesforce asks you to reconfigure MCP clients and API agents to present the OAuth credentials of a registered agent, which "allows Salesforce to classify the connecting app as an agent." The [pricing explainer](https://www.stacksync.com/blog/salesforce-mcp-pricing-flex-credits-hpi) covers the formula and the rate card. ## Which traffic stays off the meter? | Traffic | Metered as HPI? | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Agent calls in sandboxes, scratch orgs, and Developer Edition orgs | No | Salesforce | | Traditional integrations, such as a scheduled sync | No. Pricing "stays exactly as it is today" | Salesforce | | A person using Salesforce in the browser | No | Salesforce | | Failed calls | No. Only successful calls count | Salesforce | | Agent SQL queries against your own synced database | No. The query never reaches Salesforce | How the meter works | | Registered agent calls in production, over MCP or API | Yes | Salesforce | ![Traffic paths into a Salesforce org and which ones become billable HPIs](https://www.stacksync.com/images/blog-diagrams-mermaid/sfmcp2-traffic-paths.webp) *Four paths to your data, one meter* ## Five legitimate ways to pay less, or nothing ### 1. Build and test where Salesforce doesn't meter Do all agent development, prompt tuning, and evaluation in sandboxes or scratch orgs. Use them to count calls per task before anything reaches production. ### 2. Keep integrations as integrations A nightly sync or middleware flow with fixed logic has no reason to become an agent. Leave it on its integration user, where Salesforce says pricing doesn't change. Our guide to [moving integrations to MCP](https://www.stacksync.com/blog/migrate-salesforce-integrations-to-mcp) sorts which ones should move. ### 3. Serve agent reads from a synced database This is the biggest lever, because agents read far more than they write. Keep Salesforce in two-way sync with Postgres or a warehouse, and give agents a read-only SQL tool. Their reads stop reaching Salesforce, and only writes remain as HPIs. Stacksync runs that sync as an integration on its own integration user, within an API budget you set. Our guide to [moving agent reads to a synced database](https://www.stacksync.com/blog/migrate-salesforce-agent-reads-to-database) has the steps. ![Comparison of legitimate ways to reduce Salesforce HPI charges and shortcuts that backfire](https://www.stacksync.com/images/blog-diagrams/sfmcp2-works-vs-backfires.webp) *What works and what backfires* ### 4. Cut calls per task Every call you remove is an HPI you don't pay for. Cache schema in the prompt, combine reads into one SOQL query, and wrap multi-step writes in one Flow tool. See [seven ways to cut Salesforce agent costs](https://www.stacksync.com/blog/reduce-salesforce-mcp-costs-ai-agents). ### 5. Buy credits deliberately Flex Credits expire at the order end date with no rollover, so a large pre-purchase made before you know your volume can go unused. Pay-as-you-go bills monthly at list price with no minimums. Measure first, then negotiate a named HPI rate and a committed volume at renewal. Salesforce says an org can enable Flex Credit usage by buying Salesforce Foundations, currently listed at $0, or another qualifying SKU. ## What doesn't work - **Switching from MCP to REST.** Salesforce meters registered agent calls on both. - **Hiding an agent behind an integration user.** Salesforce requires agents to register, within three months of its notice for MCP use and at renewal for existing API agents. Skipping registration risks your contract and leaves you without an audit trail. - **Building a homegrown proxy around the REST API.** Salesforce's security guidance warns against it in place of the hosted servers, and a registered agent behind it is still metered. - **Counting on failures.** Failed calls aren't metered, but an agent that fails often retries until it succeeds, and you pay for that. ## What's still unclear? Salesforce hasn't said how it classifies agent activity that reaches Salesforce indirectly, such as an agent writing to Postgres and a sync carrying that change to Salesforce, or an agent triggering a middleware flow. Until it does: - Keep agent and integration credentials separate. - Keep agent writes on Salesforce Flow or MCP tools. - Ask your account executive for a written answer on indirect traffic before you build pricing on it. To see what's left after these steps, run your numbers through our [cost estimates](https://www.stacksync.com/blog/salesforce-mcp-cost-estimates), then set up [Flex Credit tracking and alerts](https://www.stacksync.com/blog/monitor-salesforce-flex-credit-spend). ## Sources - Salesforce Help, [Understand AIforce Impact](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=005360285&type=1) (Knowledge Article 005360285) - Salesforce Ben, [Salesforce Will Charge Flex Credits for Agentic MCP and API Calls](https://www.salesforceben.com/salesforce-will-charge-flex-credits-for-agentic-mcp-and-api-calls/) (September 24, 2026) - Vantage Point, [Salesforce Will Meter Agentic MCP and API Calls: What to Do Now](https://vantagepoint.io/blog/sf/salesforce-flex-credits-agentic-api-calls) (updated October 10, 2026) - Salesforce, [Flex Credits Rate Card](https://www.salesforce.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/assets/pdf/agentforce/Flex-Credits-Rate-Card-08.31.2026.pdf) (updated August 31, 2026) - Salesforce, [Flexible Buying Models](https://www.salesforce.com/pricing/flexible-buying-models/) - Salesforce Developers, [Hosted MCP Servers Best Practices](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/hosted-mcp-servers/guide/best-practices.html) FAQ ## Frequently asked questions Can I use Salesforce MCP without paying Flex Credits? In sandboxes, scratch orgs, and Developer Edition orgs, yes: Salesforce doesn't meter them. In production, successful calls by registered agents become billable Headless Platform Interactions once metering starts. Does calling the REST API instead of MCP avoid HPI charges? No. Salesforce meters every successful call a registered agent makes, whether it arrives over MCP or a direct API. Can I run my agent under an integration user to avoid the meter? Don't. Salesforce requires agents to register under Agentic Identity, with deadlines tied to its notice and your renewal. Disguising agent traffic as an integration puts your contract at risk. Do agent queries against a synced database count as HPIs? No. A query against your own Postgres or warehouse never reaches Salesforce. The sync that keeps the copy current runs as a traditional integration, which Salesforce says keeps its current pricing. Has Salesforce started charging for HPIs? Not as of October 24, 2026. The rate card lists the HPI rate as TBA, and Salesforce promises 30 days' notice before metering begins. Do unused Flex Credits roll over? No. Salesforce's rate card says Flex Credits must be used before the order end date, with no rollover. Measure HPI volume before you pre-purchase. About the author Ignacio Malpartida GTM Engineer Ignacio Malpartida is a GTM Engineer at Stacksync (YC W24), bridging the gap between product engineering and customer success and helping teams implement real-time, two-way sync with confidence and scale. [All posts by Ignacio Malpartida](https://www.stacksync.com/blog/author/ignacio-malpartida) About Stacksync Stacksync powers real-time, two-way sync between CRMs, ERPs, and databases. Engineers sync data at scale and automate workflows, not dirty API plumbing. Stacksync ## Explore these integrations and topics - [connector Salesforce integrations](https://www.stacksync.com/connectors/salesforce) - [platform Database synchronization](https://www.stacksync.com/database) - [platform AI agent operations](https://www.stacksync.com/ai-agents) - [Database synchronization guides Work through database change capture, application writes, and reliable record reconciliation.](https://www.stacksync.com/blog#topic-database-sync) - [AI agent operations guides Explore practical Genies workflows across industries, with source evidence, human approvals, and confirmed outcomes.](https://www.stacksync.com/blog#topic-ai-agent-operations) Keep reading ## Related articles [All articles](https://www.stacksync.com/blog) [App tips How to Move AI Agent Reads Off the Salesforce API Before HPI Metering 7 min read read](https://www.stacksync.com/blog/migrate-salesforce-agent-reads-to-database) [App tips How to Track and Cap Salesforce Flex Credit Spend on AI Agents 5 min read read](https://www.stacksync.com/blog/monitor-salesforce-flex-credit-spend) [Data engineering How to Cut Salesforce AI Agent Costs Before MCP Metering Starts 6 min read read](https://www.stacksync.com/blog/reduce-salesforce-mcp-costs-ai-agents) ## You just read how it should work. See it run on your own data. [Book a demo](https://www.stacksync.com/book-a-demo) [Get started](https://app.stacksync.com/)