# Asking AI for help

> The three things Revquix AI will do on a problem, what it costs before you press it, and the four things it deliberately will not do.

Source: https://www.revquix.com/docs/practice/asking-ai-for-help
Last verified: 2026-09-04

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Revquix AI appears at three moments on a problem page: a run that errored, a submission that came
back wrong, and a solution that has already been accepted. Each is one button and one answer.

## The three actions

| When it appears                                                                      | What it does                                                                                                           |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Explain this error** - after a run or submission that errored or would not compile | Reads the error and your code, and explains what the message means.                                                    |
| **Explain my failing case** - after a wrong answer                                   | Given the failing input, the expected answer and what you returned, explains what your code did wrong _on that input_. |
| **Optimise** - only on an accepted solution                                          | Suggests a faster or cleaner version of a solution that already works.                                                 |

The middle one is the one worth knowing about. It is specific to the judge - it can see the case you
failed on, so it explains a concrete wrong answer rather than reviewing your code in the abstract.

## What it costs, before you press it

**The price is on the button.** It reads "free · 2 left today" or "1 credit" _before_ you click,
because a charge somebody did not see coming is a support ticket however fair it was.

- Explaining an error and explaining a failing case are **free a few times a day**, then cost
  credits. The button says how many free ones you have left.
- Optimise always costs credits, because it is the expensive one.
- **Asking the same question twice is free.** If you have already asked this, you get your earlier
  answer back at no charge, marked as such.
- If you cannot afford it, the button says so and names your balance rather than failing after the
  click.

The exact numbers live in the product, not in this page. See [credits](https://www.revquix.com/docs/payments/credits) for where your balance comes from.

## What it will not do

This is the part worth reading, because it is deliberate rather than a limitation we intend to lift.

1. **It never sees the problem's reference solution.** Not redacted from the answer - never given to
   the model in the first place.

2. **It never sees the hidden test cases.** The single exception is the one failing case you have
   already been shown, and only for "Explain my failing case". On a problem where even that case is
   withheld, the action refuses rather than sending it.

3. **Optimise only works on a solution that is already accepted.** You may improve something you got
   working. You may not have it written for you.

4. **There is no "fix my code" here.** That action exists in the Projects editor and produces a patch
   you can apply. On a problem, a patch that makes the tests pass _is_ the answer, so it is
   deliberately absent.

> **Note** - Optimise gives you code to read, not code to apply
>
> There is no Apply button. The suggestion renders as something to read, and you retype what you agree
> with. Your editor is not touched.

## Treat what it says about speed as an opinion

Every answer carries this line, and it is not boilerplate:

> An opinion from a model, not a measurement.

A model asked "what is the complexity of this?" returns a confident Big-O every time, including for
code where the honest answer depends on the input. If it tells you something is quadratic, check it
against [the growth analysis](https://www.revquix.com/docs/practice/how-fast-is-my-solution) on
your accepted submission, which measures rather than guesses.

## Related

- [Hints and the Approach tab](https://www.revquix.com/docs/practice/hints-and-approach) - The free help, which is worth trying first.

- [AI assist in Projects](https://www.revquix.com/docs/projects/ai-assist) - The fuller assistant, on code that is yours rather than an answer.