# AX Check: scylladb.com
Checked 2026-10-14.

ScyllaDB's docs and agent tooling are solid, but pricing hides the numbers
17 of 23 checklist items pass, including a clear quickstart and documented MCP/CLI setup. Pricing page shows tiers but no dollar amounts, only "Get a Quote."

## Onboarding needs a login

## Coding sessions
All three independent sessions completed. Two were reviewed for pricing: both found no official dollar figures, instead identifying cost drivers like instance size, storage, and plan type, with one citing unofficial estimates (serverless around $0.30/GiB-month, dedicated plans in the high hundreds per month) while noting those figures were not from the official page.

### DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
[View public run](https://agents.withgauge.com/p/runs/3c89ee7c-dc0e-45c6-9d62-f0eb442dc88a) · [Read transcript](https://www.ax-check.com/scylladb.com/sessions/deepseek.json)
No dollar rate was quoted. From the official page, the agent named the cost drivers (instance size, storage, plan, SaaS vs BYOA, egress), the billing modes and the free-trial limits. (seq 32, seq 131)
#### End-to-end onboarding
- **End-to-end onboarding not demonstrated**: No ScyllaDB Cloud account or credentials were ever obtained. The agent checked the sandbox environment for existing credentials, found none, confirmed no local CQL service was reachable, and explicitly declined to provision a cluster or run a local Docker stack per the prompt's 'stay light' constraint. It wrote a connection script and README but never executed it against any live or local database, so no authenticated product operation occurred.
  Event 114:

  ```text
  == credentials present? ==
  none
  ```
  Event 131:

  ```text
  This environment also has **no local CQL service on 9042 and no credentials**. So I did **not** start anything or run the example against a live database. I stopped there, per your instruction.
  ```
  Event 131:

  ```text
  ScyllaDB has **no hosted serverless / instant-connect API**. To run *any* example you need one of:
  
  1. a **local service stack** (`docker run scylladb/scylla ...`), or
  2. a **provisioned ScyllaDB Cloud cluster**
  ```

#### Hallucinated URLs
None identified in this transcript.

#### Blockers
- **No lightweight hosted connect option for ScyllaDB**: Product behavior, not agent error: ScyllaDB requires either a locally-run Docker stack or a provisioned (and typically long-running to create) ScyllaDB Cloud cluster before any SDK/API call can be made. This conflicts directly with the task's explicit constraint to avoid local stacks and long-running provisioning, so the agent correctly stopped rather than violate the instructions.
  Event 131:

  ```text
  ScyllaDB has **no hosted serverless / instant-connect API**. To run *any* example you need one of:
  
  1. a **local service stack** (`docker run scylladb/scylla ...`), or
  2. a **provisioned ScyllaDB Cloud cluster** (account → launch cluster → copy the *Connect* page values; cluster creation is long-running).
  ```
  Event 114:

  ```text
  == any ScyllaDB/CQL service reachable locally? ==
  no local CQL on 9042
  == credentials present? ==
  
  ```

#### Suggested Changes
- **Add a free, zero-provisioning sandbox endpoint for quick API/SDK trials**: The pricing page and driver docs reviewed (scylladb.com/pricing, python-driver docs/scylla-cloud.rst) only describe a 30-day developer trial and a 48-hour production evaluation, both of which still require creating and waiting on a provisioned cluster. Add a lightweight, instantly-available playground endpoint (similar to a serverless free tier) so developers can run a first CQL query via SDK without launching a cluster or running Docker. Verify by having a first-time developer run the SDK quickstart with zero local services and confirm a successful query within seconds.
  Event 131:

  ```text
  Both violate your "stay light / no local stacks / no long-running commands" constraint.
  ```
  Event 57:

  ```text
  To connect to a `ScyllaDB Cloud <https://www.scylladb.com/product/scylla-cloud/>`_ cluster, go to the Cluster Connect page, Python example.
  ```

### Kimi K3
[View public run](https://agents.withgauge.com/p/runs/59300532-b6fe-4523-8705-c64807f07a39) · [Read transcript](https://www.ax-check.com/scylladb.com/sessions/kimi.json)
Pricing was tied to plan assumptions: serverless at about $0.30/GiB-month plus request units, and dedicated at a 3-node minimum costing high hundreds of $/month. It also flagged that the figures come from memory and should be checked. (seq 20)
#### End-to-end onboarding
- **Onboarding needs a login**: The agent checked for ScyllaDB credentials in the environment and found none. It never created an account or obtained real hosted-product credentials, so no authenticated operation against ScyllaDB Cloud was ever attempted or demonstrated. The quickstart script was written but explicitly never run.
  Event 3:

  ```text
  env | grep -i -E 'scylla|aws|token|key' | sed 's/=.*/=<redacted>/'
  ```
  Event 20:

  ```text
  ScyllaDB Cloud has no anonymous/instant sandbox: you must sign up for an account in the console, and even the serverless free tier requires cluster provisioning (typically 5–15+ minutes, longer for dedicated). With no credentials in this environment and per your no-long-running-commands constraint, this is a stop point.
  ```

#### Hallucinated URLs
None identified in this transcript.

#### Blockers
- **No credentials and no instant sandbox for ScyllaDB Cloud**: The sandbox environment had no ScyllaDB Cloud credentials, and the product itself requires account sign-up plus cluster provisioning (5-15+ minutes) before any connection can be made. Combined with the session's constraint against long-running commands, this stopped the agent from running the quickstart against a live cluster. This is a mix of missing credentials and product design (no anonymous/instant sandbox), not an agent error.
  Event 3:

  ```text
  env | grep -i -E 'scylla|aws|token|key' | sed 's/=.*/=<redacted>/'
  ```
  Event 20:

  ```text
  ScyllaDB Cloud has no anonymous/instant sandbox: you must sign up for an account in the console, and even the serverless free tier requires cluster provisioning (typically 5–15+ minutes, longer for dedicated).
  ```

#### Suggested Changes
- **Offer an instant or anonymous trial cluster for ScyllaDB Cloud**: Add a free, instantly-provisioned sandbox cluster option to the ScyllaDB Cloud console sign-up flow so developers can test the SDK/API without waiting 5-15+ minutes for provisioning or completing full account setup first. Verify by timing a fresh sign-up to first successful CQL query.
  Event 20:

  ```text
  even the serverless free tier requires cluster provisioning (typically 5–15+ minutes, longer for dedicated)
  ```

### Qwen 3.8 Max
[View public run](https://agents.withgauge.com/p/runs/7eb3e137-06d3-4870-94fe-18c4407878b1) · [Read transcript](https://www.ax-check.com/scylladb.com/sessions/qwen.json)

#### End-to-end onboarding
- **Onboarding needs a login**: The agent never obtained ScyllaDB Cloud credentials or a personal API token, and never performed an authenticated operation against the hosted product. It only probed public endpoints (which returned the unauthenticated SPA shell) and confirmed no SCYLLA*-prefixed env vars existed. It wrote a quickstart script but explicitly never executed it, correctly identifying that cluster creation and the Cloud API both require a human-authenticated console session or a pre-minted personal token.
  Event 7:

  ```text
  AWS_CA_BUNDLE=<set>
  PI_GATEWAY_API_KEY=<set>
  GIT_CONFIG_KEY_0=<set>
  ```
  Event 51:

  ```text
  No `SCYLLA*`, DB, or cloud-provider credentials in the env (only `PI_GATEWAY_API_KEY`, `AWS_CA_BUNDLE`, git config).
  ```
  Event 51:

  ```text
  The documented Cloud API ("Automate with the ScyllaDB Cloud API" at `cloud.docs.scylladb.com`) authenticates with a **Personal Token** created from a logged-in console session; cluster creation requires a registered account (interactive signup). No anonymous provisioning/trial path.
  ```
  Event 45:

  ```text
  syntax OK
  ```

#### Hallucinated URLs
None identified in this transcript.

#### Blockers
- **No self-serve path to ScyllaDB Cloud credentials**: ScyllaDB Cloud's console and Cloud API both require a human-authenticated signup/login session before any cluster or personal token can be obtained. The agent confirmed the API endpoints just return the React SPA shell unauthenticated, and no SCYLLA*-prefixed credentials existed in the sandbox env. This is a normal product login requirement, not a defect, and it fully blocked running the hosted quickstart example.
  Event 17:

  ```text
  API_no_auth:200
  ```
  Event 51:

  ```text
  cluster creation requires a registered account (interactive signup). No anonymous provisioning/trial path.
  ```
- **Local Docker cluster excluded by session rules**: The only non-credentialed path to a working ScyllaDB example is a self-hosted local cluster via docker run or the Kubernetes Operator. The seed prompt explicitly forbade starting local service stacks, so the agent correctly declined to use the Docker binary it found present, rather than this being a product or agent failure.
  Event 51:

  ```text
  The other quickstart path — `docker run scylladb/scylla` / the Kubernetes Operator — is a local service stack, which you excluded. Docker is present; I did not use it.
  ```

#### Suggested Changes
- **Add a no-signup trial API endpoint or sandbox credential for automation testing**: Documentation and the pricing page mention a 30-day Developer Free Trial and a 48-hour Production Evaluation, but both still require creating an account through the interactive console per the BLOCKED.md findings. Consider exposing a headless/API-only path to provision a trial cluster (e.g., a signup endpoint usable with just an email) so agent-driven or CI workflows can self-serve a cluster without a browser session, and verify by confirming a fresh script with only a token/email can create a cluster end to end.
  Event 33:

  ```text
  Developer Free Trial: A 30-day trial running on smaller instances (e.g., AWS t3.micro), perfect for exploring the CQL interface and building prototypes.
  ```
  Event 51:

  ```text
  cluster creation requires a registered account (interactive signup). No anonymous provisioning/trial path.
  ```
- **Fix broken links from the cloud-rest-api and cloud-freetier doc paths**: Requests to https://docs.scylladb.com/cloud/cloud-rest-api.html and https://docs.scylladb.com/cloud/cloud-freetier.html both returned 404, while the working equivalent was found at https://cloud.docs.scylladb.com/stable/api.html. Check whether these docs.scylladb.com paths are referenced anywhere in the marketing site navigation, and redirect or remove them so developers landing on cloud-rest-api.html or cloud-freetier.html aren't dead-ended.
  Event 27:

  ```text
  https://docs.scylladb.com/cloud/cloud-rest-api.html -> 404
  ```
  Event 27:

  ```text
  https://docs.scylladb.com/cloud/cloud-freetier.html -> 404
  ```

### Task given to each agent
Help me build a simple example using ScyllaDB. Tell me how pricing works, and briefly tell me whether this product will be easy for you to manage. Let me know if you get blocked. If this product has no developer workflow you can act on, say so plainly and stop. Stay light: use the hosted product through its SDK or API. Do not start local service stacks or wait for long-running commands; if the quickstart requires either, say so plainly and stop.

No product credentials were supplied and no purchases were authorized.

## Score: B · 79/100 (provisional)
Grades come from completed site checks. Coding sessions and skipped checks do not affect the score.

### Clarity
- **Failed** — Homepage answers Markdown requests

  ```text
  Homepage returned text/html even when text/markdown was requested; no Markdown representation served.
  ```

- **Pass** — llms.txt provides an actionable documentation index

  ```text
  llms.txt lists docs, developers, university, blog and agent skills with guidance.
  ```

- **Pass** — llms.txt provides navigation guidance

  ```text
  llms.txt groups resources under Core Resources and Developer & AI Tooling with descriptive annotations.
  ```

- **Pass** — llms.txt mentions offered API, MCP, and skills

  ```text
  llms.txt links ScyllaDB Agent Skills and the npx skills add command; MCP documented separately.
  ```

- **Pass** — A compact guide representation exists

  ```text
  llms.txt is a compact Markdown guide with core resources and agent-skills setup command.
  ```

- **Pass** — A focused guide is directly retrievable

  ```text
  llms.txt fetched directly as text/plain Markdown with docs, developers, and skills links.
  ```

- **Pass** — Equivalent instructions fit a token budget

  ```text
  llms.txt is 436 tokens, well under the 8000-token budget.
  ```

- **Skipped** — Product-docs links survive format changes

  ```text
  Homepage Markdown unsupported, so link preservation across formats cannot be measured.
  ```

- **Pass** — The compact guide is independently actionable

  ```text
  Agent-skills README gives concrete install commands and per-skill descriptions for ScyllaDB workflows.
  ```

- **Pass** — Install and next-step links resolve

  ```text
  Fetched install/next-step targets (agent-skills repo, cloud docs MCP, cloud.scylladb.com) all returned HTTP 200.
  ```


### Onboarding
- **Pass** — Docs lead to a relevant quickstart

  ```text
  llms.txt points to developers.scylladb.com quickstarts and docs.scylladb.com install guides.
  ```

- **Pass** — Installation commands are extractable

  ```text
  llms.txt gives an extractable npx skills add scylladb/agent-skills setup command.
  ```

- **Skipped** — Code examples are available without interaction

  ```text
  Fetched pages are llms.txt and Cloud login shells; no code examples observed.
  ```

- **Skipped** — Prerequisites and auth boundaries are explicit

  ```text
  No fetched page states prerequisites or API key acquisition steps.
  ```


### Pricing
- **Failed** — Prices are stated, not gated

  ```text
  Pricing page lists Standard/Professional/Premium tiers but shows no dollar amounts, only Get a Quote.
  ```

- **Pass** — Pricing is readable without interaction

  ```text
  ScyllaDB pricing page renders plan tiers and FAQ text directly without interaction.
  ```

- **Pass** — Pricing units and limits are explicit

  ```text
  FAQ states billing units: instance vCPU/RAM, NVMe storage, plan tier, deployment model, network/backup.
  ```

- **Pass** — Agents identify pricing and its assumptions

  ```text
  2 of 3 sessions were judged on pricing; 0 fell short. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash: No dollar rate was quoted. From the official page, the agent named the cost drivers (instance size, storage, plan, SaaS vs BYOA, egress), the billing modes and the free-trial limits. (seq 32, seq 131) Kimi K3: Pricing was tied to plan assumptions: serverless at about $0.30/GiB-month plus request units, and dedicated at a 3-node minimum costing high hundreds of $/month. It also flagged that the figures come from memory and should be checked. (seq 20) This behavioural item does not affect the fast grade.
  ```


### Activation
- **Pass** — An API reference or OpenAPI spec is reachable

  ```text
  MCP doc links the ScyllaDB Cloud REST API reference at cloud.docs.scylladb.com/stable/api-docs/.
  ```

- **Pass** — An MCP server is documented and well-formed

  ```text
  MCP server documented: URL, Bearer token auth, tool list, and client config example.
  ```

- **Pass** — A CLI install path is documented

  ```text
  CLI install path documented: npx skills add scylladb/agent-skills, plus per-skill flags.
  ```

- **Skipped** — SDK packages resolve on their registries

  ```text
  No registry lookup for a ScyllaDB SDK or packaged CLI appears in the fetched evidence.
  ```

- **Pass** — Agent skills are published

  ```text
  Agent skills published: six skills with descriptions, install commands, and SKILL.md files.
  ```



[Full report data](https://www.ax-check.com/scylladb.com/report.json)