diff --git a/app/api/hellenistic/ask-seer/route.ts b/app/api/hellenistic/ask-seer/route.ts
index 23bda8f9..5f9a81c0 100644
--- a/app/api/hellenistic/ask-seer/route.ts
+++ b/app/api/hellenistic/ask-seer/route.ts
@@ -28,26 +28,16 @@ const REFUSAL_MESSAGE =
 export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
   try {
     const body = (await request.json()) as HellenisticSeerRequest;
-    const __toolSeerGate = await enforceToolSeerGate(request, body, 'hellenistic_ask_seer');
+    const { userId, question, hellenisticContext } = body;
+    const missingContextError = !question || !question.trim()
+      ? 'Question is required'
+      : !hellenisticContext
+        ? 'Missing Hellenistic chart data. Please generate a reading first.'
+        : null;
+    const __toolSeerGate = await enforceToolSeerGate(request, body, 'hellenistic_ask_seer', {
+      missingContextError,
+    });
     if (__toolSeerGate) return __toolSeerGate;
-    const { userId, question, userProfile, hellenisticContext, sessionId } = body;
-
-    if (!question || !question.trim()) {
-      return NextResponse.json(
-        { success: false, error: 'Question is required' },
-        { status: 400 }
-      );
-    }
-
-    if (!hellenisticContext) {
-      return NextResponse.json(
-        {
-          success: false,
-          error: 'Missing Hellenistic chart data. Please generate a reading first.',
-        },
-        { status: 400 }
-      );
-    }
 
     devLog.info('🔮 Hellenistic Seer API: Processing question for user:', userId, 'ask-hellenistic-seer');
 
diff --git a/lib/enforceToolSeerGate.ts b/lib/enforceToolSeerGate.ts
index 6716b09a..1a33722e 100644
--- a/lib/enforceToolSeerGate.ts
+++ b/lib/enforceToolSeerGate.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,12 @@ export interface EnforceToolSeerGateOptions {
    * - json: JSON body (e.g. medical-seer)
    */
   blockedResponseFormat?: ToolSeerBlockedResponseFormat;
+  /**
+   * Route-specific required context (chart, reading, profile payload).
+   * When set, the gate returns 400 **before** rate-limit and billing so PAYG
+   * users are not charged for a question the tool cannot answer yet.
+   */
+  missingContextError?: string | null;
 }
 
 /** Extract trimmed `question` from a tool Seer POST body. */
@@ -90,6 +96,17 @@ export async function enforceToolSeerGate(
     rateUid = auth.uid;
   }
 
+  const missingContextError =
+    typeof options?.missingContextError === 'string' ? options.missingContextError.trim() : '';
+  if (missingContextError) {
+    const res = NextResponse.json(
+      { success: false, error: missingContextError },
+      { status: 400 },
+    );
+    res.headers.set('X-Robots-Tag', 'noindex, nofollow, noarchive, nosnippet');
+    return res;
+  }
+
   const rl = await checkRateLimitWithOptionalFirestore(
     rateLimiters.ai,
     `tool_seer_${routeLogicalKey}`,
diff --git a/tests/unit/enforceToolSeerGate.test.ts b/tests/unit/enforceToolSeerGate.test.ts
index b62dc9f2..3f934d3a 100644
--- a/tests/unit/enforceToolSeerGate.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/enforceToolSeerGate.test.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {
   extractToolSeerQuestion,
 } from '@/lib/enforceToolSeerGate';
 import { SEER_INPUT_BLOCKED_MESSAGE } from '@/lib/seerInputGuard';
+import { consumeBillingAction } from '@/lib/billingCreditsServer';
 
 jest.mock('@/lib/userApiAuth', () => ({
   verifyUserRequest: jest.fn(async () => ({ ok: true, uid: 'user-1' })),
@@ -27,6 +28,20 @@ jest.mock('@/lib/aiAuditEvents', () => ({
   recordAiAuditEvent: jest.fn(),
 }));
 
+jest.mock('@/lib/billingCreditsServer', () => ({
+  consumeBillingAction: jest.fn(async () => ({
+    ok: true,
+    charged: true,
+    creditsCharged: 1,
+    creditBalance: 9,
+    usedFreeInstance: false,
+  })),
+}));
+
+const consumeBillingActionMock = consumeBillingAction as jest.MockedFunction<
+  typeof consumeBillingAction
+>;
+
 describe('enforceToolSeerGate', () => {
   function post(body: Record<string, unknown>) {
     return new NextRequest('http://localhost/api/ask-tarot-seer', {
@@ -36,6 +51,10 @@ describe('enforceToolSeerGate', () => {
     });
   }
 
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    consumeBillingActionMock.mockClear();
+  });
+
   it('extractToolSeerQuestion trims question field', () => {
     expect(extractToolSeerQuestion({ question: '  hello  ' })).toBe('hello');
     expect(extractToolSeerQuestion({})).toBe('');
@@ -55,6 +74,7 @@ describe('enforceToolSeerGate', () => {
     expect(res!.headers.get('Content-Type')).toBe('text/event-stream');
     const text = await res!.text();
     expect(text).toBe(SEER_INPUT_BLOCKED_MESSAGE);
+    expect(consumeBillingActionMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
   it('returns JSON when blockedResponseFormat is json', async () => {
@@ -70,6 +90,7 @@ describe('enforceToolSeerGate', () => {
     const data = await res!.json();
     expect(data.inputBlocked).toBe(true);
     expect(data.response).toBe(SEER_INPUT_BLOCKED_MESSAGE);
+    expect(consumeBillingActionMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
   it('passes through when question is empty (route handles 400)', async () => {
@@ -88,5 +109,35 @@ describe('enforceToolSeerGate', () => {
       'ask_tarot_seer',
     );
     expect(res).toBeNull();
+    expect(consumeBillingActionMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects missing Hellenistic chart context before debiting credits', async () => {
+    const res = await enforceToolSeerGate(
+      post({
+        userId: 'user-1',
+        question: 'Which areas of my life are most active?',
+        userProfile: { displayName: 'Ada' },
+        hellenisticContext: null,
+      }),
+      {
+        userId: 'user-1',
+        question: 'Which areas of my life are most active?',
+        userProfile: { displayName: 'Ada' },
+        hellenisticContext: null,
+      },
+      'hellenistic_ask_seer',
+      {
+        missingContextError:
+          'Missing Hellenistic chart data. Please generate a reading first.',
+      },
+    );
+
+    expect(res).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(res!.status).toBe(400);
+    const data = await res!.json();
+    expect(data.success).toBe(false);
+    expect(data.error).toMatch(/Hellenistic chart data/);
+    expect(consumeBillingActionMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 });