docs: rename reverse-gas-model to cycles, remove gas jargon

docs/concepts/app-architecture.md

@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ If you have built on Ethereum or other EVM chains, here is how ICP concepts map:
 | EVM bytecode | WebAssembly | Wasm runs general-purpose code at near-native speed |
 | Solidity / Vyper | Motoko, Rust (official); TypeScript, Python (community) | Multiple language options, full standard libraries |
 | Block time (~12s) | Finality (~1–2s) | Update calls typically finalize in 1–2 seconds |
-| Gas (user pays) | [Cycles](reverse-gas-model.md) (canister pays) | Users interact for free; developers fund computation |
+| Fee (user pays) | [Cycles](cycles.md) (canister pays) | Users interact for free; developers fund computation |
 | No HTTP serving | Built-in HTTP serving | Canisters serve web pages directly |
 | Offchain storage (IPFS, etc.) | Onchain stable memory | Up to 500 GiB per canister, no external storage needed |
 | Bridges / oracles | [Chain-key signing](chain-fusion.md) | Canisters sign transactions on other chains natively |

docs/concepts/canisters.md

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Canisters share the core properties of smart contracts: their execution is gover
 - **Large state.** Canisters can hold up to 500 GiB of stable memory, far beyond what most blockchains allow per contract.
 - **Outbound calls.** Canisters make HTTPS requests to external services (see [HTTPS outcalls](https-outcalls.md)) and sign transactions on other blockchains using chain-key cryptography (see [Chain Fusion](chain-fusion.md)).
 - **Autonomous execution.** Timers let canisters schedule their own work without any external trigger.
-- **Reverse gas model.** Canisters pay for their own compute and storage using [cycles](reverse-gas-model.md), so end users don't need tokens to interact with them.
+- **Canisters fund themselves.** Canisters pay for their own compute and storage using [cycles](cycles.md), so end users don't need tokens to interact with them.
 
 ## Execution model
 
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ Under the hood, each canister maintains several components:
 
 ## Next steps
 
-- [Reverse gas model](reverse-gas-model.md): how canisters pay for computation
+- [Cycles](cycles.md): how canisters pay for computation
 - [App architecture](app-architecture.md): how canisters fit into application design
 - [Canister lifecycle](../guides/canister-management/lifecycle.md): practical guide to managing canisters
 - [Network overview](network-overview.md): the infrastructure canisters run on

docs/concepts/chain-fusion.md

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ A canister interacting with Bitcoin or Ethereum has no external dependency beyon
 - **No bridges.** Canisters hold assets directly on external chains. There is no wrapped token that can depeg, no bridge contract that can be exploited.
 - **No oracles.** Canisters can read external chain state themselves: either through a direct protocol integration (Bitcoin) or by querying RPC providers via [HTTPS outcalls](https-outcalls.md).
 - **Full autonomy.** Canisters can schedule cross-chain actions using [timers](../guides/backends/timers.md), enabling use cases like automated trading, periodic liquidations, or cronjob services: all without external triggers.
-- **Web2-like UX.** Because ICP has low-cost computation and a [reverse gas model](reverse-gas-model.md), users can interact with cross-chain apps through a standard browser without installing a wallet.
+- **Familiar UX.** Because ICP has low-cost computation and [canisters pay for their own cycles](cycles.md), users can interact with cross-chain apps through a standard browser without installing a wallet.
 
 ## How it works
 

docs/concepts/reverse-gas-model.md → docs/concepts/cycles.md

@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 ---
-title: "Reverse Gas Model"
-description: "Why users never pay gas on ICP: canisters pay cycles for compute, storage, and bandwidth"
+title: "Cycles"
+description: "How canisters pay for their own compute, storage, and bandwidth using cycles"
 sidebar:
   order: 4
 ---
 
-On most blockchains, users pay a gas fee every time they interact with a smart contract. On ICP, the model is flipped: **canisters pay for their own resource consumption using cycles**, and users pay nothing. This is the **reverse gas model**.
+On most networks, users pay a fee every time they interact with an app. On ICP, the model is flipped: **canisters pay for their own resource consumption using cycles**, and users pay nothing.
 
-The result is a Web2-like user experience. Users can interact with any app on ICP without holding tokens, configuring a wallet, or approving every transaction. For developers, it means full control over cost management: and the responsibility that comes with it.
+The result is a familiar user experience. Users can interact with any app on ICP without holding tokens, configuring a wallet, or approving every transaction. For developers, it means full control over cost management: and the responsibility that comes with it.
 
 ## What are cycles?
 
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ Every canister is replicated across all nodes on its subnet. Costs scale with su
 
 ## Developer responsibility
 
-The reverse gas model shifts payment from users to developers. This comes with ongoing obligations:
+Canisters pay for their own resources, which comes with ongoing obligations:
 
 **Topping up**: canisters burn cycles continuously for storage and on every update call. Developers must monitor balances and keep canisters funded. A canister that runs out of cycles freezes immediately and stops responding to all calls.
 
@@ -77,9 +77,9 @@ These responsibilities can be automated. Tools like [CycleOps](https://cycleops.
 
 ## Cost predictability
 
-The XDR peg and flat per-resource pricing make ICP costs predictable in a way that transaction-fee blockchains are not:
+The XDR peg and flat per-resource pricing make ICP costs predictable:
 
-- **No gas auctions**: there is no bidding for block space. Cycle prices are set by the NNS and change infrequently.
+- **No fee auctions**: there is no bidding for block space. Cycle prices are set by the NNS and change infrequently.
 - **No per-transaction fees for users**: apps absorb all costs, like SaaS businesses absorb server bills.
 - **Stable unit economics**: because cycles are pegged to XDR (not ICP price), infrastructure costs remain consistent even when ICP token price swings.
 
@@ -89,6 +89,6 @@ The tradeoff is that developers must forecast and fund usage upfront rather than
 
 - [Cycles Management](../guides/canister-management/cycles-management.md): how to check balances, top up canisters, and set freezing thresholds
 - [Cycles Costs Reference](../reference/cycles-costs.md): exact cost tables for all operations
-- [Canisters](./canisters.md): canisters as the paying entity in the reverse gas model
+- [Canisters](./canisters.md): canisters as the paying entity for compute and storage
 
 <!-- Upstream: informed by dfinity/portal docs/building-apps/essentials/gas-cost.mdx, docs/building-apps/getting-started/tokens-and-cycles.mdx -->

docs/concepts/index.md

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ Understand the ideas behind the Internet Computer before you build on it. These
 
 ## Core capabilities
 
-- **[Reverse Gas Model](reverse-gas-model.md)**: Why users never pay gas: canisters pay cycles for compute, storage, and bandwidth.
+- **[Cycles](cycles.md)**: How canisters pay for their own compute, storage, and bandwidth — and why users pay nothing.
 - **[Orthogonal Persistence](orthogonal-persistence.md)**: How canister memory survives across executions and upgrades without databases.
 - **[HTTPS Outcalls](https-outcalls.md)**: How canisters make HTTP requests to external services with consensus on responses.
 - **[Onchain Randomness](onchain-randomness.md)**: Cryptographically secure random numbers using threshold VRF.

docs/getting-started/choose-your-path.md

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ If you prefer to learn the concepts before diving into guides, the [Concepts](..
 - [Network overview](../concepts/network-overview.md): how the Internet Computer is structured
 - [Canisters](../concepts/canisters.md): the compute unit of ICP
 - [Orthogonal persistence](../concepts/orthogonal-persistence.md): how data survives canister upgrades
-- [Reverse gas model](../concepts/reverse-gas-model.md): why users don't pay gas fees
+- [Cycles](../concepts/cycles.md): why users don't pay to interact with apps
 - [Chain-key cryptography](../concepts/chain-key-cryptography.md): the cryptographic foundation enabling chain fusion
 
 ## Backend development

docs/getting-started/quickstart.md

@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ Your new project contains:
 icp network start -d
 ```
 
-This starts a local Internet Computer replica in the background. The local network comes pre-funded. You can deploy immediately without setting up a wallet or acquiring cycles.
+This starts a local Internet Computer replica in the background. The local network comes pre-funded. You can deploy immediately without setting up a wallet or acquiring [cycles](../concepts/cycles.md).
 
 ## Deploy
 

docs/guides/backends/https-outcalls.mdx

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ For how the consensus mechanism works for outcalls, see [Concepts: HTTPS Outcall
 
 By default, every replica node in the subnet independently makes the same HTTP request: called **replicated mode**. All nodes must agree on the response before execution continues. Two constraints apply regardless of mode:
 
-- Cycles to cover the request cost **must be attached** at call time. In Rust, `ic_cdk::management_canister::http_request` auto-calculates and attaches cycles. In Motoko, cycles must be attached explicitly with `await (with cycles = ...)`.
+- [Cycles](../../concepts/cycles.md) to cover the request cost **must be attached** at call time. In Rust, `ic_cdk::management_canister::http_request` auto-calculates and attaches cycles. In Motoko, cycles must be attached explicitly with `await (with cycles = ...)`.
 - The **maximum response body is 2MB** (2,097,152 bytes). Requests exceeding this limit fail. Always set `max_response_bytes` to a tight upper bound: omitting it defaults to 2MB and charges cycles accordingly.
 
 In replicated mode, a transform function is strongly recommended: without one, responses across nodes will likely differ and consensus will fail. In non-replicated mode (`is_replicated = false`), a transform is unnecessary because only one node makes the request. See [Replicated vs non-replicated mode](#replicated-vs-non-replicated-mode) below.

docs/guides/canister-calls/onchain-calls.mdx

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ sidebar:
 
 import { Tabs, TabItem } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
 
-Canisters on the Internet Computer communicate by calling each other's functions. A caller canister sends a request message containing the method name, arguments, and optionally attached cycles. The callee executes the method and returns a response. If the callee cannot be reached or a resource limit is hit, the system produces a reject response instead.
+Canisters on the Internet Computer communicate by calling each other's functions. A caller canister sends a request message containing the method name, arguments, and optionally attached [cycles](../../concepts/cycles.md). The callee executes the method and returns a response. If the callee cannot be reached or a resource limit is hit, the system produces a reject response instead.
 
 This guide covers making inter-canister calls in both Motoko and Rust, choosing between query and update calls, handling errors, and avoiding common pitfalls. For the messaging model behind these calls, see [Canisters](../../concepts/canisters.md).
 

docs/guides/canister-management/cycles-management.mdx

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ sidebar:
 
 import { Tabs, TabItem } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
 
-Canisters on ICP pay for compute and storage using **cycles**. Unlike gas on Ethereum, cycles are paid by the canister: not the caller. This is ICP's [reverse gas model](../../concepts/reverse-gas-model.md): developers fund their own canisters, and users interact for free.
+Canisters on ICP pay for compute and storage using **cycles**. Cycles are paid by the canister, not the caller: developers fund their own canisters, and users interact for free. See [Cycles](../../concepts/cycles.md) for a full explanation of the billing model.
 
 This guide covers everything you need to manage cycles in production: acquiring them, monitoring balances, setting thresholds, and deploying to mainnet.
 
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ icp canister top-up backend --amount 1T -n ic
 - [Canister settings](settings.md): Freezing threshold, memory allocation, compute allocation
 - [Canister lifecycle](lifecycle.md): Create, install, upgrade, and delete canisters
 - [Cycles costs reference](../../reference/cycles-costs.md): Exact cost tables per operation
-- [Reverse gas model](../../concepts/reverse-gas-model.md): Why canisters pay for execution
+- [Cycles](../../concepts/cycles.md): Why canisters pay for execution
 - [Reproducible builds](reproducible-builds.md): Verify your WASM is trustworthy before deploying
 - [icp-cli docs](https://cli.internetcomputer.org/): Full command reference
 

docs/guides/canister-management/lifecycle.mdx

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ A canister progresses through these phases:
 3. **Run**: the canister processes messages and serves requests
 4. **Upgrade**: replace the code while preserving stable state
 5. **Stop**: pause message processing (required before deletion)
-6. **Delete**: permanently remove the canister and reclaim cycles
+6. **Delete**: permanently remove the canister and reclaim [cycles](../../concepts/cycles.md)
 
 In practice, `icp deploy` handles steps 1–3 automatically. You interact with individual steps when you need finer control.
 

docs/guides/canister-management/optimization.md

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ sidebar:
   order: 4
 ---
 
-Canister Wasm binaries compiled from Rust or Motoko are often larger than necessary and may execute more instructions than needed. Smaller binaries install faster, consume fewer cycles on deployment, and leave more room within the per-canister Wasm memory limit. Better runtime efficiency directly reduces the cycles charged per call.
+Canister Wasm binaries compiled from Rust or Motoko are often larger than necessary and may execute more instructions than needed. Smaller binaries install faster, consume fewer [cycles](../../concepts/cycles.md) on deployment, and leave more room within the per-canister Wasm memory limit. Better runtime efficiency directly reduces the cycles charged per call.
 
 This guide covers the main tools and techniques available:
 

docs/guides/canister-management/settings.mdx

@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ settings:
 
 A value of `50` means the canister gets 50% of an execution core and is scheduled at least every other round. A value of `100` means the canister runs every round.
 
-Compute allocation incurs a rental fee based on time and allocation percentage, regardless of whether the canister actually executes. This increases idle cycle consumption. See [cycles costs](../../reference/cycles-costs.md) for pricing details.
+Compute allocation incurs a rental fee based on time and allocation percentage, regardless of whether the canister actually executes. This increases idle [cycle](../../concepts/cycles.md) consumption. See [cycles costs](../../reference/cycles-costs.md) for pricing details.
 
 ### Memory allocation
 

docs/guides/frontends/asset-canister.md

@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ Users access your frontend at `https://<canister-id>.icp0.io` (mainnet) or `http
 
 - **No server-side rendering.** Canisters cannot run JavaScript at the server level. Use static-site generation (SSG) or client-side rendering. If SSR is required, host the frontend outside ICP and keep the backend logic in a canister.
 - **No dynamic URL routing at the server level.** The asset canister serves static files. Client-side routing (via SPA aliasing) works, but server-generated routes do not.
-- **Storage limits.** The asset canister can hold well over 4 GiB in stable memory, but individual uploads are limited by the 2 MB ingress message size (the JS SDK handles chunking automatically for larger files). Large media files become expensive in cycles. Use a dedicated storage solution for video or large datasets.
+- **Storage limits.** The asset canister can hold well over 4 GiB in stable memory, but individual uploads are limited by the 2 MB ingress message size (the JS SDK handles chunking automatically for larger files). Large media files become expensive in [cycles](../../concepts/cycles.md). Use a dedicated storage solution for video or large datasets.
 
 ## Configure the asset canister
 

docs/guides/security/dos-prevention.md

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ sidebar:
   order: 4
 ---
 
-ICP's [reverse gas model](../../concepts/reverse-gas-model.md) means your canister pays for every message it processes: including messages from attackers. Anyone on the internet can send update calls to your canister, and each call burns cycles even if your code ultimately rejects it. Left unmitigated, this lets an attacker drain your cycle balance by flooding your canister with messages.
+On ICP, [canisters pay for every message they process](../../concepts/cycles.md): including messages from attackers. Anyone on the internet can send update calls to your canister, and each call burns cycles even if your code ultimately rejects it. Left unmitigated, this lets an attacker drain your cycle balance by flooding your canister with messages.
 
 This guide covers the patterns that protect against denial-of-service (DoS) attacks: early message filtering, rate limiting, resource allocation, and cycle monitoring.
 

docs/guides/testing/strategies.md

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ sidebar:
 
 Testing [canisters](../../concepts/canisters.md) on ICP deserves particular attention for two reasons. First, canister upgrades are irreversible in
 practice: once a buggy upgrade runs `pre_upgrade`, your stable memory may be corrupted before you can roll back.
-Second, cycles cost real money: a performance regression that doubles your instruction count doubles your operating
+Second, [cycles](../../concepts/cycles.md) cost real money: a performance regression that doubles your instruction count doubles your operating
 cost. Catching these problems in tests before deployment avoids both classes of harm.
 
 ## The testing pyramid

docs/index.mdx

@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ Teach your AI agent canister patterns, API integrations, CLI commands, and deplo
   </Card>
   <Card title="Canisters fund themselves" icon="setting">
     Pre-load a canister with cycles and it pays for its own compute, storage, and bandwidth. No usage-based billing to pass on, no per-user pricing logic to build.
-    [Learn more](concepts/reverse-gas-model.md)
+    [Learn more](concepts/cycles.md)
   </Card>
 </CardGrid>
 

docs/reference/cycles-costs.md

@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ Certain ICP features have additional cycle costs beyond the base execution and m
 ## Related pages
 
 - [Cycles management](../guides/canister-management/cycles-management.md): Topping up and monitoring canister balances
-- [Reverse gas model](../concepts/reverse-gas-model.md): Why canisters (not users) pay for execution
+- [Cycles](../concepts/cycles.md): Why canisters (not users) pay for execution
 - [Subnet types](subnet-types.md): Cost multipliers per subnet type
 
 <!-- Upstream: informed by dfinity/portal docs/building-apps/essentials/gas-cost.mdx, docs/references/cycles-cost-formulas.mdx, docs/building-apps/canister-management/resource-limits.mdx -->