---
title: "Fix: Scout Token Purchase Not Deducting Currency"
description: "Scout token buy flow silently failed to deduct 200₼ due to using db_patch instead of the dedicated money endpoint."
type: troubleshooting
domain: development
tags: [paper-dynasty, discord, api, bug-fix]
---

# Fix: Scout Token Purchase Not Deducting Currency

**Date:** 2026-03-15
**PR:** #90
**Severity:** High — players getting free tokens

## Problem

The `/buy scout-token` command completed successfully but didn't deduct the 200₼ cost. Players could buy unlimited tokens.

## Root Cause

The buy handler used `db_patch('/players/{id}', {'scout_tokens': new_count})` to increment tokens, but this endpoint doesn't trigger the money deduction side-effect. The dedicated `/players/{id}/money` endpoint handles balance validation and atomic deduction.

## Fix

Replaced the `db_patch` call with a two-step flow:
1. `POST /players/{id}/money` with `{"amount": -200, "reason": "scout_token_purchase"}`
2. Only increment `scout_tokens` if the money call succeeds

## Lessons

- Always use dedicated money endpoints for currency operations — never raw patches
- The `db_patch` helper bypasses business logic by design (it's for admin corrections)
- Added integration test covering the full buy→deduct→verify flow