Spending limits for AI agents
Every Arettic agent key has a monthly budget and an approval threshold, enforced on our side. Your agent can't change them, and big purchases wait for a person.
An agent that buys things needs limits it can't change. On Arettic, every agent key has a monthly budget ($50 by default) and an approval threshold ($20 by default). Both are checked on our side, on every request, before any money is held. Going over either doesn't fail the purchase. It asks a person, and the agent carries on once they say yes.
The limits
| Limit | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly budget | $50 a month | A purchase that would take the agent over it waits for approval. Owners get an email at 80%. |
| Approval threshold | $20 a request | A request above it waits for approval. Choose $5, $20, $50 or never. |
| IP allowlist | Any IP | Only these addresses or ranges can use the key. |
How an approval works
- Nothing runs and nothing is held. The agent gets
approval_requiredand anapproval_id. - Every owner gets an email with a one-click approve or decline link. No sign-in needed.
- Once it's approved, the agent sends the same request with the
approval_id. It runs for exactly that tool, input and amount. - Approvals expire after 24 hours.
Other guards
- Revoke at once. Revoking a key stops the agent on its next request.
- Velocity alerts. If an agent spends more than 3 times its usual hourly rate, owners get an email.
- Free failures. A failed call costs nothing, so a broken provider can't drain your balance.
- One key per agent. Give each agent its own key and its own limits. Agents are unlimited on every plan.
Set them
Set limits on the Agents page in the dashboard, or with the org API. An agent key can read its own limits but never change them.
curl -X PATCH https://api.arettic.com/v1/orgs/$ORG_ID/agents/$AGENT_ID \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $ARETTIC_ORG_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "monthly_budget_credits": 200000, "approval_threshold_credits": 50000 }'
Every field and status is on Budgets and approvals.
Questions
How do I stop an AI agent from overspending?
Give it a key whose budget and approval threshold are enforced by the API, not by the agent's own code. On Arettic both are on by default.
Can the agent raise its own limits?
No. An agent key can read its limits but never change them. Only an owner, or an org key with write access, can.
What happens when an agent hits its budget?
The purchase waits for an owner to approve it. Nothing is charged until they do.
Do endpoint calls count toward the budget?
Yes. Endpoint calls and guaranteed jobs share the same monthly budget.
Can I limit where a key is used from?
Yes. Add IP addresses or CIDR ranges to the key's allowlist.