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What is a Kill Switch?

A kill switch is a control that instantly disables an agent's ability to spend — the emergency brake for a runaway.

How it works

One action disables spending for an agent, fleet, or merchant.

The next transaction is blocked the moment it's evaluated.

Why it matters

Runaways compound at machine speed — seconds count.

A kill switch turns 'stop the bleeding' from a project into a click.

The design principle

The kill switch should be faster than the agent. Deterministic rules make that possible.

FAQ

Does a kill switch undo past spend?

No — it stops new spend. Past transactions stay in the audit log.

Is a kill switch enough?

No — pair it with ceilings and velocity limits so you rarely need it.

Related

Stop the next $12,400 night.

One API call (or MCP tool) in front of every agent transaction — APPROVED, BLOCKED, or FLAGGED, deterministic, ~5 ms, fully logged.

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