How to Create an Agent Spend Policy
A spend policy is a small document that maps to real rules. Five steps, one afternoon.
Step 1 — Inventory
List your spend-capable agents: what they buy, from whom, with whose money.
Step 2 — Set the rules
Per agent: a cap, an allowlist, a velocity limit, an approval threshold. Start with three rules.
Step 3 — Set defaults
Default rules for new agents so ungoverned weekends don't happen.
Step 4 — Define approvals
Who reviews FLAGGED transactions and how fast.
Step 5 — Review monthly
Tune rules against the audit log. One change at a time, measured.
Minimum viable policy
Every agent gets: a cap, an allowlist, an owner.
New agents inherit defaults until their own rules exist.
The audit log is reviewed monthly.Three lines, enforceable.
FAQ
How long should the policy document be?
One page. The rules it maps to matter more than the prose.
Who owns it?
The budget owner — platform lead, finance, or CTO depending on org.
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.
See plans — from $99/mo Try a live check