Agent Budget Template
Every agent gets a budget before it gets a key. This template structures the number — and maps to rules.
The template
Agent: [NAME] — purpose: [WHAT IT DOES].
Daily ceiling: [$] | Monthly ceiling: [$].
Approved vendors: [LIST].
Categories: [allowed] / [blocked].
Approval threshold: [$].
Owner & approver: [NAME].
Turning it into rules
Ceiling → daily cap. Vendors → allowlist. Categories → category rules. Threshold → approval flag.
One agent, four rules
{
"daily_ceiling": 500,
"merchant_allowlist": ["openai.com", "data-vendor.com"],
"category_rule": {"data": "allow", "compute": "block"},
"approval_threshold": {"over": 200, "action": "flag"}
}The budget becomes enforceable decisions.
FAQ
What's a good starting ceiling?
Whatever the task legitimately costs × 1.5 — tight enough to catch runaways, loose enough to work.
Who sets it?
The engineer shipping the agent, reviewed by the budget owner.
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