Agent Budget Approval Matrix
An approval matrix answers 'who decides?' for every spend shape — before it happens. Here's the template.
The matrix
Under $100, allowlisted vendor → auto-approve.
$100–$500 → agent owner approves.
$500–$5,000 → budget owner approves.
Over $5,000 → finance + budget owner.
New vendor, any amount → procurement vetting first.
Blocked categories → never approved.
Enforcement
The matrix maps to rules: approval thresholds per tier, merchant allowlist, category blocks.
Rule sketch
{
"approval_threshold": {"over": 100, "action": "flag"},
"approval_threshold": {"over": 5000, "action": "flag", "queue": "finance"},
"merchant_allowlist": {"allowed": ["openai.com", "data-vendor.com"]}
}The matrix becomes decisions.
FAQ
What's a good default?
Start with the 100/500/5000 tiers and tune with audit-log data.
Who maintains it?
The budget owner, reviewed quarterly.
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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