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Daily AI Cost Limits

Automatically pause agent executions and alert administrators when daily AI spending reaches a configured threshold.

Overview​

The daily cost limit feature protects your organization from runaway AI spend by tracking cumulative costs across all agent executions each day. When spending reaches the configured maximum, Outermind:

  1. Pauses all agent executions to prevent further charges
  2. Sends in-app alerts to all platform administrators
  3. Sends email notifications to platform administrators (if ACS email is configured)

Agents remain paused until an administrator either raises the daily limit or manually resumes execution from Account Settings.

Configuring the Daily Cost Limit​

Navigate to Manage > Account > Settings to view and update your daily cost limit.

SettingDescription
Max Daily Operating CostMaximum AI spend (USD) allowed per day. Defaults to $10.00.
TimezoneThe timezone used to determine when the daily window resets (e.g., America/New_York). Defaults to UTC.
Pause Agent ExecutionManual override to pause all agent executions regardless of spend level.

How Limits Are Enforced​

Each time an agent execution is triggered, the system checks two conditions before allowing it to proceed:

  1. Manual pause - If Pause Agent Execution is enabled in Account Settings, the execution is blocked with reason agent_execution_paused.
  2. Daily cost check - The system sums all AI costs since midnight in your configured timezone. If the total equals or exceeds the daily limit, the execution is blocked with reason daily_cost_limit_exceeded.

When the limit is first breached, the system:

  • Sets Pause Agent Execution = true in Account Settings automatically
  • Sends in-app notifications to all platform admins
  • Sends email alerts to platform admins (if email is enabled)

Subsequent breach detections within a 4-hour window are throttled to avoid notification spam.

Alerts and Notifications​

In-App Alert​

Platform administrators receive an alert in the Outermind notification panel with:

  • Title: Daily AI Cost Limit Reached - Agents Paused
  • Message: The actual spend vs. configured limit, plus instructions to resume
  • Action Link: Direct link to Account Settings

Email Alert​

If Azure Communication Services email is configured, platform administrators also receive an email with:

  • Subject: [Action Required] Daily AI cost limit reached - agents paused
  • Actual spend and configured limit
  • Timezone for the daily window
  • Link to Account Settings

Resuming Agent Executions​

After the daily limit is hit, agents remain paused until you take one of these actions:

Option 1: Raise the Daily Limit​

  1. Navigate to Manage > Account > Settings
  2. Increase the Max Daily Operating Cost value
  3. Disable Pause Agent Execution (the system sets this automatically when the limit is breached)
  4. Save settings - agents resume on the next execution trigger

Option 2: Manually Resume Without Changing the Limit​

  1. Navigate to Manage > Account > Settings
  2. Disable Pause Agent Execution
  3. Save settings - agents resume immediately
warning

If you resume without raising the limit and the daily spend is already at or above the limit, the next execution attempt will immediately re-trigger a pause and send another notification.

Daily Reset​

The cost window resets each day at midnight in the timezone configured in Account Settings. After midnight:

  • The cumulative cost counter starts fresh
  • If Pause Agent Execution was set automatically due to the limit being exceeded the prior day, you must manually clear it in Account Settings - the system does not auto-clear the pause flag at midnight

Monitoring Current Spend​

To check current daily spend before the limit is hit, navigate to Manage > Account > Usage and review the Daily Cost Trend section. The default 7-day view shows recent spend patterns and helps you set an appropriate daily limit.

See Usage Dashboard for full details on cost monitoring.

Troubleshooting​

Agents are paused but I didn't receive a notification​

  • Verify your account has the Platform Admin role - notifications are only sent to platform admins
  • Check whether ACS email is configured if you expected an email
  • Review in-app notifications in the notification panel (bell icon)

Agents paused immediately after I resumed them​

The daily spend has already exceeded the limit for today. Either raise the Max Daily Operating Cost limit before resuming, or wait until midnight for the counter to reset, then clear the pause flag.

The cost shown in the notification doesn't match the Usage Dashboard​

The notification captures the spend at the moment the limit was first exceeded. The Usage Dashboard reflects the full-day total. The discrepancy is expected if executions ran after the limit breach before the pause took effect.