Setting an AI spend guardrail (monthly budget)

You can put a monthly ceiling on your org's AI spend so a busy month can't run away from you. Settings → Usage → "AI spend guardrail" (owner or admin) is where you set it.

How to set a budget:
1. Go to Settings → Usage → "AI spend guardrail"
2. Enter a monthly budget in US dollars (for example, 50). Leave it blank for no cap.
3. Leave "Auto-switch to the cost-saver model when over budget" checked (recommended)
4. Click Save budget

What happens when you cross the budget:
The guardrail is fail-soft by design — it protects your budget without ever stopping your work. When your month-to-date AI spend reaches the budget, higher-cost calls automatically switch to the low-cost model for the rest of the month. Everything keeps working; it just runs on the cheaper model until the month rolls over. You'll see an alert on the Usage tab when you hit 80% and again at 100%.

We never hard-block an AI call because you hit a budget. A blocked workflow is worse than a slightly cheaper one, so the guardrail downgrades — it doesn't deny.

Alerts-only mode:
If you'd rather be warned but not have anything change automatically, uncheck "Auto-switch to the cost-saver model." You'll still get the 80% and 100% alerts, but spend continues at the full rate. Use this if you always want the strongest model regardless of cost.

Removing the cap:
Clear the dollar amount and Save. AI spend goes back to unrestricted, and the alerts and auto-switch stop.

Good to know:
• Everyday chat already runs on the low-cost model, so a downgrade mainly affects heavier work like Design Studio image-to-layout.
• The budget is per calendar month and resets automatically.
• Only owners and admins can change the budget; everyone can see whether one is set.