05 · Cost controls
Set a spending limit that the agents work within.
See what model work costs and control how quickly it can spend. The shared AI budget applies across active teams, so adding another team does not give it a separate allowance to spend unchecked.
- Check before spending. Reserve the estimated cost before a model request starts, then record the actual usage.
- Wait when the budget is full. Work pauses until budget becomes available and then resumes the same task.
- Bound expensive work. Limit request sizes, output sizes, model calls and time spent on a single request.
- Avoid repeat charges. Duplicate protection limits repeated final reviews; idle teams can stay quiet without routine model polling.
- Trace costs to useful work. Follow usage by project, sprint, task and run, with alerts as limits are approached.
- Keep estimates identifiable. Operational cost records support budgeting; provider billing remains the financial record.
Example from the case study£2.96 per rolling 15 minutesThis was the shared AI spending limit used in the study. Teams waited when it was full and continued when capacity became available. Your installation’s limit is configured to suit your workload.
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The model budget controls AI-provider spending. Infrastructure, hosting, licence and support are separate costs.