cost2026-01-141 min read
Budget Controls for Agents
Cost governance patterns: per-run caps, per-tenant budgets, and policy-driven model routing.
title: Budget Controls for Agents
description: Cost governance patterns: per-run caps, per-tenant budgets, and policy-driven model routing.
date: 2026-01-14
tags: [cost, governance, routing, finops]
Budgeting is a product feature
If you can’t cap cost, you can’t offer self-serve.
Patterns
- Per-request max tokens + max tool calls
- Per-workflow budget (aggregate over run)
- Per-tenant monthly limits with alerts
- Policy-driven routing to cheaper models by default
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