Limit cost, steps and loops

How to do it

Set a maximum output length on every model call. Count tool calls per task and stop at a fixed number. Track spend per user and per day, with an alert well before the hard cap. Rate limit the chat endpoint like any other.

Example

const MAX_STEPS = 10;
const MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS = 1024;
const DAILY_BUDGET_CENTS_PER_USER = 50;

for step in range(MAX_STEPS):
    reply = model.call(messages, max_tokens=MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS)
    if reply.done:
        break
else:
    raise StepLimitReached(MAX_STEPS)

How to check

Ask the agent for an endless task, such as "count to a billion one number at a time". It stops at the step cap with a clear message, and the spend log shows the cap.