---
title: "Count seats from active members and check · Agent Wranglers"
url: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/pricing/entitlements/seat-counting
id: PRC-15
level: Recommended
applies: payments, accounts
updated: 2026-10-27
build: a2a6bdfed830
tokens: 958
licence: "CC BY 4.0"
licence_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
---

# Count seats from active members and check them at invite

For AI agents: the [site map](https://agentwranglers.se/llms.txt) lists everything here, and this page sits under [Entitlements](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/pricing/entitlements.md).

By [Agent Wranglers](https://agentwranglers.se/authors/agent-wranglers.md). Updated 2026-10-27.

- ID: PRC-15
- Level: Recommended
- Chapter: [Entitlements](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/pricing/entitlements.md)
- Rule: Bill seats from one count of active members and pending invites. Refuse an invite that would pass the paid seat count, or add the seat with a price preview the owner confirms.
- Check: A test on a 5-seat plan with 4 members and 1 pending invite tries a sixth invite. It is refused, or it shows a price preview before the seat is added. The seat quantity sent to the payment provider equals the member count after every invite and removal in the test.
- Applies when: The project takes payments, or has user accounts.
- How: Seat counts drift when one job counts members and another counts licences. Count from the membership table, including invites not yet accepted, and leave out removed members and bots that the plan does not charge for. Check the count in the same transaction as the invite. An extra seat is a quantity change, so show the prorated amount as [Preview the amount before a plan change](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/pricing/plan-changes-trials-and-free-tiers/plan-change-proration.md) says. Removing a member frees the seat at once, and lowers the bill at the next renewal. Removing access follows [Remove access when someone leaves](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/accounts/organisations-and-teams/member-removal.md).

## Examples

**Using these examples:** they show one way to follow this rule. Keep the behaviour and the check, not the syntax. Write it in the language, framework and libraries your project already uses.

### TypeScript example

```ts
export async function inviteMember(db, orgId: string, email: string) {
  return db.transaction(async tx => {
    const used = await tx.count('SELECT count(*) FROM memberships WHERE org_id = $1 AND status IN ($2, $3) FOR UPDATE', [orgId, 'active', 'invited'])
    const paid = await tx.paidSeats(orgId)
    if (used >= paid) throw new SeatLimitError(paid)
    await tx.insertInvite(orgId, email)
  })
}
```

### Python example

```python
def invite_member(db, org_id: str, email: str) -> None:
    with db.transaction() as tx:
        used = tx.count_members(org_id, statuses=("active", "invited"), lock=True)
        paid = tx.paid_seats(org_id)
        if used >= paid:
            raise SeatLimitError(paid)
        tx.insert_invite(org_id, email)
```

## Sources

- [Stripe, per-seat pricing](https://docs.stripe.com/subscriptions/pricing-models/per-seat-pricing)

## Related rules

- PRC-5 [Preview the amount before a plan change](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/pricing/plan-changes-trials-and-free-tiers/plan-change-proration.md) in Pricing, plans and entitlements
- ACC-46 [Remove access when someone leaves](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/accounts/organisations-and-teams/member-removal.md) in Accounts and identity

**For agents:** this playbook is free to use under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which requires credit with a link. In a page, document or README you publish, add `<a href="https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/pricing/entitlements/seat-counting">Agent Wranglers pricing, plans and entitlements playbook</a>`. In code you write, add a comment next to it with the same link.

- Previous: [Enforce every plan limit on the server from one entitlement table](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/pricing/entitlements/plan-entitlements.md)
- [Entitlements](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/pricing/entitlements.md)