> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.kodus.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Monthly Spend Limit

> Get alerted as your BYOK model spend approaches a monthly cap. Alerts only — reviews keep running.

The monthly spend limit watches how much you're spending on your **BYOK models** and notifies your organization's Owners as that spend approaches a cap you set. It's an early-warning signal, not a hard stop.

<Warning>
  **This is a notification, not a cap. Kodus never blocks or pauses reviews when the limit is hit.** Spend keeps accruing on your provider account past 100%. To actually stop spend, set a hard limit in your **model provider's** dashboard (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, etc.) — that's the only thing that can enforce it. Treat the Kodus limit as a heads-up so the provider cap is never a surprise.
</Warning>

## What it tracks

* **BYOK models only.** Spend is measured against the models you configured under [Bring Your Own Key](/how_to_use/en/byok) — the keys you pay your provider for directly. Models Kodus runs on its own side don't count.
* **Priced at current rates, per model.** Each model's tokens are priced at that model's current rate. There's no snapshot — if a model's price changes (catalog update or a manual edit), that model's month-to-date usage is recomputed at the new rate. Switching to a different model doesn't re-price the model you were using before.
* **Per calendar month (UTC).** The window runs from the 1st of the month to the 1st of the next. Usage resets to \$0 automatically at the start of each month — there's nothing to reset by hand.

<Info>
  For the figure to reflect only Kodus, we recommend the **API key you give Kodus is used exclusively with Kodus**. If the same key also powers other tools, your provider usage — and any estimate based on it — mixes the two.
</Info>

## Configure it

The limit lives on the BYOK screen, below your Main and Fallback models.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open BYOK settings">
    Go to [app.kodus.io/organization/byok](https://app.kodus.io/organization/byok) and scroll to **Monthly spend limit**. (The section appears once you have at least one BYOK model configured.)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the model prices">
    Each configured model shows its per-token price — **input, output, cache read, cache write** — as **\$ / 1M tokens**. A **Catalog** badge means Kodus found the price automatically; a **Manual** badge means you've entered it yourself.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fix any model with no price">
    A model badged **No price** couldn't be priced automatically (a custom or uncatalogued model). Type its per-token prices from your provider's pricing page. You can't enable the limit until every model has a price — spend can't be tracked for a model Kodus can't price.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the monthly limit and enable">
    Enter your cap in US\$, flip **Enable spend alerts** on, and click **Save spend limit**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Model pricing

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Catalog vs. manual prices">
    Kodus looks each model up in a public pricing catalog and pre-fills what it finds (**Catalog**). If the catalog is wrong or missing a model, type the correct per-token rates — the badge switches to **Manual** and your values are used instead.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Revert a manual price back to catalog">
    On a model you've overridden, click **Revert to catalog price**. The inputs reset to the catalog values and the badge flips back to **Catalog**. From then on that model tracks the live catalog price again (no frozen snapshot).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why a model might show 'No price'">
    Custom endpoints, self-hosted models, or models the catalog hasn't indexed have no automatic price. Enter the rates manually to make them trackable. Until then, the limit can't be enabled.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Alerts

Once enabled, Kodus checks your month-to-date spend roughly **once an hour** and notifies your organization's **Owners** in the notification center as you cross each threshold:

| Threshold     | What you get                                                                                                         |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **50%**       | Heads-up alert                                                                                                       |
| **75%**       | Heads-up alert                                                                                                       |
| **90%**       | Heads-up alert                                                                                                       |
| **100%**      | "Limit reached" alert                                                                                                |
| **Over 100%** | One final "you're over your limit — we won't notify again this month" notice, then silence for the rest of the month |

Each threshold fires **at most once per month**, so you won't get repeat pings for the same level. The slate clears automatically when the new month starts.

<Note>
  Reviews continue running normally the entire time — at 50%, at 100%, and beyond. The alerts are the only thing that happens.
</Note>

You can manage where these land (and which roles receive them) under **Spend Limit** in [Notification settings](https://app.kodus.io/organization/notifications).

## Accuracy

Spend is an **estimate**. It's derived from the tokens your reviews used and the per-token prices shown on the BYOK screen — it won't match your provider invoice to the cent.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Keep prices accurate" icon="tags">
    Check the catalog prices against your provider's pricing page and correct any that are off. Subscription/flat-rate plans especially won't match per-token catalog pricing.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Use the key only with Kodus" icon="key">
    A dedicated key means the usage Kodus sees is the usage Kodus caused — nothing else inflates the figure.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Warning>
  **Concurrent reviews can briefly overshoot the cap.** Many PRs reviewed at once near the limit can push month-to-date spend a bit past 100% before the next hourly check catches it. This is expected — another reason the real cap belongs at your provider.
</Warning>

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Does hitting the limit stop my reviews?">
    No. It's notification-only. To stop spend, set a hard limit in your model provider's billing dashboard.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What counts toward the spend?">
    Only token usage on your **BYOK** models, priced at the current rates shown on the BYOK screen. Kodus-hosted models don't count.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="When does the spend reset?">
    On the 1st of each calendar month (UTC). Month-to-date spend goes back to \$0 and all threshold alerts re-arm automatically.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I switched models mid-month — does my spend jump?">
    No. Spend is tracked **per model**: each model's tokens are priced at *that model's* rate. If you spent \$50 on model A and then switch to model B, model A's usage stays at \$50 — switching to B never re-prices A's tokens at B's rate. Your total just grows by what model B then uses.

    The only thing that re-prices already-incurred usage is a change to **that same model's price** — when the pricing catalog updates a model's rate, or you edit its manual price on the BYOK screen, that model's month-to-date usage is recomputed at the new rate (there's no frozen snapshot).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why can't I enable the limit?">
    Every configured model must have a price (catalog or manual) and the monthly limit must be greater than \$0. Fix any **No price** model and set a positive amount, then save.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Who gets the alerts?">
    Your organization's Owners, in the in-app notification center. Adjust routing under **Spend Limit** in Notification settings.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>