How to add spending limits to autonomous payment bots

What limits protect against

Autonomous payment bots fail in boring ways. A scheduler loops. A prompt repeats a tool call. A provider submits many jobs at once. A webhook is replayed. Limits are the last line of defense when application logic gets confused.

The right model is simple: the bot can spend, but only inside a budget that the operator understands before the bot starts running.

Limit types

• Per-transaction limit: the maximum one payment can move.
• Daily limit: the maximum a wallet can spend in a day.
• Workflow budget: your app-level budget for one job, market, user, or provider.
• Recipient controls: your app-level allowlist for trusted handles or addresses.

Set wallet limits

async function setBotWalletLimits(walletId: string) {
  const response = await fetch(
    "https://api.viaclave.com/v1/wallets/" + walletId + "/limits",
    {
      method: "PUT",
      headers: {
        "Authorization": "Bearer vc_live_YOUR_KEY",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        daily_limit: 100000000,
        per_tx_limit: 5000000,
      }),
    },
  );

  return response.json();
}

Add app-level policy

Wallet limits are hard boundaries. Your application should still decide whether a payment makes sense for the workflow.

function canPayProvider(input: {
  providerHandle: string;
  amount: number;
  jobBudgetRemaining: number;
  approvedProviders: Set<string>;
}) {
  return input.approvedProviders.has(input.providerHandle) &&
    input.amount <= input.jobBudgetRemaining &&
    input.amount <= 5000000;
}

Operator dashboard fields

• Wallet ID and label.
• Daily limit, per-transaction limit, and amount spent today.
• Last 10 outgoing payments.
• Recent limit rejections.
• Button to pause automated payouts in the application.

Launch pattern

Start with limits that feel too low. Raise them after the bot has real usage data. This is easier than explaining why a new integration spent the whole monthly budget in one afternoon.