The spend cap for my first AI project was just a limit on an Anthropic API key.
Crossing your fingers that users don't find your limit, and that it's high enough for their usage anyway, is a sign that you need a real control layer.
AI spend control is not trivial
It seems like it would be easy, right? It's just a meter per user and a few if statements.
Then the questions and edge cases start. And don't really stop.






