AI Automation

Action Limits

Set daily caps on AI actions to prevent runaway automation

Action limits are daily caps on what AI can do. They prevent runaway automation and ensure you maintain control even at high autonomy levels.

Why Action Limits?

Action limits provide:

  • Safety net - Catch issues before they scale
  • Budget control - Limit financial actions
  • Quality assurance - Force review when volume is high
  • Predictability - Know maximum daily impact

Available Limits

Response Limits

LimitDefaultRange
Auto-sent responses/day10010-1000
Drafts created/day50050-5000
Escalations/day5010-500

Platform Action Limits

LimitDefaultRange
Total platform actions/day5010-500
Refunds/day205-100
Account modifications/day205-100
API calls/day20050-2000

Financial Limits

LimitDefaultRange
Total refund amount/day$500$100-$10,000
Single refund max$100$25-$1,000
Total spend/day$1,000$100-$50,000

Setting Limits

Go to Settings → AI → Action Limits

Adjust Limits

  1. Find the limit category
  2. Enter your desired maximum
  3. Click Save

Verify Limits

After saving, limits are active immediately. Check the Limits Dashboard to see current usage.

What Happens at Limits

Approaching Limit (80%)

When usage hits 80%:

  • Warning in dashboard
  • Optional notification
  • AI continues operating

Limit Reached (100%)

When limit is hit:

  • AI stops that action type
  • Tickets queue for human handling
  • Alert sent to admins
  • Resets at midnight UTC

Overage Behavior

By default, AI stops the action. Configure alternatives:

  • Queue for human - Actions wait for approval
  • Escalate all - New tickets escalate
  • Continue with warning - Admin-only option

Monitoring Usage

Limits Dashboard

View current usage at Analytics → Limits:

  • Bar charts showing usage vs limits
  • Time until reset
  • Historical trends

Notifications

Configure alerts:

  • Email when reaching 80%
  • Slack notification at 100%
  • Daily usage summary

Per-Action vs Global Limits

Global Limits

Apply across all actions:

  • "Total platform actions: 50/day"
  • Simple to understand
  • May limit important actions

Per-Action Limits

Specific to each action:

  • "Shopify refunds: 10/day"
  • "GitHub issues: 20/day"
  • More granular control

Combining Both

Use both for layered protection:

Global: 50 actions/day
Per-action:
  - Refunds: 10/day
  - Orders: 30/day
  - Issues: 20/day

Limit Strategies

Conservative Start

Responses: 50/day
Actions: 20/day
Refunds: 5/day

Good for: New deployments, testing

Balanced

Responses: 200/day
Actions: 50/day
Refunds: 20/day

Good for: Most use cases

High Volume

Responses: 1000/day
Actions: 200/day
Refunds: 50/day

Good for: Enterprise, validated AI

Adjusting Over Time

When to Increase

  • Consistently hitting limits early in day
  • High approval rate when reviewed
  • Growing ticket volume

When to Decrease

  • AI making mistakes
  • Unexpected financial impact
  • Want more human oversight

Limit Reset

Daily Reset

Limits reset at midnight UTC every day.

Manual Reset

Admins can manually reset limits:

  1. Go to Settings → AI → Action Limits
  2. Click Reset All Limits
  3. Confirm

Manual reset should be used sparingly. It's designed for exceptional circumstances.

Limits in Analytics

Track limit data:

  • Days limits were hit
  • Average usage vs limits
  • Time of day patterns
  • Action type breakdown

Use this to optimize limit settings.

Emergency Override

In emergencies, admins can:

  1. Temporarily disable limits
  2. Increase limits immediately
  3. Enable "surge mode"

Access via Settings → AI → Emergency Controls.

All overrides are logged for audit.