Keep your AI spending in check

When you're done, there's a firm ceiling on what your Chirps can spend, and a way to slow down or pause any single Chirp.

Who can do this: the account owner, on any plan. Visitor limits can also be set by team members who can edit Chirps.

What you'll need: your OpenRouter key connected to Chirp Builder.

There are two layers. The first, at OpenRouter, protects your whole account. The second, in Chirp Builder, protects each Chirp.

1. Give your key a credit limit at OpenRouter

This is the most important one: the key simply stops working once it has spent its limit, so nothing can spend past it.

1. Go to openrouter.ai/keys and open the key you use for Chirp Builder.
2. Set its credit limit, for example $20, and choose how often it resets: daily, weekly, monthly or never.
3. Save it at OpenRouter. There's nothing to change in Chirp Builder.

Chirp Builder's Settings reminds you of this under your key:

When the limit is used up, your Chirps stop answering until it resets or you raise it. Click Check again on the card in Settings to see why; it says This key's own credit limit is used up. Raise it at OpenRouter, or make a new key.

2. Set visitor limits on a Chirp

Each Chirp has its own limits, in section 10. Visitor limits of its editor:

• Pause this Chirp: visitors see "This Chirp is taking a short break. Please check back later." until you turn it off.
• Messages per visitor per day: how many messages one visitor can send this Chirp each day. Visitors are counted by their internet connection, so people on the same school or office network share one allowance.
• Messages per day for this Chirp: how many messages all visitors together can send it each day.

Leave a box empty for no limit. Click Save, and the limits apply straight away; you don't need to publish. Days reset at midnight UTC. You're never limited in your own preview.

When a limit is reached, visitors see "You've reached today's message limit for this Chirp. Please come back tomorrow." or "This Chirp has reached its message limit for today. Please come back tomorrow."

Other ways to spend less

• Choose a cheaper model. The model list shows about what a typical reply costs. See Choose your Chirp's AI model.
• Shorten replies. A lower Max reply tokens under 5. Model caps how long an answer can be.
• Turn off what you don't need. Web search and image creation cost extra on each use.
• Watch your costs on your dashboard and in Analytics: See what your Chirps cost.