Before you put money into an AI agent, set limits first. Otherwise, it can really spend everything—and faster than you expect.
Last year, a friend ran a quantitative trading agent. Before the strategy even started, the agent burned through the 200 USDT he had deposited just by doing market research. During testing, it called paid APIs over and over. Each payment was small, but it repeated hundreds of times in one night. If you are reading this now, stop. Take 5 minutes to set the following 4 types of limits before you add funds.
Step 1: The 4 Payment Limits You Cannot Skip
Limit 1: Per-Transaction Limit
What it does: Limits the most the agent can spend in one payment. This blocks a single large transfer, such as when a malicious instruction is injected.
How to set it: In the agent wallet Spending Policy or payment settings, find per-transaction limit. If you use Clawlet, use the set_spending_rules tool and set per_tx_limit. If you use Circle Agent Wallet, there is a matching setting in Circle CLI.
Done when: The configuration page shows the per-transaction limit is active. Use a test command to make the agent try a payment above that amount. It should be rejected with POLICY_REJECTED or a similar error.
Suggested starting value: For beginners, start at $1 per transaction. Watch normal behavior for a week, then increase it.
Limit 2: Cumulative Cap (Daily/Weekly Cap)
What it does: Limits how much the agent can spend in total during a fixed period. This blocks high-frequency small payments that slowly drain your budget.
How to set it: On the same settings page, find daily cap or rolling window limit. In Core Wallet's MCP configuration, this is called a rolling 24-hour limit. Bonanza Agent Wallet supports separate daily and monthly caps.
Done when: The configuration page shows the periodic cap is active. After several small payments reach the cap, the next one is rejected with a message like daily limit exceeded.
Suggested starting value: For beginners, start at $10 per day. Run it for a week, confirm normal spending, then adjust as needed.
Limit 3: Recipient Allowlist
What it does: Restricts the agent to paying only approved addresses or services. This prevents the agent from being tricked into sending money to a strange address.
How to set it:
Option A (allowlist mode): Add the allowed recipient addresses in settings. Core Wallet's MCP configuration supports a "custom recipient" mode. Clawlet supports
allowlistconfiguration.Option B (blocklist mode): Some tools use a blocklist to ban specific addresses. This is similar, but less strict than an allowlist.
Done when: The configuration page shows the allowlist. Test by making the agent try to pay an address that is not on the list. The payment should be rejected.
High-risk warning: A recipient allowlist may only cover certain token types, such as ERC-20 tokens, and may not cover all assets. Core Wallet's documentation clearly states that this policy does not work for non-ERC-20/SPL assets. If your agent handles multiple token types, check what the allowlist actually covers.
Limit 4: Kill Switch / Freeze
What it does: A one-click switch that stops all payments. Use it to stop losses as soon as something looks wrong.
How to set it: Check whether your tool supports an emergency stop:
Clawlet:
freeze_walletcommand freezes all payments with one click.AgentWallet SDK:
safeAbort()method, NFT-based instant permission revocation.Circle Agent Wallet: You can pause or adjust policies at any time in Circle CLI.
Done when: After you trigger freeze, any payment request from the agent is rejected, and the status shows wallet frozen.
Step 2: Final Check Before Adding Funds
After setting all 4 limits, run a complete test:
Per-transaction limit test: Try a payment above the limit → rejected.
Cumulative cap test: Make small payments until you pass the daily cap → the next payment is rejected.
Allowlist test: Pay an address not on the list → rejected.
Kill switch test: Trigger freeze → all payments are rejected.
Done when: All 4 limits pass testing, and the agent's payment behavior is fully constrained. Then add funds to the wallet.
Step 3: Add Funds and Verify
What to do: Send the amount you plan to let the agent use to its wallet address.
How to do it: Use your own personal wallet to send USDC (or a matching stablecoin) to the agent wallet address. It is safer to add only $10–$20 at first. Do not add too much at once. Circle recommends "only add an amount you are willing to let the agent spend."
Done when: Check the agent wallet dashboard or a block explorer. You should see the balance change by the amount you sent minus network fees.
How to verify: The agent's audit log should show an incoming transaction. Use the get_balance command (Clawlet) or Circle CLI to check the balance.
