> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.korve.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Budgets & usage

> Metered usage at rate-card prices, with per-project monthly caps and an optional hard stop.

Korve meters everything your projects consume and prices it against the
public rate card. Budgets watch month-to-date spend per project and flag —
or, with hard stop, suspend — overruns.

## The rate card

Prices are per unit, in USD. Meter ids are stable and machine-usable.

| Meter id                             | What it meters                               | Unit             | Price   |
| ------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------- | ---------------- | ------- |
| `compute.always-on.shared-1x-2gb`    | Always-on compute (shared, 1 vCPU / 2 GB)    | hour             | \$0.042 |
| `compute.always-on.shared-1x-1gb`    | Always-on compute (shared, 1 vCPU / 1 GB)    | hour             | \$0.03  |
| `compute.always-on.dedicated-1x-2gb` | Always-on compute (dedicated, 1 vCPU / 2 GB) | hour             | \$0.125 |
| `compute.scale-to-zero.requests`     | Scale-to-zero requests                       | million requests | \$0.90  |
| `network.egress`                     | Egress                                       | GB               | \$0.06  |
| `storage.objects`                    | Object storage                               | GB-month         | \$0.045 |
| `database.storage`                   | Database storage                             | GB-month         | \$0.30  |
| `database.compute`                   | Project database                             | month            | \$15.00 |
| `logs.events`                        | Log events                                   | 1M events        | \$1.70  |
| `agent.diagnosis`                    | Agent diagnosis                              | run              | \$0.20  |

The platform minimum is **\$5/month, credited against usage**. The current
rate card is always available programmatically via
[`GET /v1/orgs/{orgId}/billing`](/api-reference/billing) or
`korve billing show`.

## Reading usage

```bash theme={null}
korve usage show                              # current calendar month
korve usage show --since 2026-06-01T00:00:00Z
```

API: `GET .../usage` returns `{ meters: [{ meterId, quantity, costUsd }], totalUsd }`.
MCP: `await korve.usage.get({ orgId, projectId })`. See the
[Usage API](/api-reference/usage).

Internal meters and agents can also record quantities directly with
`korve usage record --meter <meter-id> --quantity <n>`
(`POST .../usage`) — unknown meter ids are rejected with `422`.

## Budgets

A budget is a monthly USD cap per project:

```bash theme={null}
korve budget set --cap-usd 50 --alert-at 80 --hard-stop
korve budget show     # cap, hard stop, alert threshold, month-to-date spend
korve budget remove   # usage keeps accruing, uncapped
```

* **`--alert-at`** — alert threshold as a percent of the cap (1-100,
  default 80).
* **`--hard-stop`** — once month-to-date spend reaches the cap, the
  project's paid activity is suspended. Default off (alert-only).
* Setting a budget replaces the previous one; omitted options reset to
  defaults.

Recording usage against a budgeted project returns the budget standing
inline (`{ capUsd, spendUsd, exceeded }`), so agents see overruns the
moment they happen. Full contracts in the
[Budgets API](/api-reference/budgets).

**Set a budget with `--hard-stop` on any project an autonomous agent
operates.** It converts a runaway loop from an invoice into a suspension.