How to cap Netlify spending on credit-based plans

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On Netlify's credit-based plans, the cap is built in. When your team's monthly credits run out, projects pause instead of billing more. That stays true only while auto recharge is off, and auto recharge is off by default.

Official docs: Billing FAQ for credit-based plans and Configure auto recharge

This guide is for credit-based plans. Accounts created on Free, Starter or Pro before September 4, 2025 are on Legacy plans unless they switched, and those work differently. See Legacy billing.

What uses Netlify credits

Netlify calls credits "a Netlify-specific currency we developed to standardize the usage and costs of metered features." Its billing FAQ lists:

Production deploys: 15 credits per production deploy
AI inference: 180 credits per $1 USD of AI model usage
Compute: 10 credits per GB-hour
Form submissions: free
Bandwidth: 20 credits per GB
Web requests: 2 credits per 10,000 requests

Source: Billing FAQ for credit-based plans

Also on Vercel? Vercel's cap needs one extra switch. See all 9 providers.

Keep auto recharge off

Only Team Owners can change this.

From your Netlify team dashboard, go to Usage & billing.
Under Current services and Credit balance, choose Configure auto recharge.
Choose Disabled and confirm.

With auto recharge on, Netlify reloads credits from your saved payment method (Personal: 500 credits for $5 as needed, Pro: 1,500 credits for $10 as needed) until the cycle resets or you turn it off.

Cap AI agent usage

Agent Runners have their own limit.

Go to your Netlify team dashboard, then Team settings > AI enablement.
Under AI usage limits, choose Configure, select Enforce credit limit, and enter the limit.
Confirm. Changes apply right away to all projects in the team.

(Manage AI features)

What the cap does

When the monthly credit allotment is used up, all web projects on the team pause. Visitors see a Site not available page, and new production deploys and form submissions stop until the next cycle.
Netlify notes that "if one site/web project exceeds its limits, all sites/projects on your account will be paused."
Netlify sends email and in-app notices as you approach the limit.

What it does not do

It pauses everything at once, which is safe for your wallet but not graceful for production.
The AI Credit Usage Limit covers Agent Runners only. On non-Enterprise plans, AI Gateway usage doesn't count toward it and keeps working.
Usage emails go to the team. Netlify documents a Slack app for usage notifications on Pro, but no generic webhook (Monitor usage).

Where CapBrake helps

Netlify already has a cap you can turn on, so the job is to make sure it is on. Use the free CapBrake checklist to tick off each step above. Your progress is saved in your browser. No account and no API key.