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Token Budgets and Usage

Navaid uses tokens when an AI model reads context and generates output. Monthly token budgets protect against uncontrolled AI consumption.

Budgets can affect sessions, summaries, Aida, competitor analysis, voice, feedback structuring, company-information synthesis, Prospect Radar and other AI-powered operations—not only chat messages.

Effective monthly limit​

When the company-budget master switch is enabled, Navaid resolves separate input and output limits in this order:

  1. a user-specific override, if one exists;
  2. the selected company’s default user limits;
  3. the platform fallback.

Month-to-date input and output usage are checked before an AI-spending request. Reaching either effective limit can block the request.

Company defaults are maintained by System Admins under Company → Settings. The current user interface does not offer a general per-user budget editor.

In-session indicator​

The budget indicator:

  • is hidden below 50% input usage;
  • appears in individual sessions after that point;
  • changes to warning styling at 80%;
  • changes to critical styling at 95%;
  • shows remaining input tokens.

The server also checks output tokens. You can therefore be blocked even when the visible input indicator appears to have capacity.

If company-budget enforcement is disabled platform-wide, the indicator is hidden and monthly checks are skipped.

What happens at a limit​

The AI operation is declined before more model usage is incurred. Depending on the surface, Navaid displays a budget-related error instead of:

  • the next advisor answer;
  • summary generation;
  • a competitor report;
  • an Aida answer or voice response;
  • a live-voice room;
  • a grounded hunt;
  • another AI-generated result.

Existing messages, summaries and maturity state remain available.

What to do as a user​

  1. Do not repeatedly retry the same blocked request.
  2. Save any unsent notes locally if appropriate.
  3. Tell your Company Admin which action was blocked.
  4. Include the selected company and approximate time.
  5. Ask a System Admin to review input and output usage and company defaults.

Avoid splitting work across duplicate accounts or companies to bypass policy.

Monitor as a company administrator​

Open Company → Usage to review:

  • 30-day trend;
  • input/output totals;
  • monthly ledger;
  • member breakdown;
  • recent sessions;
  • estimated cost.

Company Admins and Consultants can monitor but cannot change the guarded company-default budget fields. See Company usage.

Configure as a System Admin​

  1. keep System Admin → Budgets → Company budgets enabled;
  2. select the intended company;
  3. open Company → Settings;
  4. review input and output defaults;
  5. change limits carefully;
  6. monitor the Usage tab after the change.

Reducing a limit below current month usage can immediately block later requests. Increasing it does not change usage already recorded.

Stored daily and alert settings​

The System Admin Budgets tab also displays:

  • System-wide daily token budget
  • User/system alert thresholds

At present these values are stored but not consumed by the runtime AI gate or user indicator:

  • enabling the daily field does not enforce a daily stop;
  • changing alert percentages does not alter the indicator’s fixed 80%/95% thresholds;
  • no runtime system-wide alert workflow uses those stored values.

Do not rely on them as cost controls until Navaid implements and verifies the corresponding consumers.

Cost estimates​

Navaid displays estimated cost for operational comparison. It is not a quote or invoice. Model pricing, billable categories and provider rounding can differ; use provider billing for financial authority.

Practical usage guidance​

  • Give focused context rather than repeatedly restating the full history.
  • Upload only relevant source documents.
  • Finish a session once the intended outcome is achieved.
  • Avoid multiple simultaneous retries after an error.
  • Use the company knowledge profile to prevent re-explaining stable facts.
  • Treat voice and grounded search as higher-consumption workflows.

Do not compromise answer quality merely to minimise every token; budgets are guardrails, not a target score.

Troubleshooting​

No indicator is visible​

Usage may be under 50%, data may still be loading, or the master switch may be off.

The indicator says tokens remain but the request is blocked​

The output limit may have been reached, or a different AI/rate control may apply.

Daily usage exceeded the configured daily value​

The daily value is currently stored-only and not enforced.

Admin alert settings had no effect​

The current indicator uses fixed thresholds. See System Admin Budgets.

Totals differ from provider billing​

Compare the same time period and distinguish application accounting from provider invoice data.

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