🔒 Permissions: Workspace Admins can view and adjust Budget settings. Members don't have access to this page. Learn more about roles →
The Budget page is where you set limits on how much your workspace can spend beyond what's included in your plan. You can see current-period usage at a glance and adjust two controls: Extra usage (for messaging Minis and workforce agents) and Extra memory (spend on Memory beyond what's included, see How search works in Minikai for what Memory is).
Memory is the room (measured in GB) your workspace has for the records, documents, and attachments tied to your active Minis (the people you're currently providing care for). It grows as your team adds records, and it shrinks when Minis or records are archived.
When to use this
You want a hard ceiling on your messaging invoice for the current billing period.
Your team has reached the included usage and can't message Minis or workforce agents.
You're onboarding and adding lots of historical records and need temporary headroom for Memory.
You want to check current-period usage against what's included in your plan.
How it works
Your plan includes a set amount of usage and a set amount of Memory each billing period. The Budget page shows both as a percentage of what's included.
The two controls work differently. Extra usage genuinely limits messaging: at $0, users can't message Minis or workforce agents once the included usage is reached. Extra memory doesn't currently limit anything, all eligible data keeps loading into Memory regardless of your usage, and going over your included Memory doesn't stop uploads or Mini answers. It's billed at your plan's rate, and Extra memory is where you set the amount you're comfortable seeing on your invoice for that overage.
🔜 Coming soon: We're building the ability to choose what loads into Memory, and once your workspace is out of included Memory and Extra memory, new data will pause loading into Memory until you free up room or raise the cap. See Managing extra memory for detail.
Both Extra usage and Extra memory are standing settings, once you set them, they stay until you change them. What resets each period is the usage measured against them: your workspace's usage count starts fresh each billing period, but the dollar amounts you've set don't reset on their own.
Step 1: Open the Budget page
Go to Workspace Admin → Budget. You'll see your current-period usage at the top, with Extra usage and Extra memory controls below.
Step 2: Decide on your Extra usage cap
Extra usage controls what happens when your workspace reaches the messaging included in your plan.
Extra usage at $0 (default). Users can't message Minis or workforce agents until the next billing period or until you raise the cap. People can still view records.
Extra usage above $0. Users can keep messaging Minis and workforce agents. Additional usage is billed at your plan's standard rate, up to the cap you've set.
For more on this control, see Managing extra usage.
Step 3: Decide on your Extra memory setting
Extra memory sets the amount you're comfortable being billed for Memory beyond what's included in your plan. It doesn't currently affect whether new data loads into Memory, that happens automatically either way.
Extra memory has a minimum value (the "floor"). It's the larger of $0 or the amount needed to cover Memory your workspace is already using above the included allowance. You can raise Extra memory above the floor, but you can't lower it below. To bring the floor down, archive Minis or records to free Memory.
For more on this control, see Managing extra memory.
Step 4: Save your changes
Enter the dollar amounts you want to allow and save. Changes apply straight away for the current period, and stay in place for future periods until you change them again.
⚠️ Let your team know what to expect: If you keep Extra usage at $0, users won't be able to message Minis or workforce agents the moment the included usage runs out. A quick heads-up to the team avoids any surprises mid-shift.
Tips for setting your budget
Start low and watch the numbers. Keep Extra usage and Extra memory at the default for the first month or two, then adjust based on what you see.
Review at the end of each period. If you're regularly reaching the included usage or Memory, that's a signal to talk to us about a plan that fits your workspace better.
Treat Extra usage as a safety net, not a target. It's the most your workspace can spend on messaging, not what we expect you to spend. Extra memory is different, it's an expectation-setting number for your invoice, not a spending limit, until the Coming soon change above ships.
Archive to free Memory. Archiving Minis or records moves them out of active Memory and frees space for the people you're currently supporting.
ℹ️ Good to know: Extra usage and Extra memory are charged only when used. If your workspace stays within its included allowance, the settings have no effect on your invoice. Additional usage and memory are billed at your plan's standard rate, shown on your Order Form and on your invoice.
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Need help?
If you're not sure what to set, or your workspace is running into limits more than you'd expect, open the Help Desk from the Minikai app and we'll talk it through.