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

# Usage Limits and Top-Ups

> How monthly limits work, what users see when they hit one, and how to extend them.

Usage limits keep monthly consumption predictable. They work at two levels, and both reset at the start of each calendar month.

## The Two Levels

**Your organization's monthly limit** is set by ClarityQ as part of your agreement. You can't edit it in ClarityQ — instead you extend it for the current month by buying a top-up.

**Per-user limits** are yours to manage, and they're optional. When they're enabled for your organization you can set a default limit that applies to everyone, override it for individuals, and grant extra to someone who needs it.

The two counters measure slightly different things. Your organization's limit counts **everything** your org consumed, API calls included. A per-user limit counts only what that person did in the app, Slack, tasks, and the embed — API usage and background work don't count against an individual.

## What Users See

At **80%** of their limit, a user gets a warning in the chat telling them roughly how much is left and when it resets. They can dismiss it and keep working.

At the limit, prompts stop. The composer is disabled and a banner explains when access returns. It can't be dismissed — the only ways out are a reset, a top-up, or extra granted by an admin. When more room is made available, the block lifts on its own without a reload.

Scheduled tasks are skipped while a limit is reached, and **resume automatically** when it resets or more room is added. Nobody has to restart them.

## Admin Notifications

Admins are notified by email and Slack when the organization crosses **80%** of its limit, and again when it's reached. The 80% notice is your cue to top up if you expect to need more before the month ends.

## Managing Limits

Limits live under **Organization Settings → User Management**, alongside the people they apply to.

An **org usage card** at the top shows your remaining balance for the period, a breakdown of where consumption came from, and buttons to **Set Limits**, **Buy Top-up**, and view **History**. The history panel lists every limit change and top-up in the current month.

The users table gains a usage column, and — when per-user limits are on — a limit column showing each person's ceiling, any extra they've been granted, and whether they've hit it.

### Setting Per-User Limits

**Set Limits** opens a dialog where you set the **default limit per user**. It applies to everyone across all workspaces, and it does not apply to API calls.

Two options are worth knowing:

* **Exempt admins from this limit** — admins skip the per-user limit. Your organization's limit still applies to them.
* **Clear existing user overrides and top-ups** — resets everyone to the default. Usage already recorded is untouched.

To help you pick a number, the dialog shows your average usage per user over the last 30 days, how many people exceed that average, and what your heaviest user consumed.

<Note>
  You can't set a limit below what someone has already used this month. ClarityQ tells you who's over and what the minimum workable limit is. Limits are never applied retroactively or deferred to next month.
</Note>

### Overriding One User

Use **Set usage limit** on a row to give an individual a different ceiling, or no limit at all. An override stays until you change or remove it.

## Top-Ups

There are two kinds, and they solve different problems.

### Org Top-Up — Extends Your Organization's Limit

**Buy Top-up** on the org usage card raises your organization's limit for the **current month**. It covers all usage, including API. Pick a preset amount or enter a custom one; the dialog converts it into your billing unit and shows your new limit.

Two things to know:

* **No payment is taken at the time.** ClarityQ includes it in your monthly invoice based on your consumption.
* **Top-ups expire at the end of the month.** They raise this month's ceiling, not your ongoing limit.

This button appears when your organization extends its limit manually. Some organizations are instead configured for **automatic top-ups**, in which case the card says so and the ceiling is raised for you rather than blocking.

### Grant Extra — Unblocks One Person

**Grant extra** on a user's row gives that person a one-time amount on top of their limit for the current month. It's **free of charge** and doesn't touch your organization's limit — it's how you unblock a single user without buying anything.

If they're currently paused, they can send prompts again immediately and their scheduled tasks resume on their own.

## Related

* [Usage Dashboard](/admin/usage-dashboard) — seeing where consumption comes from
* [User Management and Roles](/admin/user-management-and-roles) — roles and access