RelayRunner docs: Spend controls
Page: https://relayrunner.app/docs/guides/spend-controls
Markdown: https://relayrunner.app/docs/guides/spend-controls.md
All pages: https://relayrunner.app/docs/llms.txt

Other pages (Markdown):
- Changelog: https://relayrunner.app/docs/changelog.md
- CLI changelog: https://relayrunner.app/docs/changelog/cli.md
- CI traces in your observability tool: https://relayrunner.app/docs/changelog/opentelemetry-traces.md
- Platform changelog: https://relayrunner.app/docs/changelog/platform.md
- Retries, queueing and provider usage: https://relayrunner.app/docs/changelog/retries-queueing-and-provider-usage.md
- Optimized checks: https://relayrunner.app/docs/concepts/optimized-checks.md
- Principles: https://relayrunner.app/docs/concepts/principles.md
- Routing: https://relayrunner.app/docs/concepts/routing.md
- Runner order: https://relayrunner.app/docs/concepts/runner-order.md
- Add a provider: https://relayrunner.app/docs/contribute/add-provider.md
- Feedback: https://relayrunner.app/docs/contribute/feedback.md
- Activity and history: https://relayrunner.app/docs/dashboard/activity.md
- Performance: https://relayrunner.app/docs/dashboard/performance.md
- Remove RelayRunner: https://relayrunner.app/docs/dashboard/remove.md
- Signals: https://relayrunner.app/docs/dashboard/signals.md
- Telemetry: https://relayrunner.app/docs/dashboard/telemetry.md
- Usage and savings: https://relayrunner.app/docs/dashboard/usage.md
- Workspaces and members: https://relayrunner.app/docs/dashboard/workspaces.md
- Set up with an agent: https://relayrunner.app/docs/get-started/agents.md
- How it works with GitHub Actions: https://relayrunner.app/docs/get-started/github-actions.md
- Install the CLI: https://relayrunner.app/docs/get-started/install.md
- Move your workflows over: https://relayrunner.app/docs/get-started/move-over.md
- Route GitHub Actions jobs to any runner: https://relayrunner.app/docs/get-started/overview.md
- Quickstart: https://relayrunner.app/docs/get-started/quickstart.md
- Keep up with coding agents: https://relayrunner.app/docs/guides/agent-surge.md
- Run CI on your laptop while you work: https://relayrunner.app/docs/guides/laptop-ci.md
- macOS and iOS builds on your Mac: https://relayrunner.app/docs/guides/mac-builds.md
- Spend controls: https://relayrunner.app/docs/guides/spend-controls.md (this page)
- Share your team's machines: https://relayrunner.app/docs/guides/team-machines.md
- RelayRunner API: https://relayrunner.app/docs/reference/api.md
- CLI: https://relayrunner.app/docs/reference/cli.md
- Errors: https://relayrunner.app/docs/reference/errors.md
- FAQ: https://relayrunner.app/docs/reference/faq.md
- GitHub App: https://relayrunner.app/docs/reference/github-app.md
- Runner labels: https://relayrunner.app/docs/reference/labels.md
- MCP server: https://relayrunner.app/docs/reference/mcp.md
- Data and privacy: https://relayrunner.app/docs/reference/privacy.md
- relay.yml inputs: https://relayrunner.app/docs/reference/relay-inputs.md
- Repo config: https://relayrunner.app/docs/reference/repo-config.md
- Security: https://relayrunner.app/docs/reference/security.md
- Troubleshooting: https://relayrunner.app/docs/reference/troubleshooting.md
- GitHub-hosted: https://relayrunner.app/docs/runners/github.md
- Hosted providers: https://relayrunner.app/docs/runners/hosted.md
- Providers: https://relayrunner.app/docs/runners/providers.md
- Your machines: https://relayrunner.app/docs/runners/self-hosted.md

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# Spend controls

> Use your included GitHub minutes first, then switch to your own machines before you pay overage.

A busy month, or a few agents pushing all day, can use up a plan's included minutes well before the month ends. After that, GitHub either bills overage or stops starting jobs. This guide keeps CI running without either.

## 1. Order the runners

On the **Router** page, set:

1. **GitHub-hosted, while under 80%**
2. **Self-hosted**
3. **GitHub-hosted**

Jobs use GitHub while the account is under 80% of its included minutes. Past that, they go to your machines. If no machine is free, the last step still sends them to GitHub, so nothing stalls.

Drop step 3 if you'd rather a job fail than ever bill overage. A job that finds no free machine then fails fast with the reason.

## 2. Pick the limit

The limit is a share of the plan's included minutes for the month. 80% leaves room for jobs you haven't routed.

Each GitHub account is checked on its own. One org going over its limit doesn't move another org's jobs.

## 3. Have somewhere to go

The limit only helps if there's a next step. Connect at least one machine, share it with the workspace if teammates push too, and route the jobs that use the most minutes. The **Usage** page shows which repos those are.

## Cap other providers too

Blacksmith, Depot, WarpBuild and Ubicloud steps can have a monthly dollar limit the same way. See [Spend limits](/docs/concepts/runner-order#spend-limits).

## Watch it

- **Router**: each account's minutes used this month, next to the limit.
- **Activity**: jobs that passed GitHub by, marked with the account's usage at the time.
- **Usage**: minutes and cost per repo, and how much went on jobs that finished in seconds but billed a whole minute.

## Cut minutes you don't need

- **Short jobs** bill a whole minute each. An optimized check bills nothing. Move PR title checks and lint to [optimized checks](/docs/concepts/optimized-checks).
- **macOS minutes** cost about ten times Linux. Run macOS jobs on a Mac first. See [macOS and iOS builds on your Mac](/docs/guides/mac-builds).