> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.useshadowpay.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.useshadowpay.com/api-reference/agents-and-spend-policies.md).

# Agents & Spend Policies

Create agent accounts and manage their spend policies programmatically. See [Spend Policies](/agents-and-automation/spend-policies.md) for the conceptual overview.

***

## Create an agent account

```
POST /v1/accounts/me/agents
```

### Request body

```json
{
  "name": "research-bot",
  "spend_policy": {
    "daily_limit_usdc": 500.00,
    "per_transaction_limit_usdc": 50.00,
    "allowed_recipients": ["api.market", "*.anthropic.com"],
    "assets": ["USDC"],
    "active_hours": "00:00-23:59",
    "hitl_threshold_usdc": 25.00
  }
}
```

### Response

```json
{
  "account_id": "acct_9d3a2f",
  "handle": "@yourname/research-bot",
  "public_key": "9d3a2fXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX",
  "status": "active",
  "spend_policy_id": "policy_4471"
}
```

***

## Update a spend policy

```
PATCH /v1/agents/{account_id}/spend-policy
```

Accepts a partial update. Only the fields included are changed; everything else is left as is.

```json
{
  "per_transaction_limit_usdc": 75.00,
  "hitl_threshold_usdc": 40.00
}
```

Changes apply immediately to any transaction the agent attempts to sign after the update. They don't affect anything already settled.

***

## Get a spend policy

```
GET /v1/agents/{account_id}/spend-policy
```

### Response

```json
{
  "policy_id": "policy_4471",
  "daily_limit_usdc": 500.00,
  "per_transaction_limit_usdc": 75.00,
  "allowed_recipients": ["api.market", "*.anthropic.com"],
  "assets": ["USDC"],
  "active_hours": "00:00-23:59",
  "hitl_threshold_usdc": 40.00,
  "updated_at": "2026-07-02T10:11:00Z"
}
```

***

## Approve or reject a pending agent transaction

Transactions above the `hitl_threshold_usdc` are held for approval rather than signed automatically.

```
POST /v1/agents/transactions/{transaction_id}/approve
POST /v1/agents/transactions/{transaction_id}/reject
```

Both endpoints return the updated transaction state. An approved transaction is signed and submitted immediately. A rejected transaction is discarded and no funds move.

***

## List pending approvals

```
GET /v1/agents/transactions/pending
```

### Response

```json
{
  "pending": [
    {
      "transaction_id": "tx_5c1e2a",
      "agent": "@yourname/research-bot",
      "to": "compute-provider.io",
      "requested_at": "2026-07-02T14:00:00Z",
      "expires_at": "2026-07-03T14:00:00Z"
    }
  ]
}
```

Amounts are omitted from this list for the same reason they're omitted elsewhere in the API: they're encrypted, and only client-side decryption using your key can reveal them. The dashboard UI decrypts and displays them locally when you review a pending approval.

***

## Error responses

| Status | Code                    | Description                                                         |
| ------ | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `400`  | `invalid_policy`        | Spend policy fields fail validation (for example, a negative limit) |
| `403`  | `not_agent_owner`       | The authenticated account doesn't own the specified agent           |
| `404`  | `transaction_not_found` | No pending transaction found for the given ID                       |
| `409`  | `transaction_expired`   | The approval window for this transaction has passed                 |


---

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