# TheoB Live Provider Budget Ledger

## Status
Wave: 60G
Generated: 2026-10-16T11:53:20.065Z
Default mode: governed-autonomous-free-read
Recurring polling enabled: false
Founder approval required for recurring polling: false
Delegated approval required for recurring polling: true

## Cost Doctrine
- Use TheoB internal agents first.
- Use free public providers proactively for research, learning, comparison, and personalized assistance.
- Outside providers must be free, no-key, free-tier, or explicitly founder-approved.
- Only visit free/public URLs.
- Persistent access means governed on-demand and bounded scheduled access, never an unbounded browsing loop.
- Never use paid APIs, credit-card APIs, or hidden-cost providers without approval.
- Every live call needs a receipt.
- Every recurring schedule needs delegated authority, a cap, backoff, expiry, and a kill switch.
- Every provider needs a kill switch.
- Every external source needs source, timestamp, freshness, confidence, and limitations.

## Provider Caps
### Crossref
- endpoint: /api/live/manual-crossref-research-probe
- provider kind: free-public-no-key-scholarly-metadata
- manual probe allowed: true
- recurring allowed now: false
- TheoB soft daily cap: 100
- TheoB soft hourly cap: 20
- TheoB soft minute cap: 1
- paid API: false
- API key required: false
- background polling allowed now: false
### Open-Meteo
- endpoint: /api/live/free-weather-probe
- provider kind: free-public-no-key-weather
- manual probe allowed: true
- recurring allowed now: false
- TheoB soft daily cap: 100
- TheoB soft hourly cap: 20
- TheoB soft minute cap: 2
- paid API: false
- API key required: false
- background polling allowed now: false

## Scheduler Tiers
- Manual: allowed · cadence: on user, agent, or internal-team request · approval: inferred for bounded free read
- Slow Watch: eligible after delegated policy receipt · cadence: every 3-6 hours · approval: qualified agent or internal-team authorization within provider cap
- Hourly Watch: blocked until founder approval · cadence: hourly · approval: required
- Rapid Watch: blocked by default · cadence: every 5-15 minutes · approval: special approval only
- 24-Hour Continuous Browsing: not allowed · cadence: continuous · approval: do not enable

## Monitor Assignments
- Web / Live Provider · Free Weather Probe: manual-only · /api/live/free-weather-probe
- Telemetry Provider Health Gate: always-live internal monitor · /telemetry-provider-health-gate
- System Heartbeat Gate: always-live internal monitor · /system-heartbeat-gate

## Kill Switches
- allExternalProviders: bounded-free-read-allowed
- openMeteoRecurring: off
- arbitraryBrowsing: off
- paidProviders: off
- apiKeys: off

## Approval Switches
- allowCrossrefBoundedManual: true
- allowBoundedFreeResearch: true
- allowOpenMeteoSlowWatch: false
- allowOpenMeteoHourlyWatch: false
- allowAnyPaidProvider: false
- allowArbitraryUrlBrowsing: false
- allowContinuousBrowsing: false

## Next
60H may bind a live weather tile and founder approval switch, but recurring polling remains off until explicitly approved.