AI

Portal26 launches Agentic Token Controls to cap runaway AI agent spend

Generative artificial intelligence security startup Portal26 Inc. today announced the launch of a new module designed to rein in runaway token consumption by autonomous AI agents, a problem the company says is driving unpredictable costs and operational instability at enterprises rolling out agentic workflows.

The new module lets administrators set token budgets for individual agents, specific workflows or the whole organization. Agents nearing a cap get throttled and those that blow through one can be paused or killed outright.

Portal26 argues that multistep autonomous agents built on large language models can unintentionally enter recursive loops, over-query systems or expand tasks beyond their original scope, leading to exponential token usage and surprise bills. The company is pitching the new module as the first dedicated tool to manage the risk at enterprise scale.

“Agentic AI is powerful, but without cost controls, it can quickly become expensive and chaotic,” said Chief Executive Arti Raman. He cited Uber Technologies Inc. as an example of an enterprise that discovered “adoption speed and cost predictability are on a collision course,” and said the new module gives customers telemetry to scale agents “without waking up to an invoice they didn’t plan for.”

Alongside the enforcement layer, the module provides real-time visibility into where and how tokens are being spent across agentic systems, with adaptive safeguards that intervene automatically as limits are approached. The controls are aimed at making cost predictability a default rather than a post-hoc finance exercise.

Token consumption has emerged as an increasing issue as more companies move from experimental generative AI deployments to production agentic systems that chain model calls across tasks. Each call carries a cost and agents that loop or expand scope can rapidly multiply that cost without triggering traditional budget controls.

The launch follows Portal26’s recent rollout of broader Agentic Management tools focused on AI security and measuring business value. Pakshi Rajan, chief product and AI officer at Portal26, noted that the new module is “more than cost controls” and represents “a foundational layer for responsible AI operations.”

Portal26 is a venture capital-backed startup that has raised $15 million over two rounds, including $9 million in November. Investors in the company include Refinery, Shasta Ventures LP and Fusion Fund.

Image: Portal26