# Delegated policies

> Limits evaluated on the server for every send. Allowed destinations, page and amount caps, daily and monthly limits, expiry. An agent cannot move them.

Page: https://faxforagents.com/docs/policies/
Last changed: 2026-10-30

Updated Oct 30, 2026

A delegated policy is a set of limits an administrator writes once. Every send under it is evaluated on the server from the quote and the document row. Nothing an agent writes is an input, so a prompt cannot move a limit.

## The rules

Fields of policy.rules

| Field | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `allowed_destinations` | exact E.164 numbers |
| `allowed_country_prefixes` | `+1` , `+44` and so on. At least one destination rule is required |
| `allowed_sender_numbers` | null allows any sender, including the pool |
| `max_pages_per_job` , `max_amount_micro_per_job` | per send |
| `daily_max_jobs` , `daily_max_amount_micro` | per UTC day |
| `monthly_max_jobs` , `monthly_max_amount_micro` | per UTC month |
| `allowed_document_sources` | `uploaded` , `rendered` , or both |
| `allowed_environments` | `live` , `test` |
| `expires_at` | UTC, exact |
| `agent_ids` , `key_ids` | who the policy binds. An agent's own `policy_ids` binds it too |

## Create one

Shell

```
`curl -s $FFA/policies -H "Authorization: Bearer $FFA_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{ "name": "orders desk", "purpose": "confirm purchase orders to known suppliers", "rules": { "allowed_country_prefixes": ["+1"], "max_pages_per_job": 10, "max_amount_micro_per_job": 500000, "daily_max_amount_micro": 5000000, "allowed_document_sources": ["rendered"], "allowed_environments": ["live"], "expires_at": "2027-01-01T00:00:00Z", "agent_ids": ["agent_..."] } }'`
```

Scope `policy:admin`, never on an agent key. `PATCH` makes version n+1. Every version is immutable and a job records the version that allowed it.

## How is a send evaluated?

In this order, and the first failing rule decides. Enabled, applies to this key or agent, expiry, environment, destination, sender, pages, amount, document source, daily jobs, daily amount, monthly jobs, monthly amount. Caps count the planned send, so a daily cap of 3 allows the third and refuses the fourth. The counters are locked before the wallet, so two concurrent sends serialize on the cap.

## Dry run

Shell

```
`curl -s $FFA/policy-evaluations -H "Authorization: Bearer $FFA_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"quote_id": "quote_..."}'`
```

Allow or deny, with the first failing rule and every denial listed, `executed: false`. Through MCP the verdict rides on the quote: `quote_fax` answers with a `policy` object, the same evaluation the send runs. `GET /v1/policies/effective` tells an API key what it may do on its own and whether a person is needed for the rest.

## Budgets

Separate from policies, a budget is a daily or monthly spending cap per organization, project or agent, per environment. The hold refuses `budget_exceeded` or `agent_budget_exceeded` before any money moves. Writing a budget needs `billing:write`, which an agent key is never issued.

## From the blog

- [Pay per fax: what sending without a subscription costs](https://faxforagents.com/blog/pay-per-fax/)
- [Why AI agents still need fax, and how to keep them safe](https://faxforagents.com/blog/why-ai-agents-need-fax/)