The latest articles on DEV Community by Aliyu Nazeer (@aliyunazeer07). https://dev.to/aliyunazeer07 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4130271%2F376e3f11-35a9-4fae-b8ef-919854c0b06b.jpg https://dev.to/aliyunazeer07 en Aliyu Nazeer Thu, 17 Sep 2026 17:08:07 +0000 https://dev.to/aliyunazeer07/how-i-built-a-hard-budget-cap-proxy-to-stop-runaway-llm-api-bills-4gil https://dev.to/aliyunazeer07/how-i-built-a-hard-budget-cap-proxy-to-stop-runaway-llm-api-bills-4gil <p>Hey everyone. If you've ever built scripts or side projects using LLM APIs, you probably know the low-key anxiety of accidentally getting stuck in a loop and waking up to an insane cloud bill.<br> ​Big enterprise tools for managing this are usually way too bloated for a solo dev. I just wanted something simple and self-hosted that actually works. So, I built CloudGrip.<br> ​Basically, it’s a lightweight proxy gateway built with Node.js and Express that sits between your code and the LLM provider. It tracks your token usage in real time using Supabase, and it has a hard budget circuit breaker. The moment your spend hits your set limit, it cuts off execution so you don't leak money. I've also wired up a live Paystack subscription flow for it.<br> ​If you want to check it out or test it out, the live project is here: <a href="https://cloudgrip-ai.onrender.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://cloudgrip-ai.onrender.com</a><br> ​How do you guys usually handle API budget safety when building AI tools? Would love to hear how other devs manage it</p> node ai webdev