# Raise a limit for one task

Sometimes a policy limit blocks a task that you still want your agent to finish.
When that happens, the agent can ask an admin to raise that one limit for a few
hours. Once the admin approves, the agent finishes the task, and the limit will
return to its old value when the override expires.

## Example use case

Let's say the per-transaction limit in your agent's policy blocks invoice
INV-4471 for $420.00. The agent asks for a temporary override (the console calls
it a temporary grant) just big enough for the invoice, for 4 hours. An admin
approves it in the console, the agent pays the invoice, and 4 hours later the
override ends on its own.

The steps below follow that agent from start to finish:

```text
Find the rule → Request an override → Approve or deny → Finish the task
```

## Requirements

You'll need a linked agent whose policy allows override requests. An admin can
turn this on by setting **Temporary grant requests** to **Require approval** in
the policy's **Payments** section. See
[Temporary overrides](https://docs.catena.com/policies.md#temporary-overrides) for details.

## Prompt

You can hand the task to your agent with a prompt like this one:

```prompt
Our per-transaction limit blocked invoice INV-4471 for $420.00. Ask for a temporary override just big enough for this invoice, for 4 hours, then pay it once approved.
```

## Steps

### 1. Find the rule that blocked it

First, the agent looks at the blocked [intent](https://docs.catena.com/intents.md) and the policy:

```sh
catena intents get int_...
catena policy show
```

The intent's `.reasons` names the rule that blocked it. From there, we recommend
that the agent pick the smallest change that lets the task through.

### 2. Request an override

Next, the agent requests the override, with the amount, the duration, and a
reason the admin will read:

```sh
catena policy request-override --account acct_... \
  --amount 500 --duration 4h \
  --reason "Vendor invoice INV-4471 is $420.00"
```

Depending on the limit, the agent may need to change the command:

- **A limit shared across all accounts:** Use `--all-accounts` in place of
  `--account`.
- **A transfer limit:** Add `--capability transfer`. In this case, `--account`
  is the source account.

The request is an intent with status `pending`, and the agent sends you
`metadata.dataUrl` (a link to the request in the console).

### 3. Approve or deny

Open the link, review the change and the reason, and approve or deny the
request. If you deny it, the intent will become `blocked`, and the agent should
not ask again.

### 4. Finish the task

Once you approve, the agent runs the blocked command again. If the first run
passed `--idempotency-key`, the agent uses a new key this time. We apply the
raised limit at once, and `catena policy show` reports it until it expires.

## Rules

A few rules apply to every override:

- Each agent can have one pending override request.
- Durations run from one minute to seven days (e.g., `--duration 4h`).
- An override applies only to the agent that asked, and only to the limit it
  names.
- An override ends when its duration runs out, so you don't need to remove it.

## Related

- [Set policies](https://docs.catena.com/policies.md): Decide what each agent can do with its policy, from the accounts it can read and the counterparties it can pay to its spending rules and temporary overrides.
- [Handle approvals](https://docs.catena.com/approvals.md): Learn what goes to the approvals queue, who can approve, when requests expire, and what happens between an approval and a completed payment.
- [Intents and retries](https://docs.catena.com/intents.md): Learn how an intent moves through its statuses and resolutions, which fields explain its result, and how to retry safely with idempotency keys.
- [Pay a vendor invoice](https://docs.catena.com/recipes/pay-a-vendor-invoice.md): Your agent pays a vendor invoice by ACH, and any invoice at or above your approval threshold will wait for an admin.