Will OODA-loop really stop a runaway $6,000 bill?

[mataeil]

Short answer: it is designed so it cannot run away. Three independent brakes:

• Hard daily cost cap. Every cycle writes an estimate to cost_ledger.json. The moment the daily total crosses cost.daily_limit_usd (default $10), evolve creates a HALT file and stops — it will not start another cycle until you delete it. Typical spend is ~$1–2/day.
• HALT file. touch agent/safety/HALT stops everything instantly; it is re-checked before every push / merge / deploy.
• Observe-only first cycle + Level 0 default. Out of the box it only watches; it cannot open PRs until you raise the level.

It proposes, you stay in command. Honest caveat: the cap is enforced after the cycle that crosses it, so set the limit at your comfort line.