# Session time-box

Cap how long an agent trading or spend session may run before a hard stop — time-boxing limits blast radius when a loop or bad prompt keeps placing. Pair with fund-session-ceiling and empty-sleeve-overnight. Agent Lane does not place trades or hold wallets.

Canonical HTML: https://agentlane.net/guides/session-time-box/

## Answer first

Before Cursor or Grok can call a live brokerage or payment connector, write a session time-box — a hard end time for this run — then fund only the ceiling and keep review before place on. When the clock hits: hard-stop place/pay/sign, disable live connectors for that run, receipt log, empty or park leftover. Caps bound dollars; the time-box bounds how long a loop can keep spending.

## Why an open-ended live session is the failure mode

- **Caps without a clock** — session/daily maxes bound dollars; they do not stop a retry loop from placing until the ceiling is gone.
- **“Just a little longer”** — extending past the written end while connectors stay live grows blast radius.
- **Agent remembers the stop** — relying on the bot to halt itself is not a hard stop.
- **Idle that never becomes overnight empty** — open window drifts into [empty-sleeve-overnight.md](./empty-sleeve-overnight.md).

## What it means

1. Hard end written first — duration or clock time before connect.
2. Cash at the ceiling — [fund-session-ceiling.md](./fund-session-ceiling.md).
3. Review stays on — [never-skip-review-before-place.md](./never-skip-review-before-place.md).
4. Timer you control — wall clock, OS timer, calendar alert, or written end (no invented product UI).
5. Hard stop at end — stop → disconnect → [receipt-log-after-session.md](./receipt-log-after-session.md) → empty/park.

## Different from fund ceiling / empty overnight

- [fund-session-ceiling.md](./fund-session-ceiling.md) — cash step (how much in the sleeve).
- [empty-sleeve-overnight.md](./empty-sleeve-overnight.md) — park cash when you leave or idle.
- This page — clock step (how long the live window may stay open).

Use all three.

## Shield stack

1. [dedicated-agent-wallet.md](./dedicated-agent-wallet.md)
2. [agent-spend-caps.md](./agent-spend-caps.md)
3. [fund-session-ceiling.md](./fund-session-ceiling.md)
4. Session time-box (this page)
5. [review-before-place.md](./review-before-place.md) / [never-skip-review-before-place.md](./never-skip-review-before-place.md)
6. [empty-sleeve-overnight.md](./empty-sleeve-overnight.md)
7. [revoke-before-debug.md](./revoke-before-debug.md)
8. [rotate-before-raise-balance.md](./rotate-before-raise-balance.md)

## How to set a session time-box

1. Write the end time before connect.
2. Fund only the ceiling ([fund-session-ceiling.md](./fund-session-ceiling.md)).
3. Keep review before place on; no standing skip.
4. Start a timer you control (not the agent’s memory).
5. Hard-stop when the clock hits: stop → disconnect → receipt log → empty/park.
6. If something misfired: [revoke-before-debug.md](./revoke-before-debug.md); before raising again: [rotate-before-raise-balance.md](./rotate-before-raise-balance.md).

## Practical checklist

- End time on paper first — no live connectors until written.
- Cash at the ceiling — no “for later” surplus.
- Hard stop = stop + disconnect + receipt + empty — not “pause and leave tools on.”
- No open-ended loops — prefer [paper-before-live.md](./paper-before-live.md) for unattended prove-outs.
- Shared-box pass — [shared-box.md](./shared-box.md).

Related: [confirm-fills-in-broker-not-chat.md](./confirm-fills-in-broker-not-chat.md), [fund-session-ceiling.md](./fund-session-ceiling.md), [empty-sleeve-overnight.md](./empty-sleeve-overnight.md, [no-overnight-margin-without-go.md](./no-overnight-margin-without-go.md)), [rotate-before-raise-balance.md](./rotate-before-raise-balance.md), [never-skip-review-before-place.md](./never-skip-review-before-place.md), [receipt-log-after-session.md](./receipt-log-after-session.md), [review-before-place.md](./review-before-place.md), [revoke-before-debug.md](./revoke-before-debug.md), [shield-brokerage.md](./shield-brokerage.md), [shield-crypto.md](./shield-crypto.md), [flatten-before-news-unknown.md](./flatten-before-news-unknown.md).

## FAQ

**What does session time-box mean?**
Write a hard end time for the live run before you connect. Caps bound dollars; the time-box bounds how long tools may keep placing if a loop keeps going.

**Why is an open-ended live session the failure mode?**
Caps do not stop a retry loop from placing again until the ceiling is gone. A hard stop ends the window.

**How is this different from fund ceiling or empty overnight?**
Fund ceiling = cash. Empty overnight = park when idle. Time-box = clock for the live window. Use all three.

**Does a time-box replace review or never-skip?**
No. Review is the gate; never-skip keeps it on; time-box ends the window. Full stack.

**Do I invent a product timer UI?**
No. Use a timer or written end you already control. Agent Lane does not invent product menus.