Put a budget around your OpenClaw experiment.
An autonomous assistant can make repeated calls while pursuing a task. Decide what work it should attempt and what it is allowed to spend before leaving it running.
Check the project you install
Use the project's official repository and review current configuration guidance. Confirm which version, model provider, and permissions you are using. Give the assistant a limited task and the smallest access needed for it.
Measure a complete run
Track every model call, tool result, retry, and background action. Start with short runs and a fixed spending ceiling. Watch for repeated failures that spend tokens without getting closer to the task.
Expand only after a useful pilot
Compare accepted outcomes with cost and supervision time. Keep credentials outside prompts and logs, and add clear approval boundaries for consequential actions. Credit discounts can lower API charges, but they cannot make an unbounded loop predictable.