Demos

Each demo runs locally with Docker. No LLM API keys required — all tools and models are mocked.

Runaway Agent Demo

A support agent with a quality-loop bug burns ~$5.95 in ~30 seconds without Cycles (simulated calls at 50ms latency) — auto-terminated only because the demo enforces a safety timeout. In production, there would be no timeout. With Cycles, the agent stops cleanly at $1.00.

What it shows: Budget enforcement stops a cost runaway before damage accumulates.

Mechanism: reserve → 409 BUDGET_EXCEEDED → no downstream call

Run it

Prerequisites: Docker Compose v2+, Python 3.10+, curl

bash

git clone https://github.com/runcycles/cycles-runaway-demo.git
cd cycles-runaway-demo
python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r agent/requirements.txt
./demo.sh

The script starts the Cycles stack (Redis, Cycles Server, Admin Server), provisions a tenant and budget automatically, and runs both modes back to back. Watch the terminal output — you'll see the unguarded agent overspend, then the guarded agent stop at the $1.00 limit. (Don't run docker compose up directly — the agent runs on your host via the venv, and the script also resets the stack between runs.)

About the recording

The recording above uses an accelerated call rate (~$10 in 12 seconds) for visual punch. Running ./demo.sh yourself produces ~$5.95 over 30 seconds at the demo's 50ms simulated call latency — same enforcement behavior, more realistic pace.

View on GitHub · Blog walkthrough

Action Authority Demo

A support agent handles a billing dispute in four steps. Cycles allows internal actions (notes, CRM updates) but blocks the customer email — before it executes.

What it shows: Toolset-scoped budgets give agents authority over safe actions while blocking risky ones.

Mechanism: reserve → 409 BUDGET_EXCEEDED → no email send (the terminal display renders the blocked reservation as a DENY)

Run it

Prerequisites: Docker Compose v2+, Python 3.10+, curl

bash

git clone https://github.com/runcycles/cycles-agent-action-authority-demo.git
cd cycles-agent-action-authority-demo
python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r agent/requirements.txt
./demo.sh

The script starts the full stack (Redis, Cycles Server, Admin Server), provisions a tenant with action-scoped budgets, and runs the agent in both unguarded and guarded modes. No API keys required — all LLM calls are mocked.