How do you count an agent call blocked by an output guardrail? Real metering question

Rama_Surasani_ · reddit · 2026-09-24

Illustrative math: of 100 agent requests, an input check blocks 10 pre-model, an output check blocks 5 post-generation — users get 85 answers but the provider handled 90 calls. One "success rate" can't explain delivery, safety decisions and spend. The author proposes logging block stage, whether the provider was called, cost incurred, and whether an answer reached the user, then tracking cost per delivered answer alongside output-block rate. Open question: how should a paid call with a withheld answer count against workload budgets and reliability targets?

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