Override limits for specific users in a per-user quota¶

A per-user limit override replaces a quota’s default credit limit for specific users on a given cycle (monthly, weekly, or daily), without changing the quota’s user scope or creating a separate quota. You can set a higher limit to grant extra headroom, set a lower limit to constrain a heavy spender, or set an expiration date so a temporary adjustment reverts automatically.

How limit overrides work¶

An override applies inside a single quota for one user and one cycle. While an override is active, the quota evaluates and enforces that user’s spending against the override value instead of the quota’s default limit for that cycle.

The following table shows how Snowflake resolves a user’s effective limit for a cycle within a quota:

Key behaviors of limit overrides:

• Independent of the quota default: An override can be higher or lower than the quota’s default limit for that cycle, and you can set an override for a cycle even when the quota has no default limit configured for that cycle.
• Same domains, notifications, and enforcement: An override inherits the quota’s monitored domains, block enforcement setting, notification settings, and monthly custom actions. Notification and custom-action thresholds are percentages, so they automatically scale to the user’s override limit. Notification and block emails indicate when an override limit is active, and users calling MY_BUDGET_SUMMARY (SNOWFLAKE.LOCAL) see their effective limit.
• Automatic unblock when raised: If a user is blocked by the quota, setting an override above their current spend for the blocked cycle automatically clears that quota’s block within approximately 5 to 10 minutes. No separate unblock call is needed.
• Other quotas still apply: An override changes the limit only on the quota where you set it. If the user is also in scope for another quota that monitors the same domain, that second quota continues to evaluate and enforce its own limit independently, and the lowest limit across overlapping quotas binds.
• Up to 200 overrides per quota: A quota can hold at most 200 overrides, where each user-and-cycle combination counts as one override. A call that would exceed 200 overrides returns an error. Updating an existing override for the same user and cycle replaces it without using an additional slot, and removing an override deletes the entry and frees capacity toward the 200 limit.

Set or update a limit override¶

To create or update a limit override for one or more users, call SET_USER_QUOTA_OVERRIDE. To call the override methods, use a role granted the quota’s ADMIN instance role, with the USAGE privilege on the quota’s database and schema.

CALL <quota_name>!SET_USER_QUOTA_OVERRIDE(
  <user_names>,
  <limit>,
  '<cycle>',
  [ , <expires_on> ]
);

The method accepts the following arguments:

• user_names (ARRAY): An array of one or more user names, such as ['ALICE', 'BOB']. User names are case-sensitive and must match each user’s Snowflake identifier (for example, 'ALICE' for an unquoted user created as alice). Resolution is all-or-nothing: if any user name in the array doesn’t resolve to an active user in the account, the entire call fails and no overrides in the batch are written.
• limit (FLOAT): The per-user credit limit for the specified cycle. Must be a whole number from 1 to 1,000,000,000. Zero, negative, NULL, and decimal values return an error.
• cycle (VARCHAR): The cycle to override: 'MONTHLY', 'WEEKLY', or 'DAILY' (not case-sensitive). Weekly and daily overrides apply to quotas scoped to AI domains.
• expires_on (DATE, optional): The date when the override stops applying, or NULL for an override that doesn’t expire. You can omit the argument instead of passing NULL. When you pass a date, it must be later than the current UTC date. The date is exclusive: the override remains active through the day before expires_on and expires at 00:00 UTC on expires_on, when the user automatically reverts to the quota’s default limit for that cycle.

If an override already exists for a user and cycle in the call, SET_USER_QUOTA_OVERRIDE replaces its limit and expiration date.

The method returns a VARIANT object that maps each requested user name (in call order) to its resolved user ID. It doesn’t report whether another quota still caps the user:

{
  "ALICE": {
    "user_id": 101
  },
  "BOB": {
    "user_id": 102
  }
}

Example: Grant a temporary monthly increase for one user

Give ALICE a monthly limit of 2,500 credits until December 1, 2026 (active through November 30, 2026 UTC, reverting to the quota default at 00:00 UTC on December 1):

CALL my_quota!SET_USER_QUOTA_OVERRIDE(
  ['ALICE'],
  2500,
  'MONTHLY',
  '2026-12-01'
);

Example: Set a permanent daily override for multiple users

Give ALICE and BOB a daily limit of 300 credits with no expiration date:

CALL my_quota!SET_USER_QUOTA_OVERRIDE(
  ['ALICE', 'BOB'],
  300,
  'DAILY'
);

Example: Set a lower limit for a single user

Constrain CAROL to 50 credits per month while keeping the rest of the quota at a higher default:

CALL my_quota!SET_USER_QUOTA_OVERRIDE(
  ['CAROL'],
  50,
  'MONTHLY'
);

View configured overrides¶

To list all overrides stored on a quota, call LIST_USER_QUOTA_OVERRIDES:

CALL my_quota!LIST_USER_QUOTA_OVERRIDES();

The method returns a table with the following columns:

Remove limit overrides¶

When you remove an override, the user reverts to the quota’s default limit for that cycle on the next evaluation run, and the removed entry no longer counts toward the 200-override cap.

Use one of the following methods depending on what you want to remove:

In all removal methods, user_name is case-sensitive and cycle isn’t case-sensitive. Each method returns a VARCHAR confirmation message.

-- Remove ALICE's monthly override.
CALL my_quota!REMOVE_USER_QUOTA_OVERRIDE('ALICE', 'MONTHLY');

-- Remove all overrides for ALICE on this quota.
CALL my_quota!REMOVE_USER_QUOTA_OVERRIDES_BY_USER('ALICE');

-- Remove all daily overrides on this quota.
CALL my_quota!REMOVE_USER_QUOTA_OVERRIDES_BY_CYCLE('DAILY');

-- Remove every override on this quota.
CALL my_quota!REMOVE_ALL_USER_QUOTA_OVERRIDES();

Manage overrides in Snowsight¶

You can create, inspect, and reset limit overrides in Snowsight without writing SQL:

1. Sign in to Snowsight.
2. In the navigation menu, select Admin » Cost management, then select the Budgets tab.
3. Select the quota’s name to open the quota deep-dive view.
4. Select Set override on the quota deep-dive page, or select a user in the table to open the user deep-dive view and select Set override.
5. In the dialog, enter the per-user override limit for each cycle you want to override (monthly, weekly, or daily) and choose when the override expires. The dialog shows the quota’s default limit and the user’s current spend for each cycle.
6. If other quotas that you have access to also cover the user on overlapping domains and would still cap the user at a lower limit, the dialog lists those conflicting quotas so you can raise them at the same time.
7. Confirm the changes.

In the quota deep-dive user table, users with an active override display an Override badge, and you can filter the list by Has override or Expiring soon. On the user deep-dive view, the user’s override limit is shown alongside the quota default, and you can select Reset to default to remove the override.

Lifecycle and considerations¶

• Users who leave and re-enter scope: An override takes effect only while the user is in the quota’s scope. If a user leaves the quota’s scope (for example, after a tag change), the override stays stored on the quota while inactive and applies again if the user re-enters the quota’s scope before it expires.
• Dropped or renamed users: Overrides are stored against the user’s internal ID. If you drop a user and recreate a user with the same name, the new user has a different ID and isn’t covered by the old override. Dropping a user doesn’t automatically delete their stored override, so it continues to count toward the 200-override cap until you remove it.
• Unsetting a quota default limit: Calling UNSET_PER_USER_LIMIT removes the quota’s default limit for that cycle, but leaves any per-user overrides for that cycle in place.
• Dropping a quota: Dropping a quota deletes all of its overrides.

Related content¶

• Per-user quotas
• Create and configure a per-user quota
• Block users at a per-user quota limit
• Per-user quota method reference