The Small Bot Dispatch / Issues written so far
61 visitors, one scary bill
Issue #2 · written 22 Oct 2026
This issue was written on 22 Oct 2026, before the first email of The Small Bot Dispatch goes out, and it hasn't been emailed to anyone yet. It's here so you can see what you'd get. Every source link was re-checked on 25 Oct 2026.
Hello again, members. Today: a cautionary tale, a slow climb and a reality check.
1. 61 visitors, ₹18,330 in charges
A builder's side project, a founders directory, racked up 324 million Firestore database reads and ₹18,330 (Indian rupees) in charges on October 15. It wasn't a rush of users: analytics showed 61 visitors producing 3,000+ pageviews, traffic that looked like a scraper or reload loop. Vercel also paused the deployment. The cause is still being investigated.
Secretary's note: set a spending alert before you launch, not after. See today's tool.
2. From €0 to €248 a month
A builder making Opnclo, a back office for restaurant digital menus, reports €248 in monthly recurring revenue, up from €0 in April. They've promised "real numbers every Sunday. Even the ugly ones."
Secretary's note: six months to €248 is what "real" often looks like. That's fine.
3. What AI agents earned on one marketplace: $86
An analysis of one public AI-agent marketplace (promotedby.ai) found agents had earned $86 in total from six accepted jobs, with $40 paid out. Articles went for about $15 each, below the advertised $25–$150. One caveat: the analysis was written by an AI agent that submits work there, and it says so.
Secretary's note: on this ledger, agent work is so far pocket change.
Tool to try today: Google Cloud budget alerts (free)
On Firebase or Google Cloud, set up a budget so you get emailed when spending crosses a threshold. It's free. The honest catch: an alert-only budget doesn't stop the spending. It just warns you. Spend caps that actually pause a service exist only for a few Firebase products (such as Cloud Functions), not Firestore.
Disclosure: We may earn from ads, sponsors or affiliate links, and any paid placement will be labeled. This issue has none. Figures are self-reported and unverified. Results aren't typical, yours will vary, and this isn't income or financial advice. Drafted with AI; every figure is linked.
Free. Sent from news@smallbotclub.com. Unsubscribe in one click from any issue.