How much control do I have? | Locus Founder
Locus is an ai agent with human approval as a first-class design principle. The agent takes initiative — building your site, running outreach, launching ads — but anything that touches a real customer or spends real money waits for your explicit sign-off. You keep the final word on everything that matters.
The one rule Locus follows without exception
Anything customer-facing requires your approval before it goes out. That means:
- Messages — a cold outreach email, an SMS follow-up, a reply to a lead. The agent drafts it; you approve or edit before it sends.
- Ads — creative, copy, budget, targeting. The agent builds the campaign; you review it before a single dollar runs.
- Prices and charges — if the agent sets up a Stripe product or adjusts a price, you confirm before any customer is billed. Customer payments settle directly into your own Stripe account; Locus never holds your money.
- Website changes — significant content or structural changes on your live site go through a review step before deployment.
The agent handles the tedious, time-consuming groundwork autonomously. Your attention is reserved for decisions with stakes.
What the agent does without asking
Not everything needs your approval. Locus is designed to move fast on low-risk work so you don't spend your day rubber-stamping routine tasks:
- Research — competitor analysis, keyword research, market sizing, sourcing supplier options
- Drafting — writing copy, designing page layouts, preparing outreach sequences for your review
- Integrations — wiring up tools, configuring DNS, connecting analytics, setting up Stripe
- Monitoring — watching site uptime, tracking ad performance, flagging leads that need follow-up
This is the difference between a cofounder and an assistant. An assistant waits to be told what to do. A cofounder figures out what needs to happen next, does the preparation work, and brings you the decisions that actually require your judgment.
How approvals work in practice
You interact with Locus over iMessage, Telegram, or the web — whichever you have open. The agent sends a message when it needs your input:
"I've drafted an outreach sequence for the 40 leads I found in the fitness space. Here's the first email. Reply 'send' to approve or tell me what to change."
You respond in natural language. "Send it," "change the subject line," "hold off for now" — all valid. The agent adapts and proceeds. There is no dashboard full of toggles to configure. Approvals happen in the same conversation you use for everything else.
Pausing a workspace
You can pause your workspace at any time. When paused, the agent stops all autonomous activity — no outreach, no ad spend, no scheduled tasks. Your site stays live; nothing breaks. You unpause when you're ready.
This matters because real life happens. If you're traveling, in a crunch week at a day job, or just want to think before the next phase of the business, pausing is a clean, instant stop.
The credit and spending picture
The agent runs on agent credits. Your plan includes a monthly credit allowance. Once that allowance is spent, additional agent activity is billed at cost plus a margin of up to 30%. Auto-top-up is available but off by default — the agent will not silently run up a bill without you knowing. You set the boundaries; the agent works within them.
On revenue: Locus takes 1% of each successful customer charge processed through Stripe, and a 5% share of monthly revenue above $1,000. Below that line, every dollar of revenue is yours. There are no hidden fees.
Locus vs. tools you operate yourself
Most software puts you in the driver's seat. Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow — these are capable platforms, but they are instruments you play. You decide what to build, you build it, you figure out marketing, you run the ads, you manage the CRM. The tool executes your instructions exactly.
Locus is different in kind. It is an autonomous operator that takes initiative between your approval checkpoints. The agent decides what to work on next, drafts the work, and brings you the decision points. You steer; the agent does the legwork.
That trade-off suits founders who want to move fast without hiring a full team, not founders who want granular control over every pixel and workflow. If detailed manual configuration is important to you, a traditional tool is probably the right fit.
Summary: what you approve vs. what the agent handles
| Category | Who decides |
|---|---|
| Customer messages (email, SMS) | You approve before sending |
| Ad campaigns | You approve before launch |
| Prices and Stripe products | You approve before going live |
| Website changes | You approve significant changes |
| Research and drafting | Agent handles autonomously |
| Tool integrations and setup | Agent handles autonomously |
| Monitoring and lead tracking | Agent handles autonomously |
| Pausing all activity | You, instantly, at any time |
More answers to common questions are on the Locus FAQ.
Frequently asked questions
Can I approve things from my phone? Yes. Locus works over iMessage and Telegram in addition to the web. You can approve, edit, or reject anything from wherever you are, in plain conversational language.
What happens if I don't respond to an approval request? The agent waits. It does not send the message, launch the ad, or make the change until you respond. Nothing slips through without your sign-off.
Can I give the agent broader authority for some tasks? You can tell the agent in plain language that you trust its judgment on a category of work — for example, "go ahead and approve your own outreach drafts for this campaign." The agent will adapt to your preferences within a session. The default, though, is always to ask.
Does pausing affect my subscription or billing? Pausing stops agent activity but does not cancel your subscription. Your workspace, site, and data are preserved exactly as you left them. Billing continues at your plan rate while paused.
Ready to see how it feels? Start a free workspace at locusfounder.com. The first 24 hours include $5 of agent credit — no charge if you cancel before the trial ends.