Sardis Cards

Virtual card issuance and management for AI agents to make real-world purchases

Sardis Cards - Virtual Card Management for AI Agents

Issue virtual cards for AI agents to make real-world purchases with automatic spending controls, fraud detection, and instant freeze capabilities.

Capabilities

• Instant Card Issuance: Create virtual cards in seconds
• Spending Controls: Per-transaction, daily, monthly limits
• Merchant Restrictions: Category-based and merchant-specific controls
• Freeze/Unfreeze: Instant card control for security
• Transaction Monitoring: Real-time transaction alerts and history
• Automatic Fraud Detection: Block suspicious activity automatically

Security Model

ALWAYS ENFORCE:

• NEVER expose full card numbers in logs or responses
• ALWAYS freeze cards on anomaly detection
• ALWAYS use spending limits (never unlimited)
• ALWAYS log card creation and transactions
• FAIL CLOSED on fraud detection (freeze immediately)

Quick Setup

bash

export SARDIS_API_KEY=sk_your_key_here

API Endpoint Patterns

Base URL: https://api.sardis.sh/v2

Issue Virtual Card

bash

# Create a new virtual card
curl -X POST https://api.sardis.sh/v2/cards \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "agent_id": "agent_abc123",
    "name": "SaaS Subscriptions Card",
    "spending_limit": {
      "per_transaction": "100.00",
      "daily": "500.00",
      "monthly": "2000.00"
    },
    "merchant_controls": {
      "allowed_categories": ["software", "saas", "cloud_services"],
      "blocked_merchants": []
    },
    "expires_in_months": 12
  }'

# Response includes masked card number (full number retrieved separately)

Get Card Details

bash

# Get card information (masked)
curl -X GET https://api.sardis.sh/v2/cards/{card_id} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY"

# Response:
# {
#   "id": "card_abc123",
#   "last_four": "4242",
#   "status": "active",
#   "spending_limit": {...},
#   "current_spend": {"daily": "125.00", "monthly": "450.00"}
# }

Retrieve Card Number (Sensitive)

bash

# Get full card details for use (SENSITIVE - log carefully)
curl -X GET https://api.sardis.sh/v2/cards/{card_id}/reveal \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY"

# Response:
# {
#   "number": "4111111111111111",
#   "cvv": "123",
#   "exp_month": "12",
#   "exp_year": "2027",
#   "billing_address": {...}
# }

# WARNING: Never log or display this response

Freeze Card

bash

# Immediately freeze card (blocks all transactions)
curl -X POST https://api.sardis.sh/v2/cards/{card_id}/freeze \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "reason": "Suspicious activity detected"
  }'

Unfreeze Card

bash

# Unfreeze card (resume normal operation)
curl -X POST https://api.sardis.sh/v2/cards/{card_id}/unfreeze \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY"

Update Spending Limits

bash

# Modify card spending limits
curl -X PATCH https://api.sardis.sh/v2/cards/{card_id}/limits \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "per_transaction": "150.00",
    "daily": "750.00",
    "monthly": "3000.00"
  }'

List Card Transactions

bash

# Get transaction history for a card
curl -X GET "https://api.sardis.sh/v2/cards/{card_id}/transactions?limit=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY"

List All Cards

bash

# Get all cards for an agent
curl -X GET "https://api.sardis.sh/v2/agents/{agent_id}/cards" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY"

Terminate Card

bash

# Permanently close card (cannot be reversed)
curl -X DELETE https://api.sardis.sh/v2/cards/{card_id} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "reason": "Agent deactivated"
  }'

Example Commands

Issue Card with Conservative Limits

bash

# Create a card for a procurement agent
AGENT_ID=agent_abc123

CARD=$(curl -s -X POST https://api.sardis.sh/v2/cards \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "agent_id": "'$AGENT_ID'",
    "name": "Procurement Agent Card",
    "spending_limit": {
      "per_transaction": "50.00",
      "daily": "200.00",
      "monthly": "1000.00"
    },
    "merchant_controls": {
      "allowed_categories": ["office_supplies", "software"],
      "allowed_merchants": ["amazon.com", "staples.com"]
    },
    "expires_in_months": 6
  }')

CARD_ID=$(echo $CARD | jq -r '.id')
echo "Card created: $CARD_ID"
echo "Last 4 digits: $(echo $CARD | jq -r '.last_four')"

Monitor Card Spending

bash

# Check current spend against limits
CARD_ID=card_abc123

CARD_INFO=$(curl -s -X GET https://api.sardis.sh/v2/cards/$CARD_ID \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY")

DAILY_SPENT=$(echo $CARD_INFO | jq -r '.current_spend.daily')
DAILY_LIMIT=$(echo $CARD_INFO | jq -r '.spending_limit.daily')

echo "Daily spending: $DAILY_SPENT / $DAILY_LIMIT"

# Alert if approaching limit
if (( $(echo "$DAILY_SPENT > $DAILY_LIMIT * 0.8" | bc -l) )); then
  echo "WARNING: Card approaching daily limit"
fi

Freeze on Anomaly Detection

bash

# Freeze card if suspicious activity detected
CARD_ID=card_abc123

# Get recent transactions
TRANSACTIONS=$(curl -s -X GET "https://api.sardis.sh/v2/cards/$CARD_ID/transactions?limit=5" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY")

# Check for multiple rapid transactions
TX_COUNT=$(echo $TRANSACTIONS | jq '.transactions | length')

if [ $TX_COUNT -gt 3 ]; then
  echo "ALERT: Multiple rapid transactions detected"

  # Freeze card immediately
  curl -X POST https://api.sardis.sh/v2/cards/$CARD_ID/freeze \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{
      "reason": "Anomaly: Multiple rapid transactions"
    }'

  echo "Card frozen for review"
fi

Card Dashboard

bash

# Get overview of all cards for an agent
AGENT_ID=agent_abc123

echo "=== Card Dashboard ==="
curl -s -X GET "https://api.sardis.sh/v2/agents/$AGENT_ID/cards" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY" | \
  jq -r '.cards[] | "Card \(.last_four): \(.status) - Daily: $\(.current_spend.daily)/$\(.spending_limit.daily)"'

Bulk Card Freeze

bash

# Freeze all cards for an agent (emergency shutdown)
AGENT_ID=agent_abc123

echo "Freezing all cards for agent $AGENT_ID..."

curl -s -X GET "https://api.sardis.sh/v2/agents/$AGENT_ID/cards" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY" | \
  jq -r '.cards[].id' | \
  while read CARD_ID; do
    curl -X POST https://api.sardis.sh/v2/cards/$CARD_ID/freeze \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $SARDIS_API_KEY" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{"reason": "Emergency shutdown"}'
    echo "Frozen: $CARD_ID"
  done

Merchant Category Codes

Common categories for allowed_categories:

• software - Software purchases and subscriptions
• saas - SaaS subscriptions
• cloud_services - Cloud computing (AWS, GCP, Azure)
• office_supplies - Office equipment and supplies
• online_marketplaces - Amazon, eBay, etc.
• advertising - Google Ads, Facebook Ads
• telecommunications - Phone, internet services
• utilities - Electricity, water, gas
• travel - Flights, hotels, transportation
• restaurants - Food and dining
• groceries - Grocery stores
• fuel - Gas stations
• entertainment - Movies, games, events

Blocked categories:

• gambling - Casinos, betting, lottery
• adult - Adult content and services
• crypto_exchange - Cryptocurrency exchanges
• cash_advance - ATM withdrawals, cash advances
• wire_transfer - Wire transfer services

Response Examples

Card Creation Response

json

{
  "id": "card_abc123",
  "agent_id": "agent_xyz789",
  "name": "SaaS Subscriptions Card",
  "last_four": "4242",
  "status": "active",
  "spending_limit": {
    "per_transaction": "100.00",
    "daily": "500.00",
    "monthly": "2000.00"
  },
  "current_spend": {
    "daily": "0.00",
    "monthly": "0.00"
  },
  "merchant_controls": {
    "allowed_categories": ["software", "saas", "cloud_services"],
    "blocked_merchants": []
  },
  "expires": "2027-12-31",
  "created_at": "2026-02-21T10:30:00Z"
}

Card Transactions Response

json

{
  "card_id": "card_abc123",
  "transactions": [
    {
      "id": "tx_abc123",
      "amount": "29.99",
      "merchant": "OpenAI",
      "merchant_category": "software",
      "status": "approved",
      "created_at": "2026-02-21T09:15:00Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "tx_def456",
      "amount": "150.00",
      "merchant": "Unknown Merchant",
      "merchant_category": "gambling",
      "status": "declined",
      "decline_reason": "Blocked merchant category",
      "created_at": "2026-02-21T08:30:00Z"
    }
  ],
  "total": 47,
  "page": 1
}

Card Reveal Response (SENSITIVE)

json

{
  "number": "4111111111111111",
  "cvv": "123",
  "exp_month": "12",
  "exp_year": "2027",
  "billing_address": {
    "line1": "123 Main St",
    "city": "San Francisco",
    "state": "CA",
    "postal_code": "94105",
    "country": "US"
  },
  "warning": "Never log or display this data. Use immediately and discard."
}

Security Best Practices

DO:

• Issue cards with minimum required limits
• Use merchant category restrictions
• Freeze cards on anomalies
• Monitor transactions in real-time
• Set expiration dates
• Use descriptive card names
• Log all card operations

DON'T:

• Log full card numbers or CVVs
• Issue unlimited cards
• Allow all merchant categories
• Ignore transaction alerts
• Share cards across agents
• Leave unused cards active

Error Handling

• 400 Bad Request - Invalid spending limits or merchant categories
• 401 Unauthorized - Invalid API key
• 403 Forbidden - Card frozen or spending limit exceeded
• 404 Not Found - Card does not exist
• 409 Conflict - Card already frozen/terminated
• 429 Too Many Requests - Rate limit exceeded

Transaction Decline Reasons

• insufficient_balance - Wallet balance too low
• spending_limit_exceeded - Card limit reached
• blocked_merchant - Merchant on blocklist
• blocked_category - Merchant category blocked
• card_frozen - Card is frozen
• card_expired - Card past expiration date
• invalid_cvv - Incorrect CVV provided
• fraud_suspected - Fraud detection triggered

Use Cases

• SaaS Subscriptions: Automated subscription management
• Cloud Services: AWS/GCP/Azure spending for agents
• Procurement Agents: Safe purchasing with controls
• Marketing Agents: Google Ads, Facebook Ads spending
• Travel Agents: Flight and hotel bookings
• Employee Cards: Virtual cards for agent "employees"

Related Skills

• sardis-payment - Crypto payments and wallet management
• sardis-policy - Spending policy creation and management
• sardis-balance - Transaction monitoring and analytics

Links

• Website: https://sardis.sh
• Documentation: https://sardis.sh/docs/virtual-cards
• API Reference: https://api.sardis.sh/v2/docs
• Support: [e-mail]