ACS Developer Sandbox automatic plan upgrade behavior in Titanium SDK 8.0‑9.x

Direct Answer

There is no Titanium CLI command that reports ACS sandbox usage. The only programmatic way to check current quota is the ArrowDB Admin API endpoint GET https://api.cloud.appcelerator.com/v1/apps/<app_id>/usage called with your master API key. In SDK 8.0–9.x the <acs enabled="true" mode="dev"/> element in tiapp.xml selects the free sandbox. In SDK 10+ that element is ignored (and may warn); you must instead initialize the Cloud module in code: Ti.Cloud.enabled = true; Ti.Cloud.mode = 'dev'; and include the ti.cloud module.

Confirmed Facts

• Admin API: Returns JSON with calls_used, calls_limit (1,000,000 for the free sandbox), and reset_date. Requires the master key—never embed it in client code.
• No CLI command: Neither appc nor ti exposes a quota-check subcommand.
• Silent upgrade: When the 1 M call limit is exceeded, ArrowDB automatically moves the app to a paid plan with no build-log or CLI notification.
• SDK 10+ configuration: The acs flag is removed. Use Ti.Cloud.enabled = true; Ti.Cloud.mode = 'dev'; in your alloy.js or app.js and add ti.cloud to the modules section of tiapp.xml. This avoids deprecation warnings and keeps the app on the developer sandbox.

Likely Explanation (Unverified)

The Admin API usage counters are probably cached for a few minutes, so a real-time throttle based on the API could briefly exceed the limit. The silent-upgrade behavior is not formally documented by Axway/Appcelerator and could change without notice.

Steps to Stay on the Free Sandbox

1. Query usage programmatically (server-side only):

   curl -H "Authorization: Bearer <MASTER_KEY>" \
     https://api.cloud.appcelerator.com/v1/apps/<APP_ID>/usage

   Parse calls_used and calls_limit; alert when calls_used > 0.9 * calls_limit.
2. SDK 8.0–9.x: Keep <acs enabled="true" mode="dev"/> in tiapp.xml.
3. SDK 10+: Remove the acs element. In tiapp.xml add:

   <modules>
     <module platform="commonjs">ti.cloud</module>
   </modules>

   In your entry file (e.g., app.js):

   Ti.Cloud.enabled = true;
   Ti.Cloud.mode = 'dev';

4. Verify: After a test run, call the Admin API again and confirm calls_used increments while the plan remains "developer sandbox" in the ArrowDB dashboard.

One Diagnostic Detail Needed

Do you have a server-side component (Node.js, Python, etc.) where you can safely store the master key and run the periodic Admin API check? If the answer is no, you cannot programmatically monitor quota without exposing the master key, and you must rely on the ArrowDB dashboard or email alerts (if configured).