diff --git a/docs/ai-coder/ai-gateway/cost-controls.md b/docs/ai-coder/ai-gateway/cost-controls.md
index 741d6e5134..1b82a5f968 100644
--- a/docs/ai-coder/ai-gateway/cost-controls.md
+++ b/docs/ai-coder/ai-gateway/cost-controls.md
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ member can spend $200 USD and the group has a total spend limit of $2,000 USD.
 
 Budget values behave as follows:
 
-- An empty field means no limit. The field displays `unlimited`.
+- An empty field means no budget is set. The field displays `no budget`.
 - `$0 USD` blocks every request routed via AI Gateway from members whose
   effective group is this group.
 - The maximum is `$1,000,000 USD` per member per budget period.
diff --git a/site/src/pages/GroupsPage/GroupSettingsPageView.stories.tsx b/site/src/pages/GroupsPage/GroupSettingsPageView.stories.tsx
index a80aba46e5..6ab83b98c8 100644
--- a/site/src/pages/GroupsPage/GroupSettingsPageView.stories.tsx
+++ b/site/src/pages/GroupsPage/GroupSettingsPageView.stories.tsx
@@ -42,7 +42,14 @@ export const WithAIBudget: Story = {
 			1000,
 		);
 		const helper = canvas.getByText(/month, based on/i);
-		await expect(helper).toHaveTextContent("$7,000/month, based on 7 members.");
+		await expect(helper).toHaveTextContent(
+			"This group's limit is $7,000/month, based on 7 members.",
+		);
+		await expect(
+			canvas.getByRole("link", {
+				name: /learn how budgets apply across groups/i,
+			}),
+		).toBeInTheDocument();
 	},
 };
 
@@ -55,11 +62,23 @@ export const AIBudgetUncapped: Story = {
 		const canvas = within(canvasElement);
 		await expect(
 			canvas.getByLabelText("Monthly limit per member"),
-		).toHaveAttribute("placeholder", "unlimited");
-		await expect(canvas.getByText("unlimited budget")).toBeInTheDocument();
+		).toHaveAttribute("placeholder", "no budget");
 		await expect(
-			canvas.getByText("Members in this group have no spending cap."),
+			canvas.getByText("This group doesn't have a budget set."),
 		).toBeInTheDocument();
+		await expect(
+			canvas.getByText(/Members will fall back to another group's limit/),
+		).toBeInTheDocument();
+		await expect(
+			canvas.getByRole("link", {
+				name: /learn how budgets apply across groups/i,
+			}),
+		).toHaveAttribute(
+			"href",
+			expect.stringContaining(
+				"/ai-coder/ai-gateway/cost-controls#effective-group-resolution",
+			),
+		);
 	},
 };
 
@@ -74,9 +93,14 @@ export const AIBudgetDisabled: Story = {
 		await expect(canvas.getByLabelText("Monthly limit per member")).toHaveValue(
 			0,
 		);
-		await expect(canvas.getByText("no budget")).toBeInTheDocument();
+		const summary = canvas.getByText(/This group's limit has been set to/);
+		await expect(summary).toHaveTextContent(
+			"This group's limit has been set to $0.",
+		);
 		await expect(
-			canvas.getByText("A $0 limit disables AI access for this group."),
+			canvas.getByText(
+				/A \$0 limit blocks AI access for members that aren't in another group/,
+			),
 		).toBeInTheDocument();
 	},
 };
@@ -91,7 +115,9 @@ export const AIBudgetDecimal: Story = {
 		const canvas = within(canvasElement);
 		// Cents are kept when the amount is not a whole dollar.
 		const helper = canvas.getByText(/month, based on/i);
-		await expect(helper).toHaveTextContent("$99.99/month, based on 1 member.");
+		await expect(helper).toHaveTextContent(
+			"This group's limit is $99.99/month, based on 1 member.",
+		);
 	},
 };
 
diff --git a/site/src/pages/GroupsPage/GroupSettingsPageView.tsx b/site/src/pages/GroupsPage/GroupSettingsPageView.tsx
index 4bc3596e5d..e8ff2c1c77 100644
--- a/site/src/pages/GroupsPage/GroupSettingsPageView.tsx
+++ b/site/src/pages/GroupsPage/GroupSettingsPageView.tsx
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import { useFormik } from "formik";
 import type { FC, ReactNode } from "react";
 import * as Yup from "yup";
 import type { Group } from "#/api/typesGenerated";
-import { Alert } from "#/components/Alert/Alert";
 import { Badge } from "#/components/Badge/Badge";
 import { Button } from "#/components/Button/Button";
 import { IconField } from "#/components/IconField/IconField";
@@ -13,6 +12,7 @@ import {
 	InputGroupInput,
 } from "#/components/InputGroup/InputGroup";
 import { Label } from "#/components/Label/Label";
+import { Link } from "#/components/Link/Link";
 import { Spinner } from "#/components/Spinner/Spinner";
 import {
 	aiBudgetRangeError,
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import {
 	maxAIBudgetDollars,
 } from "#/modules/groups";
 import { usdBudgetFormatter } from "#/utils/currency";
+import { docs } from "#/utils/docs";
 import {
 	getFormHelpers,
 	nameValidator,
@@ -31,20 +32,34 @@ type FormData = {
 	display_name: string;
 	avatar_url: string;
 	quota_allowance: number;
-	// Per-member AI budget, in dollars. "" is unlimited; 0 disables.
+	// Per-member AI budget, in dollars. "" means no budget; 0 disables AI access.
 	monthly_budget_per_member: string;
 };
 
 const validationSchema = Yup.object({
 	name: nameValidator("Name"),
 	quota_allowance: Yup.number().required().min(0).integer(),
-	// Optional: empty is unlimited. A value must be within the range; 0 disables.
+	// Optional: empty means no budget. A value must be within the range; 0 disables.
 	monthly_budget_per_member: Yup.number()
 		.transform((value, original) => (original === "" ? undefined : value))
 		.min(0, aiBudgetRangeError)
 		.max(maxAIBudgetDollars, aiBudgetRangeError),
 });
 
+const BudgetDocsLink: FC = () => (
+	<Link
+		href={docs("/ai-coder/ai-gateway/cost-controls#effective-group-resolution")}
+		target="_blank"
+		rel="noreferrer"
+		size="sm"
+		// The link's default left padding reads as a stray gap when the link
+		// wraps to its own line under the helper text.
+		className="pl-0"
+	>
+		Learn how budgets apply across groups
+	</Link>
+);
+
 interface AIBudgetFeedbackProps {
 	error: boolean;
 	helperText?: ReactNode;
@@ -69,26 +84,34 @@ const AIBudgetFeedback: FC<AIBudgetFeedbackProps> = ({
 	const budgetValue = monthlyBudgetPerMember.trim();
 	const budgetAmount = Number(budgetValue);
 
-	// Empty means unlimited spend; $0 disables AI access. Both states show an
+	// Empty means no budget; $0 disables AI access. Both states show an
 	// explanatory alert alongside the summary line.
 	if (budgetValue === "" || budgetAmount === 0) {
-		const { label, message } =
+		const { summary, message } =
 			budgetValue === ""
 				? {
-						label: "unlimited budget",
-						message: "Members in this group have no spending cap.",
+						summary: "This group doesn't have a budget set.",
+						message:
+							"Members will fall back to another group's limit, or if no budgets have been set, they will have no spend limit.",
 					}
 				: {
-						label: "no budget",
-						message: "A $0 limit disables AI access for this group.",
+						summary: (
+							<>
+								This group's limit has been set to{" "}
+								<span className="font-medium text-content-primary">$0</span>.
+							</>
+						),
+						message:
+							"A $0 limit blocks AI access for members that aren't in another group with a budget set.",
 					};
 		return (
 			<>
 				<span className="text-left text-xs text-content-secondary">
-					This group has{" "}
-					<span className="font-medium text-content-primary">{label}</span>.
+					{summary}
+				</span>
+				<span className="text-left text-xs text-content-secondary">
+					{message} <BudgetDocsLink />
 				</span>
-				<Alert severity="info">{message}</Alert>
 			</>
 		);
 	}
@@ -96,12 +119,13 @@ const AIBudgetFeedback: FC<AIBudgetFeedbackProps> = ({
 	if (Number.isFinite(budgetAmount) && budgetAmount > 0) {
 		return (
 			<span className="text-left text-xs text-content-secondary">
+				This group's limit is{" "}
 				<span className="font-medium text-content-primary">
 					{usdBudgetFormatter.format(budgetAmount * memberCount)}
 				</span>
 				/month, based on{" "}
 				<span className="font-medium text-content-primary">{memberCount}</span>{" "}
-				{memberCount === 1 ? "member" : "members"}.
+				{memberCount === 1 ? "member" : "members"}. <BudgetDocsLink />
 			</span>
 		);
 	}
@@ -251,7 +275,7 @@ const UpdateGroupForm: FC<UpdateGroupFormProps> = ({
 									min="0"
 									max={maxAIBudgetDollars}
 									step="1"
-									placeholder="unlimited"
+									placeholder="no budget"
 									aria-invalid={budgetField.error}
 								/>
 								<InputGroupAddon align="inline-end">USD</InputGroupAddon>