Ensures cloud resource creation stays within budget targets by auditing against cost-optimization guidelines.
Install
mkdir -p .claude/skills/cost && curl -L -o skill.zip "https://agentskills.codes/api/skills/download/9522" && unzip -o skill.zip -d .claude/skills/cost && rm skill.zipInstalls to .claude/skills/cost
Activation
This is the description your AI agent reads to decide when to run this skill — the better it matches your request, the more reliably it fires.
References Serverless OpenClaw cost optimization guidelines. Validates that no resources exceeding the cost target ($1/month) are created during implementation. Use when writing CDK stacks or making infrastructure changes.Key capabilities
- →Validate CDK stacks
- →Identify expensive resources
- →Suggest cost-efficient alternatives
- →Audit project resources
How it works
It validates infrastructure-as-code against defined monthly cost targets and identifies expensive resources.
Inputs & outputs
When to use cost
- →Reviewing CDK stacks for cost efficiency
- →Verifying infrastructure changes meet the $1/month target
- →Finding alternatives to expensive managed services
- →Auditing project resources for cost compliance
About this skill
Cost Optimization Reference
Detailed Cost Analysis
Per-service cost breakdown, before/after optimization comparison, checklist:
- cost-optimization.md
- cold-start-optimization.md — Cold start optimization with cost impact analysis (Phase 1 complete, Phase 2 in progress)
Cost Validation (Required for Infrastructure Changes)
Verify the following resources are NOT created:
| Prohibited Resource | Monthly Cost | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| NAT Gateway | ~$33 | Fargate Public IP |
| ALB/ELB | ~$18-25 | API Gateway |
| Interface Endpoint | ~$7/each | Public IP for public endpoint access |
| DynamoDB Provisioned | Variable | PAY_PER_REQUEST |
| Lambda in VPC | Requires NAT | Deploy outside VPC |
Cost Targets
| Category | Target |
|---|---|
| Within Free Tier | ~$0.23/month |
| After Free Tier | ~$1.07/month |
| Maximum allowed | Under $10/month |
Lambda Agent Cost (Phase 2)
See cost-optimization.md §9 for full Lambda cost analysis.
| Resource | Cost Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lambda invocations | Per-request | 1M requests/month free tier |
| Lambda duration | Per GB-second | 400K GB-seconds/month free tier |
| Lambda container image | ECR storage | ~$0.10/GB/month after 500MB free |
| No Fargate idle cost | — | Lambda scales to zero automatically |
Key advantage: Lambda charges only for actual execution time — no idle Fargate cost when no users are active. For low-traffic usage, Lambda runtime cost approaches $0/month within free tier.
When not to use it
- →When the project does not use AWS CDK
- →When cost is not a concern
Prerequisites
Limitations
- →AWS CDK specific
- →Requires cost target adherence
How it compares
It provides a specific cost-validation gate for infrastructure changes, ensuring compliance with a $1/month target.
Compared to similar skills
cost side by side with the closest alternatives in the catalog.
| Skill | Installs | Updated | Safety | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cost (this skill) | 0 | 4mo | No flags | Intermediate |
| aws-solution-architect | 20 | 3mo | Review | Advanced |
| terraform-module-library | 7 | 4mo | No flags | Advanced |
| cloud-architect | 6 | 4mo | No flags | Advanced |
Try saying
Example prompts that trigger this skill in your AI assistant.
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