# Forge Cost

> Tie resource and vendor cost to workloads, ownership, unit economics, budgets, and safe optimization choices.

- Skill: `is-bo/forge-cost-3` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add is-bo/forge-cost-3`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/is-bo/forge-cost-3/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: is-bo (https://skillmd.com/u/is-bo)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/is-bo/forge-cost-3

---


# forge-cost: Cost efficiency

Engine: Hybrid — Forge + Google, Cloudflare

## Purpose

Tie resource and vendor cost to workloads, ownership, unit economics, budgets, and safe optimization choices.


## Deterministic runtime composition

Before loading any provider procedure, run:

Resolve `../../runtime/cli/src/composition-entry.js` relative to this `SKILL.md`, then run:

`node "<resolved-absolute-runner-path>" cost compose --workflow audit --root "<repository-root>" --dry-run --json`

Add one repeatable `--request <provider-or-source>` flag for each explicit user request. Add
`--condition <task-condition>` or `--risk-surface <surface>` only for a task fact you directly
proved; never infer one from generic wording. The command above is the default for this
audit-oriented module; for implementation use `--workflow build`, and for a fix, retest, or
release gate use `--workflow fix`, `verify`, or `ship` respectively. Read the JSON response,
keep the Forge contract at index zero, and resolve paths against the absolute `runtime_root`
reported in that response. Read `eager[].runtimePath` when entering the module. The full
`selected[]` list is availability/provenance; load only `deferred[].runtimePath` when the task
reaches that concern, in tier order. Refuse any path that escapes the root. Respect every reported
suppression and context budget. If `missing` is non-empty, stop and report the installation as
damaged; do not improvise a prose fallback. The runner and specialist content may live in a plugin
cache or global installation; never assume they are inside the audited repository.


Resolve and read `../fullstack-forge/references/shared/module-contract.md` (applicability,
execution, mutation, verification, completion) and
`../fullstack-forge/references/shared/evidence-rules.md` (statuses, standards, tools, findings via
`../fullstack-forge/references/PROTOCOL.md`) relative to this module `SKILL.md` before reporting.

Never hide failed checks or claim that an operation ran when it did not.

## Automatic activation signals

Activate when a request or direct repository evidence involves cost efficiency, when
the user explicitly names `forge-cost`, or when discovery proves an applicable boundary.

- Paid infrastructure, APIs, AI, storage, messaging, or observability

## When not to activate

- No material variable or fixed operating cost

## Automated support

Relevant discovery inputs are:

- architecture profile
- usage measurements
- pricing and billing exports

Deterministic support, bounded evidence only:

- `inspect-deployment-config`

## Agent inspection procedure

1. Attribute current spend: map each paid service, plan, and resource to the workload that uses it.
2. Identify waste: always-on resources for bursty loads, oversized instances, unused capacity, and orphaned resources.
3. Trace the expensive operations: costly queries, chatty integrations, retry amplification, AI token usage, and egress-heavy paths.
4. Compute unit economics where tenancy exists: cost per tenant or user against plan pricing.
5. Project cost at the stated growth scenario and check budgets, alerts, and retention policies for logs and storage.

Manual inspection requirements:

- Review current provider pricing and contractual commitments
- Validate product value and growth assumptions

Stack-specific guidance:

- Include managed-service minimums, egress, support, and observability costs

## Evidence to collect

Standards used as criteria:

- FinOps Framework concepts
- provider billing documentation

## Common production failures

- Map cost centers to services, tenants, features, environments, and owners
- Inspect idle resources, retention, egress, log cardinality, build minutes, queries, storage lifecycle, and retry amplification
- Define budgets, anomaly alerts, unit metrics, and cost-performance-reliability tradeoffs

## Missing-control checks

Each item needs direct evidence or one reasoned status.

- Hosting cost
- Database-plan usage
- Storage growth
- Egress
- AI API usage
- Logging cost
- Monitoring cost
- Always-on services
- Oversized resources
- Inefficient jobs
- Cache cost versus value
- Expensive queries
- Third-party subscriptions
- Per-tenant cost
- Projected cost at scale
- Waste caused by retries
- Large-file storage
- Retention cost

## Commands and tools

- Run `forge cost audit --json` or `fullstack-forge cost audit --json` when
  an explicit audit is requested and the CLI is installed. Normal feature work does not require it.

## Safe fixes

- Add cost attribution tags and bounded retention
- Remove a proven unused non-production resource through an approved workflow

## Approval-required changes

- Deleting resources, changing service tier, retention, reliability, or customer-visible limits

## Verification

- Compare normalized billing before and after over a representative period
- Confirm reliability and performance budgets remain satisfied

## Completion contract

Follow `fullstack-forge/references/shared/completion.md` and the limitations below.

## Known limitations

- Pricing is time-sensitive and must be verified at audit time