cost-budget-check
Read accumulated cost-tracking spend + budget config, compute utilization, emit 50/75/90/100% alert ladder
- Installs
- 692
- Last 24h
- —
- Trending rank
- —
- Security
- Not audited
Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/ruvnet/ruflo --skill cost-budget-check- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads cost-budget-check automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Cost Budget Check
Reads cost-tracking:budget-config for the project's budget limit, sums total_cost_usd across session-* records produced by cost-track, computes utilization, and emits the measured 4-tier alert ladder (50% INFO / 75% WARNING / 90% CRITICAL / 100% HARD_STOP).
Until P2 (this skill) landed, the README documented the alert ladder but no code checked it. Now this skill is the gate.
When to use
- After every cost-track run, to surface the alert level.
- Before spawning a swarm — if utilization ≥ 90%, escalate to
/cost-optimizefirst. - Cron-friendly via
/loop 30mfor continuous monitoring.
Steps
-
Run the check:
node plugins/ruflo-cost-tracker/scripts/budget.mjs checkFilter by period:
BUDGET_PERIOD=today(defaultall). UseBUDGET_QUIET=1for machine-readable JSON. -
Inspect the markdown summary — budget, spent, remaining, utilization percentage, alert level (🟢 OK · 🟡 INFO · 🟠 WARNING · 🔴 CRITICAL · 🛑 HARD_STOP), and the recommended action.
-
Set / inspect the budget:
node plugins/ruflo-cost-tracker/scripts/budget.mjs set 50.00 node plugins/ruflo-cost-tracker/scripts/budget.mjs get -
HARD_STOP path —
budget.mjs checkexits with code1when utilization ≥ 100%. Wrap critical agent spawns in abudget.mjs check && spawn …guard to fail closed.
Storage shape (cost-tracking:budget-config)
{
"budget_usd": 50.00,
"setAt": "2026-05-05T...",
"thresholds": { "info": 0.50, "warning": 0.75, "critical": 0.90, "hard_stop": 1.00 }
}
Alert ladder (from REFERENCE.md, now enforced)
| Threshold | Level | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 50% | INFO 🟡 | log notification, no UX disruption |
| 75% | WARNING 🟠 | display warning, suggest /cost-optimize |
| 90% | CRITICAL 🔴 | urgent alert, recommend model downgrades |
| 100% | HARD_STOP 🛑 | halt non-essential spawns; exit code 1 |
Cross-references
cost-track(producer) — populatescost-tracking:session-*cost-report— same data source, narrative formatcost-optimize— recommended action when WARNING/CRITICAL- REFERENCE.md "Budget alert thresholds" — the documented ladder this enforces
FAQ
What does the cost-budget-check skill do?
Read accumulated cost-tracking spend + budget config, compute utilization, emit 50/75/90/100% alert ladder
How do I install cost-budget-check?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/ruvnet/ruflo --skill cost-budget-check in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/cost-budget-check/ (personal) or .claude/skills/cost-budget-check/ (project).
Which AI agents can use cost-budget-check?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is cost-budget-check safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains cost-budget-check?
It is published by ruvnet in ruvnet/ruflo. It has 692 recorded installs.
More from ruvnet/ruflo
swarm-orchestration
ruvnet/ruflo
Multi-agent swarm coordination for complex tasks. Uses hierarchical topology with specialized agents to break down and execute complex work across multiple files and modules. Use when: 3+ files need changes, new feature implementation, cross-module refactoring, API changes with tests, security-related changes, performance optimization across codebase, database schema changes. Skip when: single file edits, simple bug fixes (1-2 lines), documentation updates, configuration changes, quick exploration.
agent-arch-system-design
ruvnet/ruflo
Agent skill for arch-system-design - invoke with $agent-arch-system-design
agent-workflow
ruvnet/ruflo
Agent skill for workflow - invoke with $agent-workflow
security-audit
ruvnet/ruflo
Comprehensive security scanning and vulnerability detection. Includes input validation, path traversal prevention, CVE detection, and secure coding pattern enforcement. Use when: authentication implementation, authorization logic, payment processing, user data handling, API endpoint creation, file upload handling, database queries, external API integration. Skip when: read-only operations on public data, internal development tooling, static documentation, styling changes.
github-project-management
ruvnet/ruflo
Comprehensive GitHub project management with swarm-coordinated issue tracking, project board automation, and sprint planning
Popular other skills
hyperframes-cli
heygen-com/hyperframes
The HyperFrames CLI by job - scaffold, check, look at frames, edit the timeline, preview, render locally or in the cloud, publish, project history - plus reading its JSON and recovering from build or render failures.
triage
mattpocock/skills
Move issues and external PRs through a state machine of triage roles, categorise, verify, grill if needed, and write agent-ready briefs.
ask-matt
mattpocock/skills
Ask which skill or flow fits your situation. A router over the skills in this repo.
to-questionnaire
mattpocock/skills
Turn a decision you can't fully answer into a questionnaire for someone else to fill in.
loop-me
mattpocock/skills
Grill me about specs for the workflows I want to build, within this workspace.