Budget Alerts

CICosts alerts help you catch cost anomalies before they become expensive problems. Set spending thresholds and get notified instantly when costs spike.

Alert Types

Threshold Alerts

Set a maximum spend amount and get notified when costs exceed it:

• Daily threshold: Alert if daily spending exceeds $X
• Weekly threshold: Alert if weekly spending exceeds $X
• Monthly threshold: Alert if monthly spending exceeds $X

Example: "Alert me if daily costs exceed $100"

Anomaly Alerts

Automatically detect unusual spending patterns:

• Percentage spike: Alert if costs increase by X% compared to the average
• Standard deviation: Alert if costs exceed normal variation

Example: "Alert me if today's costs are 50% higher than the 7-day average"

Per-Workflow Alerts

Monitor specific workflows that are known to be expensive:

• Set thresholds for individual workflows
• Alert if a workflow's average cost increases
• Track if run frequency changes significantly

Setting Up Alerts

Create an Alert

1. Go to Dashboard → Alerts
2. Click Create Alert
3. Choose alert type:
   • Threshold (fixed amount)
   • Anomaly (percentage change)
4. Set the parameters
5. Choose notification channels
6. Click Save

Alert Configuration

Setting	Description
Name	Descriptive name for the alert
Type	Threshold or Anomaly
Scope	Organization, repository, or workflow
Threshold	Amount or percentage to trigger
Notifications	Email, Slack, or both
Cooldown	Minimum time between alerts

Example Configurations

Monthly Budget Alert

Type: Threshold
Scope: Organization
Threshold: $500/month
Notification: Email

Spike Detection

Type: Anomaly
Scope: Organization
Threshold: 20% above 7-day average
Notification: Slack
Cooldown: 4 hours

Expensive Workflow Monitor

Type: Threshold
Scope: Workflow (ci-tests.yml)
Threshold: $50/run average
Notification: Email + Slack

Notification Channels

Email

All plans include email notifications:

• Sent to your registered email
• Include cost breakdown and context
• Link directly to the relevant dashboard view

Slack (Pro+)

Connect Slack for team notifications:

1. Go to Settings → Integrations
2. Click Connect Slack
3. Authorize CICosts
4. Choose a channel for alerts

Slack notifications include:

• Alert summary
• Current cost data
• Quick action buttons
• Thread for discussion

Managing Alerts

View Active Alerts

The Alerts page shows:

• All configured alerts
• Current status (triggered, normal)
• Last triggered time
• Quick enable/disable toggle

Edit Alerts

Click any alert to modify:

• Adjust thresholds
• Change scope
• Update notifications
• Enable/disable

Alert History

View historical alert triggers:

• When each alert fired
• What triggered it
• Cost at the time
• Actions taken

Alert Best Practices

Start Conservative

Begin with higher thresholds to avoid alert fatigue, then tighten over time:

1. Set initial threshold at 150% of current average
2. Monitor for 2 weeks
3. Reduce to 125% if no false positives
4. Continue refining

Layer Your Alerts

Use multiple alert types for comprehensive coverage:

Layer	Type	Purpose
1	Monthly threshold	Hard budget limit
2	Daily anomaly	Early spike detection
3	Workflow threshold	Protect expensive workflows

Set Appropriate Cooldowns

Avoid alert storms with cooldown periods:

• 4 hours for anomaly detection
• 24 hours for daily thresholds
• No cooldown for hard budget limits

Route to the Right People

• Budget alerts → Finance/leadership
• Technical anomalies → DevOps team
• Workflow-specific → Repository owners

Troubleshooting

Alert Not Triggering

1. Verify the threshold is set correctly
2. Check the alert scope (org vs. repo)
3. Ensure the alert is enabled
4. Review cooldown settings

Too Many False Positives

1. Increase the threshold
2. Add cooldown period
3. Consider using anomaly instead of fixed threshold
4. Exclude known-variable workflows

Not Receiving Notifications

1. Check spam/junk folder
2. Verify email address in settings
3. Test Slack connection
4. Check notification preferences

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