managing-finout

name	managing-finout
description	Use when working with Finout — finout cloud cost management and MegaBill analysis platform. Covers cost allocation, MegaBill analysis, virtual tagging, showback reports, cost anomaly detection, and cross-provider spend optimization. Use when unifying cloud billing, creating virtual cost allocation tags, or generating showback/chargeback reports.
connection_type	finout
preload	false

Finout Management Skill

Manage cloud cost allocation and MegaBill analysis with Finout.

MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

Always list connected accounts and cost centers before querying MegaBill data.

Phase 1: Discovery

#!/bin/bash

finout_api() {
    local method="${1:-GET}"
    local endpoint="$2"
    local data="${3:-}"
    if [ -n "$data" ]; then
        curl -s -X "$method" -H "Authorization: Bearer $FINOUT_API_TOKEN" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            "https://api.finout.io/v1/${endpoint}" -d "$data"
    else
        curl -s -X "$method" -H "Authorization: Bearer $FINOUT_API_TOKEN" \
            "https://api.finout.io/v1/${endpoint}"
    fi
}

echo "=== Finout Account Status ==="
finout_api GET "account" | jq '{
    name: .name,
    connectedProviders: .connectedProviders,
    dataStatus: .dataStatus
}'

echo ""
echo "=== Connected Cloud Accounts ==="
finout_api GET "integrations" | jq -r '
    .items[] | "\(.id)\t\(.provider)\t\(.name)\t\(.status)"
' | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Cost Centers ==="
finout_api GET "cost-centers" | jq -r '
    .items[] | "\(.id)\t\(.name)\tOwner: \(.owner // "unassigned")"
' | column -t | head -15

Core Helper Functions

#!/bin/bash

finout_api() {
    local method="${1:-GET}"
    local endpoint="$2"
    local data="${3:-}"
    if [ -n "$data" ]; then
        curl -s -X "$method" -H "Authorization: Bearer $FINOUT_API_TOKEN" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            "https://api.finout.io/v1/${endpoint}" -d "$data"
    else
        curl -s -X "$method" -H "Authorization: Bearer $FINOUT_API_TOKEN" \
            "https://api.finout.io/v1/${endpoint}"
    fi
}

Output Rules

• TOKEN EFFICIENCY: Target ≤50 lines per output
• Use jq to extract cost summaries from MegaBill responses
• Round costs to 2 decimal places

Common Operations

MegaBill Analysis

#!/bin/bash
PERIOD="${1:-monthly}"

echo "=== MegaBill Summary ==="
finout_api POST "megabill/query" '{"period": "'$PERIOD'", "groupBy": ["provider"]}' | jq -r '
    .data[] | "\(.provider)\t$\(.totalCost | . * 100 | round / 100)\tChange: \(.changePercent | . * 100 | round / 100)%"
' | sort -t'$' -k2 -rn | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Top Services by Cost ==="
finout_api POST "megabill/query" '{"period": "'$PERIOD'", "groupBy": ["service"], "limit": 20}' | jq -r '
    .data[] | "\(.service)\t$\(.totalCost | . * 100 | round / 100)\t\(.provider)"
' | sort -t'$' -k2 -rn | column -t | head -20

Virtual Tagging

#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Virtual Tags ==="
finout_api GET "virtual-tags" | jq -r '
    .items[] | "\(.id)\t\(.name)\tRules: \(.rules | length)\tCoverage: \(.coverage // "unknown")"
' | column -t | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Untagged Cost Analysis ==="
finout_api POST "megabill/query" '{"period": "monthly", "groupBy": ["virtual-tag:team"], "filter": {"virtual-tag:team": "untagged"}}' | jq '{
    untaggedCost: .data[0].totalCost,
    percentOfTotal: .data[0].percentOfTotal
}'

echo ""
echo "=== Tag Coverage by Provider ==="
finout_api GET "virtual-tags/coverage" | jq -r '
    .items[] | "\(.provider)\tTagged: \(.taggedPercent | . * 100 | round / 100)%\tUntagged Cost: $\(.untaggedCost | . * 100 | round / 100)"
' | column -t

Showback Reports

#!/bin/bash
COST_CENTER="${1:-}"

echo "=== Showback Report ==="
if [ -n "$COST_CENTER" ]; then
    finout_api GET "showback/reports?costCenter=${COST_CENTER}" | jq -r '
        .items[] | "\(.costCenter)\t\(.period)\t$\(.totalCost | . * 100 | round / 100)\tServices: \(.serviceCount)"
    ' | column -t | head -15
else
    finout_api GET "showback/reports" | jq -r '
        .items[] | "\(.costCenter)\t\(.period)\t$\(.totalCost | . * 100 | round / 100)"
    ' | sort -t'$' -k3 -rn | column -t | head -20
fi

Cost Allocation

#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Cost Allocation by Team ==="
finout_api POST "megabill/query" '{"period": "monthly", "groupBy": ["virtual-tag:team"]}' | jq -r '
    .data[] | "\(.team // "unallocated")\t$\(.totalCost | . * 100 | round / 100)\t\(.percentOfTotal | . * 100 | round / 100)%"
' | sort -t'$' -k2 -rn | column -t | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Cost by Environment ==="
finout_api POST "megabill/query" '{"period": "monthly", "groupBy": ["virtual-tag:environment"]}' | jq -r '
    .data[] | "\(.environment // "untagged")\t$\(.totalCost | . * 100 | round / 100)"
' | sort -t'$' -k2 -rn | column -t

Cost Anomaly Detection

#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Recent Cost Anomalies ==="
finout_api GET "anomalies?days=7" | jq -r '
    .items[] |
    "\(.detectedAt[0:10])\t\(.service)\t\(.provider)\tExpected: $\(.expectedCost | . * 100 | round / 100)\tActual: $\(.actualCost | . * 100 | round / 100)\tDeviation: \(.deviationPercent | round)%"
' | sort -r | column -t | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Anomaly Alert Rules ==="
finout_api GET "anomalies/rules" | jq -r '
    .items[] | "\(.name)\tThreshold: \(.thresholdPercent)%\tScope: \(.scope)\tEnabled: \(.enabled)"
' | column -t | head -10

Safety Rules

• Read-only operations: Finout queries do not modify infrastructure or billing
• Virtual tag caution: Virtual tags affect cost attribution reports -- validate rules before applying
• API token scope: Ensure token has appropriate read permissions for all needed accounts
• Report accuracy: Cross-reference Finout data with native cloud billing for audits

Output Format

Present results as a structured report:

Managing Finout Report
══════════════════════
Resources discovered: [count]

Resource       Status    Key Metric    Issues
──────────────────────────────────────────────
[name]         [ok/warn] [value]       [findings]

Summary: [total] resources | [ok] healthy | [warn] warnings | [crit] critical
Action Items: [list of prioritized findings]

Target ≤50 lines of output. Use tables for multi-resource comparisons.

Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. NEVER assume resource names — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions — verify against the service documentation or --help output.
3. NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

Counter-Rationalizations

Shortcut	Counter	Why
"I'll skip discovery and check known resources"	Always run Phase 1 discovery first	Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors
"The user only asked for a quick check"	Follow the full discovery → analysis flow	Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures
"Default configuration is probably fine"	Audit configuration explicitly	Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled
"Metrics aren't needed for this"	Always check relevant metrics when available	API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues
"I don't have access to that"	Try the command and report the actual error	Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative

Common Pitfalls

• Data ingestion delay: New cloud accounts need 24-72 hours for full MegaBill data
• Virtual tag conflicts: Overlapping virtual tag rules can double-count costs
• Currency normalization: Multi-currency accounts need exchange rate configuration
• Shared resources: Shared infrastructure (NAT gateways, load balancers) needs explicit allocation rules
• Historical data: Virtual tag changes do not retroactively update historical reports
• API rate limits: Bulk MegaBill queries may hit rate limits -- use pagination for large datasets