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Google Cloud Cost Optimization Review

Reviews Google Cloud workloads for cost savings using the Well-Architected Framework cost pillar

Source Download skill
Repository
google/skills
Stars
21,782
Licence
Apache-2.0
Files
2 files

What it does

When installed, the agent answers questions about Google Cloud spending with a structured cost-optimization checklist drawn from Google's Well-Architected Framework. It covers visibility (billing reports, budgets, BigQuery export), rightsizing idle or oversized resources, and discount options such as Committed Use Discounts, Sustained Use Discounts and Spot VMs. It also recommends storage lifecycle policies and network choices that reduce transfer costs, and it can ask follow-up questions about the workload once the standard advice is given. The skill is a set of instructions for the agent; it does not change any cloud resources by itself.

Great for

  • Engineers or FinOps staff who want a consistent checklist when reviewing a Google Cloud bill
  • Teams preparing a cost review or rightsizing plan for Compute Engine, GKE, Cloud Storage or databases
  • Anyone learning which Google Cloud cost tools (billing reports, Recommender, Storage Insights) to look at first

Skip it if

  • Looking up the current list price of a single Google Cloud product, since the skill explicitly excludes standalone pricing lookups and may not reflect current rates
  • Designing a system for reasons other than cost, since the skill is scoped to the cost pillar only
  • Making binding financial commitments such as CUD purchases based solely on the agent's advice without checking actual usage data and contract terms

Try asking

  • “Analyze my Google Cloud spend for last month and suggest where I can cut costs”
  • “Which of my Compute Engine instances look oversized, and how should I rightsize them?”
  • “Should I buy committed use discounts or rely on sustained use discounts for my steady database workload?”
  • “Help me set up billing budgets and a Storage Insights review before adding lifecycle rules to my buckets”
Step-by-step guide: how to use Google Cloud Cost Optimization ReviewInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Install in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Download the skill

    The ZIP contains the 2 original files, the Apache-2.0 licence and an attribution note.

    google-cloud-waf-cost-optimization.zip
  2. 2

    Add it to your agent

    Claude Code (all projects)

    mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip google-cloud-waf-cost-optimization.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/

    Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)

    mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip google-cloud-waf-cost-optimization.zip -d .claude/skills/

    Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.

  3. 3

    Ask for the task

    No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.

Get better results

  • Give the agent billing export data or a cost breakdown by project and label so its advice is grounded in your real spend, not generic guidance.
  • Ask for the full standard recommendation list first; the skill is written to provide this before asking follow-up questions.
  • Review any gcloud or API command the agent proposes before running it, especially commands that modify resources or purchase commitments.

What's inside

  • references/attribution.md
  • SKILL.md

Redistributed unmodified from google/skills under the Apache-2.0 licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-10-29. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.