output-dev-workflow-cost

Workflow Run Cost

Overview

This skill helps you calculate the cost of a completed workflow execution using the Output CLI. It breaks down costs by LLM model (token usage) and external API service calls.

When to Use This Skill

• Checking how much a workflow run cost in LLM tokens
• Analyzing API service spend per workflow execution
• Comparing costs between workflow runs
• Presenting cost data during a demo or review

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Step 1: Get a Workflow Run ID

The workflow cost command requires a workflow run ID — not the workflow name.

A run ID looks like: process_transcripts_2026-03-23-19-35-17-000Z_c2biRk_F9rYktF-wagBf5

If you already have a run ID, skip to Step 2.

If you don't have a run ID:

Option A — List recent runs (use skill: output-workflow-runs-list):

npx output workflow runs list <workflowName> --limit 5

Copy the run ID from the most recent completed run.

Option B — Run the workflow now and capture the ID:

If you know the input, run it synchronously and the run ID will be in the output:

npx output workflow run <workflowName> --input '{"key": "value"}'

Or asynchronously (use skill: output-workflow-start):

npx output workflow start <workflowName> --input '{"key": "value"}'
# Returns: Workflow ID: <runId>

If you don't know the input, check for a scenario file (use skill: output-dev-scenario-file) or the workflow's inputSchema in its types.ts.

Note: The workflow name (e.g. process_transcripts) identifies the workflow type. The workflow run ID (e.g. process_transcripts_2026-03-23T19:35:17.000Z_abc123) identifies a specific execution. workflow cost requires the run ID.

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Step 2: Calculate the Cost

Basic usage (text output):

npx output workflow cost <runId>

With a local trace file:

npx output workflow cost <runId> path/to/trace.json

JSON output (for programmatic use or display):

npx output workflow cost <runId> --format json

Verbose — show per-call breakdown:

npx output workflow cost <runId> --verbose

All flags:

Flag	Description	Default
--format <type>	Output format: text or json	text
--verbose	Show detailed per-LLM-call breakdown	false

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Understanding the Output

Text format example:

Workflow: process_transcripts
Duration: 12.3s

LLM Costs:
  claude-sonnet-4 — 1,234 in / 567 out tokens — $0.0123

Services:
  jina — 2 requests — $0.004

Total Cost: $0.0163

JSON format fields:

{
  "workflowName": "process_transcripts",
  "durationMs": 12300,
  "llmTotalCost": 0.0123,
  "totalInputTokens": 1234,
  "totalOutputTokens": 567,
  "services": [{ "serviceName": "jina", "totalCost": 0.004 }],
  "totalCost": 0.0163
}

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Examples

Get cost of the last run:

# First get the run ID
npx output workflow runs list process_transcripts --limit 1 --format json

# Then get the cost
npx output workflow cost process_transcripts_2026-03-23T19:35:17.000Z_abc123

Get cost as JSON and extract total:

npx output workflow cost <runId> --format json | jq '.totalCost'

Show full per-call breakdown:

npx output workflow cost <runId> --verbose

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Related Skills

• output-workflow-runs-list — Find run IDs from execution history
• output-workflow-start — Start a workflow and capture its run ID
• output-workflow-run — Run a workflow synchronously
• output-dev-scenario-file — Create or find scenario files for workflow input