Skip to content

INSTALLATION.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
232 lines (159 loc) · 7.01 KB

INSTALLATION.md

File metadata and controls

232 lines (159 loc) · 7.01 KB

Installation Guide

Prerequisites

  • Claude Code, or another agent that supports the Agent Skills specification
  • Git

Option 1: One-liner install (recommended)

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/OptimNow/cloud-finops-skills/main/install.sh | bash

This downloads the skill into the current directory. To install into a specific project:

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/OptimNow/cloud-finops-skills/main/install.sh | bash -s -- --dir ~/my-project

The script clones the repo, copies the cloud-finops/ folder, verifies the installation, and cleans up. Works on Mac, Linux, and WSL.

Option 2: Manual install (Claude Code)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/OptimNow/cloud-finops-skills.git

# Copy the skill folder to your project or skills directory
cp -r cloud-finops-skills/cloud-finops ~/.claude/skills/

# Verify structure
ls ~/.claude/skills/cloud-finops/
# Should show: SKILL.md, references/

After copying, Claude Code will automatically detect the skill. Test it:

"What are the first steps to manage AI inference costs?"
"How do I choose between Reserved Instances and Savings Plans on AWS?"
"We have zero tagging compliance - where do we start?"

Option 3: Kiro IDE (power)

In Kiro IDE, add the power directly from GitHub:

  1. Open the Powers panel in Kiro
  2. Click Add power from GitHub
  3. Enter the repository URL: https://github.com/OptimNow/cloud-finops-skills/
  4. The power installs automatically and activates when you mention cloud costs, FinOps, AI spend, or any of the covered domains

The power loads dynamically based on conversation context - no manual activation needed.

Option 4: Claude.ai skill upload

If you are using Claude.ai (not Claude Code), you can upload the skill directly.

Step 1: Download the skill

Clone or download this repository, then create a zip of the cloud-finops/ folder:

git clone https://github.com/OptimNow/cloud-finops-skills.git
cd cloud-finops-skills
zip -r cloud-finops.zip cloud-finops/

On Windows (PowerShell):

git clone https://github.com/OptimNow/cloud-finops-skills.git
cd cloud-finops-skills
Compress-Archive -Path cloud-finops -DestinationPath cloud-finops.zip

Step 2: Open the Customize panel

On the Claude.ai home page, find and click Manage connectors & skills at the bottom of the sidebar.

Claude.ai home page - Manage connectors and skills

Step 3: Go to Skills and click +

In the Customize panel, click Skills in the left sidebar, then click the + button at the top to add a new skill.

Claude.ai Customize panel - Skills section

Step 4: Upload the zip

Drag and drop cloud-finops.zip into the upload dialog, or click to browse. The zip must contain a SKILL.md file with valid YAML frontmatter.

Claude.ai skill upload dialog

Once uploaded, the skill appears under Personal plugins and activates automatically when you ask FinOps-related questions.

Option 5: Agent integration

The skill is designed to integrate directly with OptimNow's Agent Smith.

# In your Agent Smith configuration, add to the skills loader:
skill_loader.load_skill("cloud-finops")

Refer to the Agent Smith documentation for skill configuration details.

Option 6: API integration (system prompt injection)

For direct API use, concatenate the skill files into your system prompt:

import os

def load_cloud_finops_skill(skill_dir: str) -> str:
    skill_md = open(f"{skill_dir}/SKILL.md").read()
    references = []
    ref_dir = f"{skill_dir}/references"
    for filename in sorted(os.listdir(ref_dir)):
        if filename.endswith(".md"):
            content = open(f"{ref_dir}/{filename}").read()
            references.append(f"## {filename}\n\n{content}")
    return skill_md + "\n\n---\n\n" + "\n\n---\n\n".join(references)

system_prompt = load_cloud_finops_skill("./cloud-finops")

For token efficiency, load only the domain reference files relevant to your use case rather than all references at once.

For GPT and other models, use a response contract in your system prompt so the model produces structured, billing-grounded answers instead of generic advice.

Recommended contract (model-agnostic):

# Cloud FinOps Response Contract - by OptimNow
# https://github.com/OptimNow/cloud-finops-skills

You are a Cloud FinOps expert providing practical, business-aligned guidance
on cloud cost management, AI workload economics, and commitment strategy.

Your knowledge comes from injected reference documents covering provider-specific
billing mechanics, pricing models, and proven optimisation patterns. Rely on
the provided references when available. Do not invent pricing figures, discount
percentages, or billing rules.

RESPONSE CONTRACT
1) Context and positioning
- Identify the relevant cloud domain(s) and provider(s).
- State assumed maturity level (Crawl/Walk/Run) if the user does not specify.
- State assumptions explicitly.

2) Practical guidance
- Lead with how billing actually works before recommending actions.
- Distinguish quick wins from structural improvements.
- Avoid generic best-practice statements without grounding in billing mechanics.

3) Metrics and signals
- Use measurable indicators tied to the specific domain.
- If targets are unknown, provide directional guidance instead of fabricated numbers.

4) Business impact
- Connect recommendations to business outcomes, not just cost reduction.
- Clarify trade-offs and accountability implications.

5) Maturity awareness
- Tailor actions to the user's maturity level.
- Do not recommend advanced automation at Crawl unless explicitly requested.
- When relevant, show progression to the next maturity stage.

BEHAVIORAL RULES
- Do not hallucinate billing rules, pricing, or discount mechanics.
- If required information is missing from the references, state the limitation.
- If outside cloud cost or FinOps scope, say so briefly.
- Keep tone structured, professional, and concise.

OUTPUT FORMAT
Use headers:
- Context
- Recommendation
- Metrics and signals
- Business impact
Do not output JSON unless requested.

Updating the skill

# Pull latest changes
cd cloud-finops-skills
git pull origin main

# Re-copy to your skills directory
cp -r cloud-finops ~/.claude/skills/

Or re-run the one-liner installer - it will replace the existing installation automatically.

Troubleshooting

Skill not activating: Check that the YAML frontmatter in SKILL.md is valid. The name and description fields are required.

References not loading: Ensure all files in references/ are readable and correctly named. The SKILL.md router references files by exact filename.

Token budget exceeded: Load only the relevant domain reference file rather than all references. For most queries, one reference file + optimnow-methodology.md is sufficient.