How to actually track your AI / LLM API spend before the bill surprises you

Short summary

AI API bills often surprise teams because provider dashboards show only totals, not per-feature costs. The solution: capture usage context (feature, tenant, model) at call time, log to a simple table, and query for cost breakdowns and daily anomaly alerts. Start with code and DIY infrastructure; buy specialized tools only when pricing drift and multi-provider complexity become expensive to maintain.

• •Provider bills hide per-feature cost breakdown; add context at API call time to track actual usage dimensions
• •Implement DIY cost tracking with database logs and SQL queries before buying tools
• •Set up daily spend anomaly alerts to catch cost spikes same-day instead of month-end surprises

Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.