How can we help?

After installing SaneCost to your Slack workspace:

1. Run /sanecost connect aws in any Slack channel
2. Click the CloudFormation link provided
3. Deploy the stack in your AWS account
4. Wait for confirmation in Slack (usually within 2-5 minutes)

SaneCost currently uses:

• Basic: EC2 read-only (no cost data)

SaneCost automatically scans your AWS resources every 30 minutes.

Currently monitoring:

• EC2 instances with low CPU utilization

Yes! Use the /sanecost config command to customize:

• CPU utilization threshold (default: 10%)
• Idle time before alerting (default: 2 hours)
• Cost threshold for notifications
• Notification channel preferences

Example: /sanecost config cpu-threshold 15

Absolutely. SaneCost prioritizes security:

• We use read-only IAM roles (no ability to modify resources)
• All data is transmitted via TLS encryption
• We don't store AWS credentials
• CloudFormation stack can be deleted anytime to revoke access
• API keys expire after 24 hours for setup security

You have several options:

• Snooze individual alerts: Use the snooze button on any notification to pause alerts for that resource (5 minutes to 30 days)
• Adjust thresholds: Increase CPU threshold to reduce alert frequency — e.g. /sanecost config cpu-threshold 15
• Change channel: Route notifications to a different channel with /sanecost config channel #ops-alerts
• Uninstall: Remove the app from Slack workspace settings

Common solutions:

• Check permissions: You need IAM role creation permissions
• Verify region: Deploy in your primary AWS region
• Check stack name: Ensure it's unique in your account
• API key expired: Run /sanecost connect aws again for a fresh link

Still having issues? Email us at support@sanecost.com with the error message.

SaneCost is currently free to get started! All features are available at no cost.

In the future, we'll offer transparent, usage-based pricing with a generous free tier. Early users will receive special pricing and advance notice of any changes.

SaneCost stores only what's needed to operate:

• Slack workspace metadata: workspace ID, team name, and bot token
• AWS connection config: role ARN and external ID — we never store AWS credentials
• User preferences: notification channel, alert thresholds
• Temporary scan data: instance IDs and metrics, automatically deleted after 24 hours

Email addresses used for owner matching are processed in memory only and never persisted to any database.

Email support@sanecost.com with your Slack workspace name and we'll process your request.

Deletion covers all workspace configuration, AWS connections, bot tokens, user preferences, and scan history. Temporary scan data auto-purges every 24 hours regardless of deletion requests.

We comply with GDPR and CCPA data deletion requirements. See our privacy policy for full details.

The users:read.email Slack scope is used solely for matching EC2 Owner tags to Slack users. This enables direct DMs to instance owners instead of noisy channel-wide alerts.

Emails are never sent, never stored, and never shared. They are processed in memory during scans and discarded immediately after matching.

SaneCost checks common ownership tags on your EC2 instances:

• Looks for tags like Owner, owner, CreatedBy, and Team
• Matches email values in tags to Slack users for direct DM delivery
• Falls back to the configured team channel if no owner match is found

Notifications are routed based on ownership detection:

• Direct DMs to instance owners when an Owner tag matches a Slack user
• Channel alerts for untagged instances, summaries, and general notifications

Configure your notification channel with /sanecost config channel #your-channel. SaneCost never posts to #general or unconfigured channels. You can snooze individual resource alerts directly from the notification.

Core waste detection is fully algorithmic — CPU thresholds, time windows, and cost calculations are deterministic and transparent. No black-box decisions.

AI assists in one area: tag extraction. When EC2 ownership tags use inconsistent formats, AI helps parse them to identify the right owner. If AI is unavailable, SaneCost falls back to pattern matching.

Every alert includes raw metrics (instance ID, CPU %, idle duration, estimated cost) so you can verify any recommendation yourself. No action is ever taken without your explicit confirmation.

Currently, SaneCost supports one AWS account per Slack workspace. Multi-region monitoring within that account is fully supported.

Multi-account monitoring is on the roadmap. In the meantime, you can install SaneCost in separate Slack workspaces as a workaround for multiple accounts.

Check your connection status anytime with /sanecost status.