# Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Cost Analysis

`query_aks_costs` accepts only a subscription scope in the exact form
`/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}`. Do not use resource-group, management-group,
or billing scopes.

1. Use Resource Graph to list AKS clusters and inspect
   `properties.metricsProfile.costAnalysis.enabled`. Validate every generated
   query and follow `skipToken` pages.
2. If cost analysis is disabled, load [AKS enablement](aks-enablement.md).
   Missing add-on data is unavailable data, not zero spend.
3. Call `query_aks_costs` grouped by cluster for month-to-date, sorted by the
   selected cost metric descending, with a `top` appropriate to the requested
   ranking. If empty early in the billing cycle, retry the last full month and
   label the period. If the row limit is reached, narrow the query and disclose
   that the result may be incomplete.
4. For the top clusters, query the same period grouped by cluster and namespace.
   Sort by cost descending and use the full cluster ARM resource ID when
   filtering.
5. Separate real namespaces from `#idle charges#`, `#service charges#`,
   `#system charges#`, and `#unallocated charges#`. Report allocated, idle, and
   overhead spend without treating category rows as deletable workloads.
6. Rank clusters and namespaces, identify ownership, and hand idle-capacity
   remediation to `cost-optimization`.

For a time-specific cluster spike, load
[AKS anomaly investigation](aks-anomaly.md). Confirm namespace ownership before
chargeback attribution.