Generate a FOCUS-Compliant Cost Report

Overview

If you want to see exactly what you are being charged for and export it in a format that works with any cost analysis tool, this tutorial shows you how.

Use the IONOS CLOUD MCP Server with Claude Desktop to retrieve your billing data, map it to the FOCUS v1.3 standard schema, and generate a FinOps-ready cost report—all without writing a single script.

FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification (FOCUS) is the open standard for cloud billing interoperability published by the FinOps Foundation. A FOCUS-compliant dataset uses standardized column names across providers, so it loads directly into tools such as Apptio Cloudability, CloudHealth, Finout, or a custom dashboard alongside AWS and Azure data, with no provider-specific transformations.

The billing tools covered in this tutorial are:

Tool	What it returns	Key FOCUS fields
get_billing_focus_spec	Full FOCUS v1.3 column specification and IONOS CLOUD→FOCUS mappings	Reference for all mappings
list_billing_invoices	All invoices with IDs, dates, and amounts	BilledCost, BillingCurrency, ChargePeriodStart/End
list_billing_invoices_by_period	Invoices for a specific month (YYYY-MM)	BilledCost, ChargeCategory, ChargePeriodStart/End
get_billing_invoice	Line-item breakdown for a specific invoice	ChargeCategory, ChargeDescription, BilledCost
list_billing_usage	Aggregated resource usage for the current period, grouped by datacenter	ConsumedQuantity, ConsumedUnit, ResourceId (datacenter-level)
get_billing_usage_by_datacenter	Usage scoped to a single datacenter (VDC UUID)	ConsumedQuantity, ConsumedUnit, ResourceId
list_billing_traffic	Per-datacenter network traffic for the current month	ConsumedQuantity (bytes), ConsumedUnit (Byte)
list_billing_traffic_by_period	Network traffic for a specific month (YYYY-MM)	ConsumedQuantity, ChargePeriodStart/End
list_billing_evn	Per-resource provisioning intervals for the current period	ResourceId (resource-level), ChargeDescription, ChargePeriodStart/End
list_billing_products	Product and pricing catalog entries	SkuId, ListUnitPrice, PricingUnit

Note: The MCP Server is read-only. It retrieves billing data but cannot modify invoices, change contract settings, or trigger payments.

Note: list_billing_usage aggregates at the datacenter level, so ResourceId maps to a datacenter (VDC) ID, not an individual resource. Use list_billing_evn for per-resource granularity; it returns provisioning intervals with individual resource IDs for a true FOCUS ResourceId mapping.

Target audience

This tutorial is for FinOps practitioners, cloud finance teams, platform engineers, and IONOS account holders who want a structured view of their billing data and want to export it in a standards-compliant format for integration with FinOps tools or custom cost dashboards.

A basic familiarity with the following is helpful:

• IONOS CLOUD billing concepts (invoices, usage metering, contract number). Your contract number is your IONOS account number, visible in the DCD under your account profile or on any invoice.
• FOCUS v1.3 column families (ChargeCategory, BilledCost, ConsumedQuantity). Familiarity is helpful but not required; the MCP Server provides the full specification on request.
• Claude Desktop or any MCP-compatible AI client.

What you will learn

• How to configure the IONOS CLOUD MCP Server with billing credentials.
• How to retrieve the FOCUS v1.3 column specification from the MCP Server.
• How to map IONOS invoice and usage data to FOCUS fields using natural language prompts.
• How to generate a cost attribution report grouped by region, service, and charge category.
• How to export the report as a FOCUS-compliant dataset.

Before you begin

Ensure you have the following:

Requirement	Details
IONOS CLOUD account	At least one billing period with usage data.
Contract number	Your IONOS contract number. Find it in the DCD under your account profile or on any invoice.
API token	Generate one in the DCD under Management > Token Management.
MCP Server binary	Download the latest release for your platform from ionoscloud-mcp releases on GitHub and place it at /usr/local/bin/ionoscloud-mcp (macOS/Linux) or C:\bin\ionoscloud-mcp.exe (Windows).
Claude Desktop	Installed from claude.ai/download.

Cost considerations

This tutorial makes read-only API calls to the IONOS Cloud Billing API. No additional charges apply beyond your existing contract usage.

Procedure

1

Configure the MCP Server

Open the Claude Desktop configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Note: To open the hidden Library folder in Finder, press Cmd+Shift+G and paste the path. If the file does not exist yet, create it as an empty JSON file containing {}.

Add the following entry to the mcpServers object:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ionoscloud": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/ionoscloud-mcp",
      "env": {
        "IONOS_TOKEN": "your-api-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace your-api-token with your API token. On Windows, change command to C:\bin\ionoscloud-mcp.exe. By default, the MCP server registers all tools at startup, so the billing tools are immediately available without any additional configuration.

Warning: Keep credentials secure. Never commit this file to version control.

• Note: On macOS/Linux: Restrict file permissions: chmod 600 ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Note: On Windows: Right-click the file, select Properties > Security, and restrict access to your user account only.

Quit and reopen Claude Desktop. A hammer icon in the input bar confirms the MCP Server is connected.

2

Load the FOCUS v1.3 specification

In a new Claude Desktop conversation, enter:

Call get_billing_focus_spec and show me the IONOS tool to FOCUS v1.3 field mappings as a table.

Claude calls get_billing_focus_spec and returns the full FOCUS v1.3 column specification and the mapping of each IONOS billing tool to its corresponding FOCUS fields. This step primes the conversation context so all subsequent prompts produce correctly mapped output.

Result: A table showing FOCUS column families (Account, Billing & Cost, Charge, Resource, Service, Location, Pricing) alongside the IONOS tools and fields that populate them. If you see a "tool not found" error instead, confirm Claude Desktop is connected to the MCP server (look for the hammer icon in the input bar after restarting) and that your IONOS_TOKEN has read access to Billing. Billing tools register at startup regardless of IONOS_MCP_LOAD_MODE, so the load mode is not the cause.

Note: The FOCUS specification tool loads the full column mapping into the conversation context. Without it, Claude maps fields based on general knowledge of FOCUS rather than the exact IONOS→FOCUS mappings, which can produce inconsistent column names.

3

Retrieve and map billing data

Enter the following prompt to retrieve your current billing usage and map it to FOCUS:

List my billing usage for the current month. Map each record to FOCUS v1.3 fields using the mapping you just loaded. Present the result as a table with these columns: ChargePeriodStart, ChargePeriodEnd, RegionId, ResourceId, ResourceType, ServiceCategory, ServiceName, ConsumedQuantity, ConsumedUnit, BilledCost, BillingCurrency, ChargeCategory.

Claude calls list_billing_usage and maps the response to FOCUS v1.3 fields, returning a table similar to:

ChargePeriodStart	ChargePeriodEnd	RegionId	ResourceId	ServiceCategory	ConsumedQuantity	ConsumedUnit	BilledCost	BillingCurrency	ChargeCategory
2026-06-01	2026-06-04	eu-central-3	dc-abc123	Compute	96	Hours	null	EUR	Usage
2026-06-01	2026-06-04	eu-central-1	dc-def456	Storage	69	GB-Hours	null	EUR	Usage
2026-06-01	2026-06-04	eu-central-3	dc-abc123	Networking	22	Hours	null	EUR	Usage

Warning: BilledCost is null from usage data. The list_billing_usage returns metered quantities only; it has no rate or cost data. BilledCost is a mandatory FOCUS v1.3 field. To populate it, run the enrichment prompt below to cross-join against your latest invoice.

Note: ResourceId is datacenter-level. The list_billing_usage aggregates by datacenter, so ResourceId resolves to the VDC UUID. RegionId returns the region code (for example, eu-central-3). For individual resource IDs, use list_billing_evn which returns per-resource provisioning intervals.

Note: ChargePeriodStart/End reflect the billing observation window returned by the tool (for example, 2026-06-01 to the current date for a partial month), not per-meter timestamps; consistent with the FOCUS definition.

Result: A FOCUS-mapped usage table with BilledCost = null. If the table is empty, confirm your API token has Billing read access and that the current billing period has usage data.

To enrich the dataset with cost estimates, enter:

List my invoices to find the most recent closed one, then get its full line-item breakdown. For each usage row from the previous step, match by meter or product ID and use the ListUnitPrice from the matching invoice line item as the unit rate. Compute BilledCost as ConsumedQuantity × ListUnitPrice and label it as a prorated estimate. Leave BilledCost as null for any row with no matching invoice line item.

Claude calls list_billing_invoices and get_billing_invoice, joins the unit rates against the current-month usage rows, and returns an enriched table.

Warning: BilledCost is an estimate, not an invoice figure. The current billing month has no invoice until it closes. The enrichment uses the most recent closed invoice as a rate table and computes BilledCost = ConsumedQuantity × prior-period unit rate. This is a prorated approximation; suitable for in-month cost tracking, but not the authoritative billed amount. When the current month's invoice is posted, replace these estimates with the actual invoiced values by running the invoice reconciliation prompt in the example prompts section.

Some rows may remain null if a meter has no matching rate in the prior invoice (for example, meters billed at a zero rate, or new meters with no billing history).

4

Generate a cost attribution report

Enter the following prompt to produce a grouped cost attribution summary:

Using the enriched FOCUS dataset from the previous step, produce a cost attribution report. Group costs by: (1) RegionId, (2) ServiceCategory, and (3) ChargeCategory. For each group show the total BilledCost and percentage of total spend. Then add a summary of the top 5 most expensive data centers by ResourceId (VDC UUID) with their ServiceCategory and BilledCost.

Claude makes multiple tool calls, aggregates the results, and returns a structured attribution report. Then ask it to generate a report artifact:

Create a polished HTML cost attribution report from these findings. Include: a total monthly spend summary with BilledCost from the enriched dataset, a cost breakdown table grouped by region and service category, a top 5 resources section, and a FOCUS compliance note confirming the data conforms to FOCUS v1.3. Use a dark theme consistent with FinOps dashboard conventions.

Claude generates the report as an HTML artifact. Select the artifact panel to preview it in the conversation.

The report includes a KPI summary, cost breakdown by region and service category, a top data centers table, and a FOCUS v1.3 compliance note with estimation caveats. Here is an example of the output:

Example FOCUS cost attribution report showing KPI cards, region breakdown, and service category matrix

5

Export the report

To export the FOCUS dataset retrieved in this conversation as a CSV:

Export the enriched FOCUS billing dataset from this conversation as a CSV with FOCUS v1.3 column headers. Include all rows with their BilledCost values — estimated where enriched from the invoice, null where unmatched.

Claude outputs the CSV content as an artifact. Then:

1. Select the artifact panel.
2. Select Copy to copy the content to your clipboard.
3. Paste into a new file and save as ionos-focus-export-YYYY-MM.csv.
4. Load into your FinOps tool (Apptio, CloudHealth, Finout, or a custom dashboard).

Note: The report export covers usage data. To include traffic and invoice data in a single export, first run the traffic and invoice prompts from the example prompts section, then ask Claude to export all data from the conversation.

To export the HTML cost report instead:

1. Select the HTML artifact panel.
2. Select Copy and save as ionos-cost-report-YYYY-MM.html.
3. Open in a browser or email it to your finance contact.

Warning: The exported CSV may contain personal data (contract identifiers, resource names) subject to GDPR if you are an EU customer. Store the file in a location available only to authorised personnel and delete it when no longer needed.

6

Final result

After completing the procedure, you have:

• The FOCUS v1.3 column mapping for all IONOS billing tools loaded and verified.
• A FOCUS-compliant billing dataset for the current month with ConsumedQuantity and ConsumedUnit populated from live usage data.
• BilledCost populated as a prorated estimate (current-month quantity × prior invoice unit rate); accurate for in-month cost tracking, replaced by actual figures when the month closes.
• A cost attribution report grouped by region and service category.
• A CSV export ready to load into any FOCUS-compatible FinOps tool.
• An HTML cost report ready to share with finance or management teams.

Example prompts for recurring FinOps workflows

Note: Billing data included in conversation prompts is processed by Claude (Anthropic's AI service) and is subject to Anthropic's usage policies. Review these terms before including sensitive contract or cost data in prompts.

Month-over-month comparison

Use list_billing_invoices_by_period to get the last two closed billing months. For each month, get the full invoice line-item breakdown and map to FOCUS v1.3. Show a month-over-month comparison table with the delta in BilledCost per ServiceCategory. Highlight any service where cost increased by more than 20%.

Invoice reconciliation

List my last three invoices. For each one, get the line-item breakdown and map to FOCUS ChargeCategory (Usage, Tax, Credit, or Adjustment). Show total BilledCost per category per invoice and flag any month where Tax or Adjustment charges exceeded 5% of total spend.

Network traffic cost

Get my network traffic data for the current billing month. Map to FOCUS fields and show per-datacenter inbound and outbound traffic in GB. Identify the datacenter with the highest outbound traffic. Then look up the traffic unit rate from the most recent invoice and compute the estimated cost per data center as traffic volume × rate.

Cost anomaly detection

Use list_billing_invoices_by_period to get the last three closed billing months. For each month, get the full invoice line-item breakdown and calculate total BilledCost per ServiceCategory. Flag any category where the most recent month's cost is more than 1.5× the three-month average. For flagged categories, cross-reference the current month's usage data to identify which meters are driving the increase.

Pricing catalog lookup

Search the IONOS CLOUD product catalog for Compute Engine products. Show the SkuId, ListUnitPrice, and PricingUnit in FOCUS format for each result.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Resolution
Hammer icon not visible after restart	Verify the binary path in claude_desktop_config.json is correct. On macOS/Linux, confirm the binary is executable: chmod +x /usr/local/bin/ionoscloud-mcp.
get_billing_focus_spec not found	Confirm Claude Desktop is connected to the MCP server (hammer icon visible after restart) and your IONOS_TOKEN has Billing read access. Billing tools register at startup in both eager and lazy load modes, so the load mode is not the cause.
Empty usage data	Confirm your API token has Billing read access. Verify the current billing period has usage; new accounts or periods with no resources provisioned return empty results.
Multi-month request rejected	list_billing_invoices_by_period and list_billing_traffic_by_period process one month per call. For multi-month ranges, Claude asks for confirmation before making multiple sequential calls.
FOCUS columns missing or misnamed	Start the conversation by calling get_billing_focus_spec first. Without the specification in context, Claude uses general FOCUS knowledge which may not match the exact IONOS field mappings.
BilledCost is null for all rows	Expected from list_billing_usage; it returns quantities only. Run the enrichment prompt in Step 3 to populate BilledCost using the prior invoice as a rate table.
Some rows still null after enrichment	The meter has no matching rate in the prior invoice; either it is billed at zero or it is a new meter with no billing history. This is expected and FOCUS-valid; leave BilledCost = null for those rows.

Conclusion

You have used the IONOS CLOUD MCP Server and Claude Desktop to retrieve your billing data, map it to FOCUS v1.3, and generate a standards-compliant cost report, through natural language prompts, without writing scripts or using the billing UI.

Next steps

Expand your FinOps workflow across more data sources:

• Add invoice reconciliation to your monthly finance review using the FinOps and FOCUS Billing use case guide.
• Identify cost anomalies across the last three months: use list_billing_invoices_by_period to compare BilledCost per ServiceCategory and flag services with unexpected growth.
• Combine billing and infrastructure data: get usage by datacenter with list_billing_usage, then drill into the highest-cost datacenter using get_billing_usage_by_datacenter and Compute Engine tools, all in one conversation.
• Schedule recurring FOCUS exports using Claude Code with a project-scoped .mcp.json; no interactive setup required.