Temporal Cost Analyzer/Optimizer

[vitebski]

Project link

https://github.com/vitebski/temporal-cost-optimizer/

Language

Go

Short description (max 256 chars)

Temporal Cost Optimizer is a hackathon MVP for surfacing Temporal Cloud usage hotspots. It pairs a Chrome extension overlay with Go backend services that rank namespaces, prepare workflow drilldowns, and expose optimization analysis endpoints.

Long Description

Temporal Cost Optimizer is a hackathon MVP that adds a Cost Analyser view directly into the Temporal UI through a Chrome extension. It helps surface high-cost namespaces, drill into workflow types, inspect usage signals, and view example optimization recommendations in a familiar Temporal interface.

The demo is designed to show how cost visibility could be embedded into daily Temporal workflows, making it easier for teams to spot usage hotspots and reason about optimization opportunities without leaving the UI. Note: current Temporal Cloud API limitations mean workflow and execution data cannot be read directly from namespaces, and mTLS-protected namespaces are not supported.

Author(s)

• Slava Vitebski @vitebski
• Alan Cham
• Etore

[github-actions]

Hi, I'm ZiggyBot! 🤖 Here's my pre-evaluation of this submission:

---

Criterion	Assessment
Useful to Temporal users	✅ Yes — Cost visibility and optimization recommendations for Temporal Cloud namespaces and workflows addresses a real operational need for teams managing production workloads.
Benefits clearly explained	✅ Yes — The README clearly explains that the tool surfaces high-cost namespaces, enables workflow drilldowns, and provides optimization recommendations through a Chrome extension overlay.
OSI Approved License	❌ No — No license file was detected by GitHub, which means the project cannot be considered open source.
README with working instructions	⚠️ Unclear — Instructions for running the backend are present and appear functional, but Chrome extension installation steps are missing from the README.

Overall: Needs review ⚠️

Notes:

• This is a creative hackathon MVP that demonstrates an interesting approach to cost observability by embedding analysis directly into the Temporal UI via a Chrome extension.
• The architecture diagram using Mermaid is a nice touch for understanding the system design.
• Currently runs entirely on sample/stub data rather than connecting to actual Temporal Cloud APIs, which is honestly documented but limits immediate practical utility.
• The codebase shows thoughtful separation between the sample data mode and the Temporal Cloud SDK integration (preserved in internal/temporalcloud for future use).
• No stars yet, but that's expected for a fresh hackathon submission.

Suggested questions for submitter:

• Could you add a LICENSE file (MIT recommended) to make the project formally open source?
• Would you be able to add Chrome extension installation instructions to the README for a complete setup guide?
• Are there plans to wire up the actual Temporal Cloud SDK integration, or is this primarily a UI/UX proof of concept?

Teaching moment:

This project demonstrates an interesting pattern of building developer tooling that integrates with Temporal Cloud's Usage and Metrics APIs. While the current implementation uses sample data, the architecture shows how external tools can consume Temporal Cloud APIs to provide operational insights. The clear separation between the sample data service and the real Temporal Cloud client (mentioned as preserved in internal/temporalcloud) is a good pattern for building testable integrations. However, since the core Temporal SDK integration isn't actively used in the submitted code paths, there isn't a concrete Temporal-specific code pattern to highlight from the provided source files.

---

---

ZiggyBot is an AI pre-screener based on Temporal's community mascot Ziggy. Final decisions are made by the community team.

Reviewer: Check the box below to generate a Contentful-ready long description for this submission.

• Generate long description if needed

[github-actions]

Hi, I'm ZiggyBot! 🤖 Here's my pre-evaluation of this submission:

---

Criterion	Assessment
Useful to Temporal users	✅ Yes — Cost visibility and optimization tooling for Temporal Cloud addresses a real operational need for teams managing production workloads.
Benefits clearly explained	✅ Yes — The README clearly describes surfacing high-cost namespaces, drilling into workflow types, and viewing optimization recommendations directly in the Temporal UI.
OSI Approved License	❌ No — No license file was detected by GitHub, which means the project cannot be freely used or redistributed.
README with working instructions	✅ Yes — Clear setup instructions are provided for both local development (with .env configuration) and Docker Compose, along with API endpoints and test commands.

Overall: Needs review ⚠️

Notes:

• This is a creative hackathon MVP that demonstrates how cost analysis could be embedded into the Temporal UI experience — a thoughtful UX approach!
• The project honestly documents its limitations (mTLS namespaces not supported, workflow data not directly readable from Cloud APIs), which is appreciated transparency.
• Currently runs in sample-data mode, so it's more of a proof-of-concept than production tooling, but that's appropriate for a hackathon submission.
• The architecture diagram in the README is helpful for understanding the system design.
• The missing license is a blocker that needs to be addressed before acceptance into the Code Exchange.

Suggested questions for submitter:

• Would you be able to add an OSI-approved license (MIT is recommended) to the repository?
• Are there plans to connect the backend to real Temporal Cloud APIs once API limitations are addressed, or is this primarily intended as a UI/UX demonstration?
• Could you clarify what the Chrome extension installation process looks like for users who want to try the demo?

Teaching moment:

This project demonstrates an interesting pattern of building tooling around the Temporal platform rather than within it — specifically, using the Temporal Cloud Usage/Metrics APIs for operational visibility. While the current implementation uses sample data, the architecture shows how external services can consume Temporal Cloud APIs to provide value-added features. This is a useful reminder that Temporal ecosystems often benefit from complementary tooling that helps teams understand and optimize their usage patterns.

---

---

ZiggyBot is an AI pre-screener based on Temporal's community mascot Ziggy. Final decisions are made by the community team.

Reviewer: Check the box below to generate a Contentful-ready long description for this submission.

• Generate long description if needed

[github-actions]

Hi, I'm ZiggyBot! 🤖 Here's my pre-evaluation of this submission:

---

Criterion	Assessment
Useful to Temporal users	✅ Yes — Cost visibility and optimization insights for Temporal Cloud namespaces addresses a real need for teams managing production workloads at scale.
Benefits clearly explained	✅ Yes — The README clearly explains the project surfaces high-cost namespaces, enables workflow drilldowns, and provides optimization recommendations through a familiar UI overlay.
OSI Approved License	❌ No — No license file was detected by GitHub, which means the project cannot be considered open source.
README with working instructions	✅ Yes — The README provides clear setup instructions including environment configuration, running the Go backend, Docker Compose usage, and API endpoint documentation.

Overall: Needs review ⚠️

Notes:

• This is a creative hackathon MVP that demonstrates how cost analytics could be integrated directly into the Temporal UI experience — a thoughtful approach to developer ergonomics!
• The architecture diagram using Mermaid is a nice touch and helps users quickly understand the system design.
• The project honestly documents its current limitations (Temporal Cloud API restrictions, mTLS namespace support) which is commendable transparency.
• Currently runs entirely on generated sample data rather than real Temporal Cloud integration, though the infrastructure for real API calls exists in the codebase.
• The Chrome extension + backend architecture is interesting, but we'd need to see the full extension code to evaluate the complete user experience.

Suggested questions for submitter:

• Could you add an OSI-approved license (MIT is a great choice for hackathon projects!) to make this officially open source?
• Are there plans to wire in the actual Temporal Cloud SDK integration beyond sample data mode, or is this intended primarily as a proof-of-concept for the UI/UX pattern?
• Would you consider adding screenshots or a short demo video showing the Chrome extension overlay in action?

Teaching moment:

This project demonstrates an interesting integration pattern: building tooling that augments the Temporal Cloud experience through external APIs rather than modifying workflows themselves. The architecture shows how the Temporal Cloud Usage and Metrics APIs can be consumed by a separate backend service to provide cost analytics. While the current implementation uses sample data, the codebase structure in internal/temporalcloud shows the intended pattern for connecting to Temporal Cloud's experimental Go SDK. This is a good example of the ecosystem of tooling that can be built around Temporal without touching workflow code.

---

---

ZiggyBot is an AI pre-screener based on Temporal's community mascot Ziggy. Final decisions are made by the community team.

Reviewer: Check the box below to generate a Contentful-ready long description for this submission.

• Generate long description if needed