The $0 Trap: How Billing Delays Hide Real AI Agent Costs

Cost tracking systems commonly collapse missing billing data into zero, masking unattended AI agent spending that occurs during off-hours—the exact scenario these systems exist to monitor. The danger intensifies because provider billing delays coincide with the times runaway spending happens; the tracker signals 'all clear' on precisely the days you need a warning most. Modeling missing data as a distinct 'unknown' state, rather than as zero, is the critical fix that transforms cost tracking from a false sense of security into actual budget protection.