> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.pump.co/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.pump.co/pump-view/annotations.md). # Annotations Annotations let you pin notes to specific dates on your cost timeline. Use them to document events that explain cost movements, like a new service deployment, a traffic spike, a pricing change, or a team restructuring. When someone on your team investigates a cost spike weeks later, the annotation is already there with context. ### Adding an annotation Annotations are added manually. To create one: 1. Open the **Playground** or pre-made report and navigate to the date range where the event occurred. 2. Click the + below the bar on a singular day. 3. Enter a description of the event (e.g., "Migrated search indexing to OpenSearch," "Black Friday traffic spike," "Added 3 new dev accounts"). 4. Save the annotation. Annotations are visible to everyone on your team. They appear as markers on the cost timeline in both the Playground and in generated reports. ### When to use annotations Annotations are most useful when cost changes are driven by business decisions or operational events that billing data alone cannot explain. Common use cases: | Event type | Example annotation | | -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | | Deployment | "Deployed new ML inference pipeline on p4d instances" | | Traffic event | "Product Hunt launch, 5x normal traffic" | | Team change | "Onboarded data team, 4 new accounts added" | | Pricing change | "Switched RDS from on-demand to reserved" | | Incident | "Redis cluster failover, 12 hours on backup instances" | | External | "AWS price reduction for S3 Standard effective March 1" | ### Annotations vs. Anomaly Alerts Annotations are manual and retrospective. You add them to explain something that already happened. Anomaly Alerts are automatic and proactive. Pump detects unusual spend and notifies you. See [Anomalies and Budget Alerts](/pump-view/anomalies-and-budget-alerts.md) for details. The two features complement each other: an anomaly alert tells you something changed, and an annotation records why. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters: ``` GET https://help.pump.co/pump-view/annotations.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.