An update to the active flow billing model for Azure SRE Agent

Mayunk_Jain

Microsoft

Apr 02, 2026

Active flow billing moves from time-based to token-based usage. You’ll be billed based on the tokens consumed when SRE Agent is actively doing work. Each model provider has its own published rate (AAUs per million tokens), so you can choose the provider that fits your scenario and budget.

Earlier today, we announced that Azure SRE Agent now supports multiple AI model providers, starting with Anthropic.

To support multi-model choice, and make active usage costs easier to understand, we’re updating how active flow usage is measured, effective April 15, 2026.

At a glance

What’s changing

Active flow billing moves from time-based to token-based usage. You’ll be billed based on the tokens consumed when SRE Agent is actively doing work (for example, investigating an incident, responding to an alert, or helping in chat).

Each model provider has its own published rate (AAUs per million tokens), so you can choose the model provider that fits your scenario and budget.

What stays the same

Azure Agent Unit (AAU) remains the billing unit.

Always-on flow pricing is unchanged: 4 AAUs per agent-hour

Your bill continues to have two components: a fixed always-on component plus a variable active flow component.

What you need to do

For most customers, no action is required. Your existing agents continue running.

For the latest information on the AAU rates by model provider and estimates of example consumption scenarios, please refer to the pricing documentation.

Why we’re making this change

In reliability operations, different tasks can look very different: a quick health check isn’t the same as a multi-step investigation across logs, deployments, and metrics. With multi-model provider support, token consumption varies by model provider and by task complexity.

Moving active flow billing to a token-based model provides a more direct, transparent connection between the work being performed and the active usage you’re billed for; especially as we expand model options over time.

How token-based active flow helps

More predictable costs for common tasks
Simple interactions typically use fewer tokens. More complex investigations use more. With token-based billing, the relationship between task complexity and active usage is clearer.

More flexibility as we add models

You choose the provider, we select the best model for the job. As model providers release newer models and we adopt them, we publish updated AAU-per-token rates so you always know what you're paying. See the current rates in the pricing documentation.

Spending controls stay in place
You can still set a monthly AAU allocation limit in Settings → Agent consumption in the SRE Agent portal. When you reach your active flow limit, your agent continues to run, but pauses chat and autonomous actions until the next month. You can adjust your limit at any time.

Next steps

For most customers, this change requires no action. Your always-on billing is unchanged, your existing agents continue running, and your AAU meter remains the same. The billing change affects only how active flow usage is measured and calculated.

If you're currently using SRE Agent and want to understand the new pricing in detail – including AAU rates per model, example consumption scenarios for light, medium, and heavy workloads, and guidance on setting spending limits – please visit pricing documentation for the latest information.

NOTE: The pricing section in product documentation is your authoritative source for current rates until the pricing page is updated.

Questions or feedback on the new billing model? Use the Feedback & issues link in the SRE Agent portal or reach out through the Azure SRE Agent community.