What a conversation looks like

• ynab_budget_vs_actuals month: 2026-10-01
• ynab_goal_progress
• ynab_income_expense months: 6
• ynab_net_worth
• ynab_budget_suggestions

October in one line: you spent $4,912 of the $5,250 you assigned, and kept $1,388 of your income.Sample data

• Over plan: Dining Out by $86 and Car Maintenance by $140 (the tyre repair).
• Goals: 9 of 11 are funded. Vacation and Holiday Gifts are behind; $120 more a month catches Holiday Gifts up by December.
• Savings rate: 22% this month, against a six-month average of 18%.
• Net worth: $48,310, up $1,205 since September.

For November, your history suggests raising Groceries to $720 and lowering Entertainment to $90. Want me to go through the rest category by category?

{
  "month": "2026-10-01",
  "summary": {
    "total_budgeted": "$5,250.00",
    "total_activity": "$4,912.40",
    "budget_usage_percent": 94,
    "overspent_categories": 2,
    "on_track_categories": 31
  },
  "alerts": {
    "overspent": [
      { "category": "Car Maintenance", "group": "True Expenses", "overspent_by": "$140.00" },
      { "category": "Dining Out", "group": "Quality of Life", "overspent_by": "$86.15" }
    ]
  }
}

• ynab_detect_recurring months: 12
• ynab_list_scheduled_transactions

I found 11 recurring charges, about $286 a month in total.Sample data Three of them aren't scheduled in YNAB, so they're easy to forget:

Lumen Fitness has charged you every month since March, but there's no other activity tagged to fitness. Is that the one you forgot?

{
  "recurring_transactions": [
    {
      "payee_name": "Lumen Fitness",
      "category_name": "Subscriptions",
      "frequency": "monthly",
      "average_amount": "$34.00",
      "last_date": "2026-10-03",
      "next_expected": "2026-11-03",
      "occurrence_count": 8,
      "monthly_cost": "$34.00",
      "confidence": "high"
    }
  ],
  "summary": {
    "total_recurring_found": 11,
    "high_confidence_count": 9,
    "estimated_monthly_total": "$286.42",
    "analysis_period": "12 months"
  }
}

• ynab_overspending_alerts
• ynab_spending_pace

Two categories are over:Sample data

• Groceries: $612 spent of $550 assigned, over by $62 (11%).
• Kids' Activities: $185 spent of $150, over by $35 (23%).

Overall you're fine: 52% of the month is gone and you've spent 49% of what you assigned. At this pace you'll finish about $140 under plan. Dining Out has $96 left and only $40 of typical spending to come, so it could cover Groceries.

Moving that money is a write. If you turn on write mode, I can do it with ynab_move_money.

{
  "month": "2026-11-01",
  "summary": {
    "overspent_categories": 2,
    "total_overspent": "$97.00"
  },
  "alerts": [
    { "category": "Groceries", "group": "Everyday", "budgeted": "$550.00",
      "spent": "$612.00", "over_by": "$62.00", "percent_over": "11%" },
    { "category": "Kids' Activities", "group": "Everyday", "budgeted": "$150.00",
      "spent": "$185.00", "over_by": "$35.00", "percent_over": "23%" }
  ]
}

I can't add transactions: this YNAB connection is read-only, so the tools that create or change data aren't available to me. If you'd like me to record it, turn on write mode and ask again. Until then, here's the split to enter in YNAB:Sample data

• Groceries: $96.40
• Household Supplies: $46.27

• ynab_list_accounts to find the Visa account
• ynab_list_categories to find both categories
• ynab_create_transaction amount: -142.67, two subtransactions

Done. I added a $142.67 outflow at Costco on your Visa, dated today and uncleared, split into Groceries ($96.40) and Household Supplies ($46.27).Sample data I can't edit a split after creating it (YNAB's API doesn't allow it), so let me know now if either amount is off and I'll delete and re-add it.

{
  "account_id": "…",
  "date": "2026-11-03",
  "amount": -142.67,
  "payee_name": "Costco",
  "subtransactions": [
    { "amount": -96.40, "category_id": "…" },
    { "amount": -46.27, "category_id": "…" }
  ]
}

• ynab_net_worth
• ynab_income_expense months: 12

Your net worth is $48,310: $71,940 in assets against $23,630 in debts, most of it the car loan.Sample data

Yes, it's going up. You've kept money in 10 of the last 12 months, $9,840 in total, an average of $820 a month. The two negative months were June (vacation) and August (insurance renewal). September and October are your strongest yet.

• ynab_cash_flow_forecast days: 21
• ynab_age_of_money

Yes, with room to spare. Your budget accounts hold $5,120 today.Sample data Over the next 21 days, $3,760 of scheduled bills go out and $3,150 of pay comes in. The lowest point is $1,486 on November 12, after rent ($2,150), the car payment ($389) and your card payment ($1,095), three days before payday.

Your Age of Money is 34 days, so you're already spending last month's income. Nothing here needs moving.

{
  "forecast_period": { "start": "2026-11-03", "end": "2026-11-24", "days": 21 },
  "current_position": { "cash_balance": "$5,120.00", "budget_accounts": 3 },
  "projected": {
    "end_balance": "$4,510.00",
    "total_income": "$3,150.00",
    "total_expenses": "$3,760.00",
    "lowest_balance": "$1,486.00",
    "lowest_balance_date": "2026-11-12"
  },
  "upcoming_expenses": [
    { "date": "2026-11-05", "payee": "Maple Street Rentals", "amount": "-$2,150.00", "frequency": "Monthly" },
    { "date": "2026-11-10", "payee": "Harbor Auto Finance", "amount": "-$389.00", "frequency": "Monthly" }
  ]
}

• ynab_list_accounts to find checking
• ynab_reconciliation_helper account_id: checking

YNAB's cleared balance for checking is $2,505.18, which is $74.00 more than the bank.Sample data There are four uncleared transactions. Two of them add up to exactly $74.00 and are probably on your statement already:

If they are on the statement, the balances match once they're cleared. I can mark them cleared with ynab_update_transactions if write mode is on; otherwise tick them in YNAB and finish the reconciliation there.