ynab-overspending-triage

name	ynab-overspending-triage
description	Finds where money is being overspent and helps roll with the punches — move funds from categories with slack, and surface discretionary cuts. Use when the user says "find places I'm overspending", "where did I overspend", "help me fix overspending", "roll with the punches", "where can I find extra money", or "help me cut back this month".
license	MIT
compatibility	Requires the ynab-mcp MCP server to be connected.
metadata	{"author":"auzroz","version":"1.0.0","mcp-server":"ynab-mcp"}

YNAB Overspending Triage

What this does

Implements YNAB's third rule — Roll With the Punches — by finding currently overspent categories and proposing specific moves from categories that have slack, plus surfacing discretionary cuts if slack alone isn't enough.

When to use this skill

• "Find places I'm overspending"
• "Where did I overspend?"
• "Help me fix overspending"
• "Roll with the punches"
• "Where can I find extra money?"
• "Help me cut back this month"

Should NOT trigger on: computing true-expense monthly contributions (use ynab-true-expenses), or the initial "assign new money" pass (use ynab-assign-money) — this skill is remediation of overspending, not allocation of unassigned money.

Workflow

Step 1: Find overspent categories

Call MCP tool: ynab_overspending_alerts Parameters: threshold (optional, minimum $ to report)

Step 2: Get variance context

Call MCP tool: ynab_budget_vs_actuals Parameters: none

Step 3: Find categories with slack

Call MCP tool: ynab_category_balances Parameters: filter: "positive"

Step 4: Find cut opportunities

Call MCP tool: ynab_savings_opportunities Parameters: months: 3

Step 5: Identify the specific merchants driving overspending

Call MCP tool: ynab_spending_by_payee Parameters: none

Output format

Overspent now: [category: -$amount, days until it resets]
Candidates to pull from (positive balance, low priority): [category: $available]
Suggested moves: move $X from [A] → [B]
Cut opportunities (subscriptions/high-variance/one-offs): [list w/ $ impact]

Troubleshooting

MCP connection failed — confirm the ynab-mcp server is connected.

Unauthorized / token expired — the YNAB connection needs re-authorization.

No categories with slack found — if every category is tight, say so plainly and pivot to the cut-opportunities list rather than forcing a category-to-category move that doesn't exist.

When the skill is NOT the right tool

• Planning for a known future irregular cost — use ynab-true-expenses.
• The initial monthly allocation of unassigned funds — use ynab-assign-money.