ynab-big-goal-savings-planner

name	ynab-big-goal-savings-planner
description	Helps plan and fund a large, specific, one-time savings goal with a dollar target and timeline — house down payment, car, wedding, sabbatical. Use when a user says "I'm saving for a house down payment", "how much do I need to save monthly for X", "help me set a savings target with a deadline", or "I want to buy a car in a year".
license	MIT
compatibility	Works standalone; optionally enriched with live goal-tracking data when the ynab-mcp MCP server is connected.
metadata	{"author":"auzroz","version":"1.0.0","mcp-server":"ynab-mcp"}

YNAB Big Goal Savings Planner

What this does

Plans and funds a large, specific, one-time savings goal with a dollar target and timeline — house down payment, car, wedding, sabbatical — using YNAB's target-date goal mechanics, and frames the monthly contribution as non-negotiable alongside true expenses rather than "whatever's left over."

When to use this skill

• "I'm saving for a house down payment"
• "How much do I need to save monthly for X?"
• "Help me set a savings target with a deadline"
• "I want to buy a car in a year"

Should NOT trigger on: an open-ended safety-net fund with no fixed date (use ynab-emergency-fund-builder), or allocating this month's Ready to Assign across all goals at once (use ynab-assign-money).

Workflow

Step 1: Set the target amount and date

Establish the dollar target and target date. For a house down payment specifically, flag YNAB's guidance to add 5-10% on top of the down payment figure to cover closing costs — a very common shortfall if skipped.

Step 2: Calculate the required monthly contribution

Target amount ÷ months remaining = required monthly contribution. Frame this number as non-negotiable, the same way a true-expense category is — not something to fund only with leftover money at the end of the month.

Step 3 (if MCP-connected): Set it up and track it

Call MCP tool: ynab_create_category — a dedicated category for this goal Call MCP tool: ynab_goal_progress — using YNAB's "Have a balance of... by [date]" target-date goal type, distinct from an open-ended goal with no date

Step 4: Sanity-check against the rest of the budget

If the required monthly contribution looks unrealistic against current income/expenses, say so plainly and offer to either extend the timeline or reduce the target — don't let an unrealistic number stand unexamined.

Output format

Goal: [description] — $X target by [date]
  (if down payment: includes +5-10% for closing costs: $Y adjusted target)
Months remaining: N
Required monthly contribution: $Z
Feasibility check: [fits current budget / would require trimming elsewhere]

Troubleshooting

MCP connection failed — proceed with the math in coaching mode; note live goal tracking isn't available this session.

Unauthorized / token expired — the YNAB connection needs re-authorization before the goal category can be created directly.

When the skill is NOT the right tool

• Open-ended emergency savings with no fixed date — use ynab-emergency-fund-builder.
• Allocating this month's Ready to Assign across all active goals — use ynab-assign-money.