| 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.
