treeline

name	treeline
description	Chat with your finances from Treeline Money. Query balances, spending, budgets, and transactions.
version	26.2.605
user-invocable	true
homepage	https://treeline.money
metadata	{"clawdbot":{"emoji":"🌲","requires":{"bins":"[Truncated]"},"install":["[Truncated]","[Truncated]","[Truncated]"]}}

Treeline Money

Chat with your finances. Ask questions like "What's my net worth?", "How much did I spend on groceries?", or "Am I over budget?" and get instant answers from your own financial data.

---

Quick Start

# 1. Install the CLI (OpenClaw handles this automatically)

# 2. Enable demo mode (sample data)
tl demo on

# 3. Try it out
tl status

---

First Time Setup

For agents: If tl commands fail with "command not found", the CLI needs to be installed. OpenClaw handles installation automatically via the skill metadata. Start with demo mode so users can try queries immediately.

Installing the CLI

The Treeline CLI is installed automatically by OpenClaw when this skill is added. The binary is downloaded directly from GitHub releases.

Verify with tl --version.

Optional: Download the desktop app for visual exploration of your data.

Demo Mode

Demo mode loads sample data so users can try queries without connecting a bank:

tl demo on

To switch to real data later:

tl demo off

Demo data is separate from real data.

CLI Behavior Notes

• tl demo on prints a success message — if it seems to hang, wait a few seconds (first run initializes the database)
• Use tl demo status to verify demo mode is enabled
• Some commands may take a few seconds on first run due to database initialization
• If you see errors about missing tables, try tl demo on again

Connecting Real Data

SimpleFIN ($1.50/month, US & Canada)

1. Sign up at beta-bridge.simplefin.org
2. Connect bank accounts and create a setup token
3. Run tl setup simplefin <setup-token>
4. Run tl sync

Lunch Flow (~$3/month, global: US, Canada, Brazil, EU, UK, Asia)

1. Sign up at lunchflow.app
2. Connect bank accounts and create an API destination
3. Run tl setup lunchflow <api-key>
4. Run tl sync

CSV Import (free, CLI or desktop app)

1. Export transactions as CSV from bank website
2. Find the account to import into: tl status --json (grab the account name or UUID)
3. Preview: tl import export.csv --account "Checking" --dry-run
4. Import: tl import export.csv --account "Checking"

Auto-detection handles most CSVs. If columns don't match, specify them:

tl import export.csv --account "Checking" \
  --date-column "Trans Date" \
  --amount-column "Amount" \
  --description-column "Memo"

For European formats: --number-format eu (1.234,56) or --number-format eu_space (1 234,56). For credit cards where charges are positive: --flip-signs. For CSVs with separate debit/credit columns: --debit-column "Debit" --credit-column "Credit". For CSVs with bank letterhead rows before the header: --skip-rows 3.

---

What is Treeline?

Treeline Money is a local-first personal finance app. All your data stays on your device in a local DuckDB database. No cloud accounts, no subscriptions required (sync services are optional), full SQL access to your financial data.

---

Limitations

Encrypted databases not supported. If the user has enabled database encryption in Treeline, CLI commands will fail. They'll need to either:

• Disable encryption if they want OpenClaw access
• Use the Treeline app directly for encrypted databases

If you see "database is encrypted" errors, explain this limitation.

---

Response Formatting

Format all responses for mobile/chat:

• Use bullet points, not markdown tables
• Round numbers for readability ($1,234 not $1,234.56)
• Lead with the answer, details second
• Keep responses concise — chat isn't a spreadsheet
• Use line breaks to separate sections

Example good response:

Your net worth is $125k

Assets: $180k
- Retirement: $85k
- Savings: $25k
- Checking: $10k
- Home equity: $60k

Liabilities: $55k
- Mortgage: $52k
- Credit cards: $3k

Example bad response:

| Account | Type | Balance |
|---------|------|---------|
| My 401k Account | asset | 85234.56 |
...

---

CLI Commands

The tl CLI can do more than just queries:

tl status              # Quick account summary with balances
tl status --json       # Same, but JSON output

tl query "SQL" --json  # Run any SQL query (read-only by default)
tl sql "SQL" --json    # Same as tl query (alias)
tl query "SQL" --allow-writes  # Enable write operations (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE)

tl sync                # Sync accounts/transactions from bank integrations
tl sync --dry-run      # Preview what would sync

tl import FILE -a ACCOUNT          # Import transactions from CSV
tl import FILE -a ACCOUNT --dry-run  # Preview import without applying
tl import FILE -a ACCOUNT --json   # JSON output for scripting

tl backup create       # Create a backup
tl backup list         # List available backups
tl backup restore NAME # Restore a backup

tl doctor              # Check database health
tl compact             # Compact database (reclaim space, optimize)

tl tag "groceries" --ids ID1,ID2  # Apply tags to transactions

tl demo on|off         # Toggle demo mode (sample data)

Note: tl query and tl sql are identical — use whichever you prefer. The database is opened read-only by default. Use --allow-writes to enable write operations.

Use tl status for quick balance checks — it's faster than a SQL query.

Use tl compact if the user mentions slow queries — it optimizes the database.

CSV Import Details

tl import auto-detects column mappings from CSV headers. Most bank CSVs work out of the box:

tl import bank_export.csv --account "Chase Checking"

The --account / -a flag accepts an account name (case-insensitive, substring match) or UUID.

Always preview first with --dry-run to verify columns were detected correctly:

tl import bank_export.csv -a "Checking" --dry-run --json

All import flags (all optional except --account):

Flag	Purpose	Example
--date-column	Override date column	--date-column "Post Date"
--amount-column	Override amount column	--amount-column "Amt"
--description-column	Override description column	--description-column "Memo"
--debit-column	Use debit column (instead of amount)	--debit-column "Debit"
--credit-column	Use credit column (instead of amount)	--credit-column "Credit"
--balance-column	Running balance (creates snapshots)	--balance-column "Balance"
--flip-signs	Negate amounts (credit card CSVs)	--flip-signs
--debit-negative	Negate positive debits	--debit-negative
--skip-rows N	Skip N rows before header	--skip-rows 3
--number-format	us, eu, or eu_space	--number-format eu
--profile NAME	Load a saved profile	--profile chase
--save-profile NAME	Save settings as profile	--save-profile chase
--dry-run	Preview without importing	--dry-run
--json	JSON output	--json

Common patterns for agents:

# Step 1: Find the account UUID
tl status --json

# Step 2: Preview import
tl import transactions.csv -a "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000" --dry-run --json

# Step 3: Execute import
tl import transactions.csv -a "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000" --json

Duplicate transactions are automatically detected and skipped on re-import via fingerprinting.

---

User Context

Before answering finance questions, check for CONTEXT.md in this skill directory.

If it exists, read it first — it contains user-specific knowledge:

• Account meanings (which accounts are retirement vs brokerage, etc.)
• Tag conventions and cash flow rules
• Plugin configurations
• Personal preferences

Learning new context: When you discover something about the user's setup:

1. For small observations, note them in CONTEXT.md and briefly mention what you saved
2. For significant assumptions or corrections, ask: "Want me to save that to your Treeline context?"

See the User Context Pattern section at the end for the template.

---

Quick Reference

Net Worth

tl query "
WITH latest AS (
  SELECT DISTINCT ON (account_id) account_id, balance
  FROM sys_balance_snapshots
  ORDER BY account_id, snapshot_time DESC
)
SELECT
  SUM(CASE WHEN a.classification = 'asset' THEN s.balance ELSE 0 END) as assets,
  SUM(CASE WHEN a.classification = 'liability' THEN ABS(s.balance) ELSE 0 END) as liabilities,
  SUM(CASE WHEN a.classification = 'asset' THEN s.balance ELSE -ABS(s.balance) END) as net_worth
FROM accounts a
JOIN latest s ON a.account_id = s.account_id
" --json

Account Balances

tl query "
WITH latest AS (
  SELECT DISTINCT ON (account_id) account_id, balance
  FROM sys_balance_snapshots
  ORDER BY account_id, snapshot_time DESC
)
SELECT a.name, a.classification, a.institution_name, s.balance
FROM accounts a
JOIN latest s ON a.account_id = s.account_id
ORDER BY s.balance DESC
" --json

True Spending (Excluding Internal Moves)

Check CONTEXT.md for internal_transfer_tags. Default pattern:

tl query "
SELECT SUM(ABS(amount)) as total_spent
FROM transactions
WHERE amount < 0
  AND transaction_date >= date_trunc('month', current_date)
  AND NOT (tags && ARRAY['transfer', 'savings', 'investment'])
" --json

Spending by Tag

tl query "
SELECT tags, SUM(ABS(amount)) as spent
FROM transactions
WHERE amount < 0
  AND transaction_date >= '2026-01-01' AND transaction_date < '2026-02-01'
  AND tags IS NOT NULL AND tags != '[]'
GROUP BY tags
ORDER BY spent DESC
" --json

Recent Transactions

tl query "
SELECT t.description, t.amount, t.transaction_date, a.name as account
FROM transactions t
JOIN accounts a ON t.account_id = a.account_id
ORDER BY t.transaction_date DESC
LIMIT 10
" --json

---

Database Schema

Core Tables

accounts

Column	Description
account_id	UUID primary key
name	Account display name
classification	asset or liability
account_type	credit, investment, Loan, other, or null
institution_name	Bank/institution name
currency	Currency code (e.g., USD)
is_manual	Boolean — manually added vs synced

sys_balance_snapshots — Source of truth for balances

Column	Description
snapshot_id	UUID primary key
account_id	FK to accounts
balance	Balance at snapshot time
snapshot_time	When recorded
source	sync, manual, etc.

transactions

Column	Description
transaction_id	UUID primary key
account_id	FK to accounts
amount	Signed (negative = expense)
description	Transaction description
transaction_date	When it occurred
posted_date	When it cleared
tags	Array of tags

Tags vs Categories

Tags are the primary concept in Treeline — transactions can have multiple tags.

Categories come from the budget plugin (plugin_budget), which maps tags to budget categories. Not all users have this plugin.

---

Plugin System

Plugins have their own DuckDB schemas: plugin_<name>.*

Discovering Installed Plugins

tl query "
SELECT schema_name
FROM information_schema.schemata
WHERE schema_name LIKE 'plugin_%'
" --json

Common Plugin Schemas

plugin_budget.categories — Budget categories

Column	Description
category_id	UUID primary key
month	YYYY-MM format
type	income or expense
name	Category name
expected	Budgeted amount
tags	Array of tags to match

plugin_goals.goals — Savings goals