Spend Pulse

Proactive spending alerts via Plaid. Track credit card spending against a monthly budget with pace-based alerts.

Proactive spending alerts via Plaid. Track credit card spending against a monthly budget with pace-based alerts.

Installation

# Install globally
npm install -g spend-pulse

# Or from source
git clone https://github.com/jbornhorst1524/spend-pulse.git
cd spend-pulse
npm install && npm run build && npm link

Verify installation:

spend-pulse --version

First-Time Setup

Run the interactive setup wizard:

spend-pulse setup

This will:

1. Prompt for Plaid API credentials (get them at https://dashboard.plaid.com/developers/keys)
2. Ask to choose Sandbox (test data) or Development (real bank) mode
3. Set monthly spending budget
4. Open browser for Plaid Link bank authentication
5. Store credentials securely in macOS Keychain

For Sandbox testing, use these Plaid test credentials when the bank login appears:

• Username: user_good
• Password: pass_good

After setup, run initial sync:

spend-pulse sync

Commands

spend-pulse check — Primary Command

Returns alert decision with full context. This is the main command to use.

should_alert: true
reasons:
  - 3 new transactions
  - end of month approaching
month: "2026-01"
budget: 8000
spent: 6801.29
remaining: 1198.71
day_of_month: 30
days_in_month: 31
days_remaining: 1
expected_spend: 7200.00
pace: under
pace_delta: -398.71
pace_percent: -6
pace_source: last_month
oneline: "Jan: $6.8k of $8k (85%) | $1.2k left | 1 days | > On track"
new_transactions: 3
new_items:
  - merchant: Whole Foods
    amount: 47.50
    category: Groceries
  - merchant: Amazon
    amount: 125.00
    category: Shopping

Alert triggers (should_alert: true when any apply):

• New transactions since last check
• Over pace (spending faster than expected)
• Remaining budget < $500
• End of month (last 3 days)
• First of month (new month started)

spend-pulse sync

Pull latest transactions from Plaid. Run before check for fresh data.

synced: 16
new: 3
account: "Amex Gold (...1234)"
total_this_month: 6801.29

spend-pulse status [--oneline]

Full spending summary, or quick one-liner:

spend-pulse status --oneline
# Jan: $6.8k of $8k (85%) | $1.2k left | 1 days | > On track

spend-pulse recent [--days N] [--count N]

Recent transactions (default: last 5 days).

spend-pulse config [key] [value]

View or modify settings:

spend-pulse config                  # show all
spend-pulse config target 8000      # set monthly budget
spend-pulse config timezone America/Chicago

spend-pulse link [--status] [--remove <id>]

Manage linked bank accounts:

spend-pulse link --status    # show linked accounts
spend-pulse link             # add another account
spend-pulse link --remove <item_id>

spend-pulse chart [-o <path>]

Generate a cumulative spending chart as a PNG image showing:

• Current month spending (solid blue line with gradient fill, ends with a dot at today)
• Last month spending (dashed gray line, full month)
• Budget target (dashed amber horizontal line)

spend-pulse chart                    # Writes to ~/.spend-pulse/chart.png
spend-pulse chart -o /tmp/chart.png  # Custom output path

Outputs the file path to stdout so you can capture it and attach to messages.

spend-pulse check --chart

Generate a chart alongside the alert check. Adds chart_path to the YAML output:

should_alert: true
chart_path: /Users/you/.spend-pulse/chart.png
# ... rest of check output

Recommended Workflow

# 1. Sync latest transactions
spend-pulse sync

# 2. Check if alert needed, generate chart
spend-pulse check --chart

If should_alert: true: Compose a brief, friendly spending update using the data. Attach the chart image from chart_path — it shows current vs. last month spending at a glance.

If should_alert: false: Stay quiet unless the user asks about spending.

Composing Messages

Use the oneline field as the core message, then add context. Always attach the chart image when available — it communicates pace visually better than any text can.

Under pace (positive):

"Quick spending pulse: Jan at $6.8k of $8k, $1.2k left with 1 day to go. Under pace by 12% — nice work!" [attach chart.png]

On track:

"January update: $5.5k of $8k (69%) with 10 days left. Right on pace. Recent: $125 Amazon, $47 Whole Foods." [attach chart.png]

Over pace (heads up):

"Heads up — January's at $7.2k of $8k with 5 days to go. About 10% over pace. The travel charges added up." [attach chart.png]

Over budget:

"January budget: $8.5k spent, about $500 over the $8k target. Something to keep in mind for February." [attach chart.png]

Guidelines:

• Tone: helpful friend, not nagging accountant
• Keep text under 280 characters when possible
• Mention 1-2 notable items from new_items if interesting
• Use reasons array for context
• Always include the chart image — it's designed to be readable on a phone screen

Pace Explained

Spend Pulse paces against last month's actual cumulative spend curve when available, falling back to a linear budget ramp when no prior month data exists.

• expected_spend: Where you were at this point last month (or linear ramp fallback)
• spent: Actual spending
• pace_delta: Difference (negative = under, positive = over)
• pace: under | on_track | over
• pace_source: last_month (curve-based) or linear (ramp fallback)

This means early-month bills (rent, subscriptions) won't trigger false "over pace" alerts if you had similar bills last month.

Example: Day 15, last month you'd spent $4.2k by this point → expected ~$4.2k.

Upgrading to Real Bank Data

After testing with Sandbox, upgrade to Development mode for real transactions:

spend-pulse setup --upgrade

This clears sandbox data and connects your real bank account.

Troubleshooting

"Plaid credentials not found": Run spend-pulse setup to configure.

"Access token not found": Run spend-pulse setup to re-authenticate.

"No accounts found": Check spend-pulse link --status and add account if needed.

Stale data: Run spend-pulse sync to refresh from Plaid.