New: 98,000+ skills indexed from GitHub repos with 100+ stars · every skill safety-checkedBrowse top skillsTop skills
Esc to closeBrowse all skills
Submit a skillBrowse skills
Submit a skillBrowse skills

Agent skill

Beancount Ask

by bex-co in bex-co/beancount-io

Answer questions about a local Beancount ledger using shown, reproducible bea queries and reports for spending, trends, net worth, subscriptions and anomalies.

MITAuto-check passedBusiness, Finance & HR

Install Beancount Ask

skills CLI
$ npx skills add bex-co/beancount-io --skill beancount-ask -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install bex-co/beancount-io beancount-ask --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/bex-co/beancount-io.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/.claude/skills/beancount-ask .claude/skills/beancount-ask && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
beancount-ask
GitHub stars
296
Token cost
~1.1k tokens
SKILL.md length
565 words
Files
4 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
27
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Answer questions about a local Beancount ledger using shown, reproducible bea queries and reports for spending, trends, net worth, subscriptions and anomalies.

  • Works in 4 steps: Discover → Translate the question → Run, then answer → …
  • Tasks that involve Accounting and bookkeeping
  • SKILL.md covers Scope, Workflow and What NOT to do
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Beancount Ask is an agent skill from bex-co/beancount-io. Answer questions about a local Beancount ledger using shown, reproducible bea queries and reports for spending, trends, net worth, subscriptions and anomalies. Strictly read-only; figures come from executed queries. Skip recording transactions, reconciliation, migration, ledger edits, and general Beancount or BQL documentation questions.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.1k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 6 other files, including reference files (for example `evals/evals.json` and `references/bql-recipes.md`).

It sits in Business, Finance & HR, covering Accounting and bookkeeping. The repository describes itself as: 💰 Double-entry bookkeeping made easy — plain-text accounting for humans and AI agents. Polished iOS & Android app built with React Native + Expo. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve Accounting and bookkeeping

Example prompts

  • “/beancount-ask”

Workflow steps

4 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Discover
  2. Translate the question
  3. Run, then answer
  4. When the data can't answer

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 5614bc7. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are bash).

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Beancount Ask loads about 1.1k tokens when it runs, and up to ~2.3k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 88 tokens; SKILL.md has 565 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~88
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.1k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~2.3k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from bex-co/beancount-io at commit 5614bc7, republished under its MIT licence (© bex-co). 565 words, ~1,119 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/beancount-ask/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 3 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
beancount-ask
description
Answer questions about a local Beancount ledger using shown, reproducible bea queries and reports for spending, trends, net worth, subscriptions and anomalies. Strictly read-only; figures come from executed queries. Skip recording transactions, reconciliation, migration, ledger edits, and general Beancount or BQL documentation questions.

beancount-ask

Answer ledger questions with shown, re-runnable BQL — never with model arithmetic.

This skill exists because a fluent-but-unverifiable answer about money is worse than no answer: the entire credibility of plain-text accounting is that every number is reproducible. So the contract is: every figure cited comes from a shown query execution, the query is shown with the answer, and the ledger is never modified. Prefer bea for reads. Read beancount-init's references/bea-cli.md before running ledger commands: it defines explicit root/destination paths, JSON batches, checks, and safe retries. Without bea, use beancount-init's references/compatibility.md.

Scope

Does: run read-only BQL against local ledger files; interpret results; show the query with every figure.

Does not: write, edit, or format any file; guess or estimate when data is missing; answer general "how does beancount work" questions (point at docs); compute figures in-model (the query engine computes, the skill interprets).

Workflow

1. Discover

Find the main ledger file (same procedure as the sibling skills: fd -e beancount -e bean ., main = the file with option/include directives). Confirm which file when ambiguous.

Bind the discovered root as ledger and use the shared read recipes:

sh
bea --file "$ledger" --json --no-input query "$query"
bea --file "$ledger" --json --no-input balance
bea --file "$ledger" --json --no-input report income-statement --time "$month"

For entry searches, use root-scoped list transaction --search/--tag/--link; check truncation before treating a listing as complete. Use report for polished statements. Keep query execution here rather than delegating the question to another LLM via bea ask.

For market values, existing managed price includes resolve during a bea load; bea --file "$ledger" price status reports freshness. Missing quotes or includes require a separate write workflow; this skill does not run add price, price refresh/export, or edit includes to answer a question.

2. Translate the question

Map the question to a recipe in references/bql-recipes.md — read it first; every query there is tested. Establish the period explicitly: "last month" etc. resolves against today's date; state the resolved date range in the answer. If the question is ambiguous ("how much do I spend?" — period? category? average or total?), ask, don't assume — a precise answer to the wrong question reads as authoritative and misleads.

Show full SKILL.md (231 more words)Show less
3. Run, then answer

Run the query. Answer format:

  • Lead with the figure(s), in a sentence or small table.
  • Show the query underneath (collapsed/quoted is fine) so the user can re-run or refine it.
  • Say what the data can't show when relevant (e.g. "transfers excluded; card payments are not spending").
  • Point at the matching Fava view for browsing (Income Statement / Balance Sheet / Journal with a filter) when one exists.

Interpretation rules (the classic sign traps are in the recipes reference): Income accounts accumulate negative; Expenses positive; cost(position) for USD totals; transfers and credit-card payments are not spending — recipes exclude them by selecting ^Expenses: only.

4. When the data can't answer

Missing period, no such account/payee, ledger doesn't track it (e.g. market values without price directives or a managed include): say exactly what's missing and what would make it answerable. Never estimate. If the answer needs a write (adding price directives, opening accounts), that's another skill's job — name it and stop.

What NOT to do

  • Don't state any figure that didn't come out of the query you show.
  • Don't modify, format, or "fix" any file — read-only, no exceptions.
  • Don't answer an ambiguous question by picking an interpretation silently.
  • Don't rebuild Fava's statements in BQL when pointing at Fava/bea report serves better.
  • Don't extrapolate ("at this rate you'll…") without labeling it as arithmetic on top of queried figures — and keep even that minimal.

© bex-co, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 3 other files (references) in skills/.claude/skills/beancount-ask of bex-co/beancount-io.

  • SKILL.md
  • evals/evals.json
  • evals/files/eval1_ledger.beancount
  • references/bql-recipes.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 5614bc7

Compare with similar skills

Beancount Ask next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Beancount Ask compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Beancount Ask this skillbex-co/beancount-io296—~1.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Sync Upstreamnyaruka/phonenumbers1.6k—~2.8kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Radiology Tablehuang-sir1/radiology-skills1.9k—~1.3kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence
ERPClaw ERP Controlleravansaber/erpclaw114—~18kAutomated safety check: PassGPL-3.0
Odoo Agency Fleet Reviewerpipe-org/mcp-odoo421—~699Automated safety check: PassMIT
Forward Implementation FirstVuk97/forward-implementation-first176—~1.8kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

Similar skills

  • Sync Upstream

    nyaruka/phonenumbers

    Sync this Go port with a new upstream google/libphonenumber release — regenerate the embedded metadata and reconcile the ported Java logic.

    1.6k GitHub stars~2.8k tokensUpdated 7 days ago
    Business, Finance & HRAuto-check passed

  • Radiology Table

    huang-sir1/radiology-skills

    Create/audit editable publication tables with source reconciliation; not figures or statistical inference.

    1.9k GitHub stars~1.3k tokensUpdated 18 days ago
    Business, Finance & HRAuto-check passed

  • ERPClaw ERP Controller

    avansaber/erpclaw

    Operates the ERPClaw self-hosted ERP in plain language: accounting, invoicing, inventory, purchasing, tax, HR, payroll and reports, treating the ERP as the single source of truth.

    114 GitHub stars~18k tokensUpdated today
    Business, Finance & HRAuto-check passed

  • Odoo Agency Fleet Review

    erpipe-org/mcp-odoo

    Review many client Odoo databases at once through odoo-mcp's cross-instance tools — fleet-wide accounting health, per-client aging, partial-failure triage — for agencies and partners managing 5–50…

    421 GitHub stars~699 tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Business, Finance & HRAuto-check passed

  • Forward Implementation First

    Vuk97/forward-implementation-first

    Keeps an agent building and validating real output instead of servicing its own bookkeeping.

    176 GitHub stars~1.8k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Business, Finance & HRAuto-check passed

  • Codify Jumbo Goal

    jumbocontext/cli

    A skill your agent uses when a Jumbo goal has been approved by QA review and needs architectural reconciliation before closing.

    276 GitHub stars~1.2k tokensUpdated 16 days ago
    Business, Finance & HRAuto-check passed

More from bex-co/beancount-io

All 27 skills in this repo

  • Beancount Close

    bex-co/beancount-io

    Close an accounting period in a Beancount ledger by reconciling each active account through beancount-reconcile, checking assertions and recurring gaps, reviewing flags, then proposing a commit with…

    296 GitHub stars~1.4k tokensUpdated today
    Auto-check passed

  • Beancount Import

    bex-co/beancount-io

    Import a bank or card CSV, OFX/QFX, or QIF export into an existing Beancount ledger.

    296 GitHub stars~3k tokensUpdated today
    Auto-check passed

  • Beancount Importer Author

    bex-co/beancount-io

    Write or repair a reusable Beangulp importer from a sample bank export, with reviewed golden files and a passing test harness.

    296 GitHub stars~2k tokensUpdated today
    Auto-check passed

  • Beancount Init

    bex-co/beancount-io

    Scaffold a new Beancount ledger with bea init and validation, with optional Fava browser setup when requested.

    296 GitHub stars~1.2k tokensUpdated today
    Auto-check: notes

  • Beancount Options

    bex-co/beancount-io

    Record a described options trade or lifecycle event as validated Beancount transactions through bea, after review and confirmation.

    296 GitHub stars~3.7k tokensUpdated today
    Auto-check passed

  • Beancount Reconcile

    bex-co/beancount-io

    Reconcile one Beancount account against a CSV statement or pasted PDF text.

    296 GitHub stars~4.1k tokensUpdated today
    Auto-check passed

Categories

Questions about Beancount Ask

What does Beancount Ask do?

Answer questions about a local Beancount ledger using shown, reproducible bea queries and reports for spending, trends, net worth, subscriptions and anomalies. Beancount Ask is an agent skill from bex-co/beancount-io. Answer questions about a local Beancount ledger using shown, reproducible bea queries and reports for spending, trends, net worth, subscriptions and anomalies.

When should I use Beancount Ask?

Beancount Ask fits situations like: tasks that involve Accounting and bookkeeping.

How do I install Beancount Ask in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add bex-co/beancount-io --skill beancount-ask -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/.claude/skills/beancount-ask in bex-co/beancount-io) into .claude/skills/beancount-ask in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Beancount Ask in Codex?

Run `npx skills add bex-co/beancount-io --skill beancount-ask -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/.claude/skills/beancount-ask in bex-co/beancount-io) into .agents/skills/beancount-ask in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Beancount Ask in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add bex-co/beancount-io --skill beancount-ask -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/beancount-ask, .gemini/skills/beancount-ask, .github/skills/beancount-ask and .opencode/skills/beancount-ask in your project.

What does Beancount Ask need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Beancount Ask is instructions for the agent only.

Does Beancount Ask access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Beancount Ask safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Beancount Ask use?

Beancount Ask is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Beancount Ask use?

About 1.1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.5k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 1.1k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Beancount Ask?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Beancount Ask: Sync Upstream (nyaruka/phonenumbers, 1.6k stars), Radiology Table (huang-sir1/radiology-skills, 1.9k stars), ERPClaw ERP Controller (avansaber/erpclaw, 114 stars) and Odoo Agency Fleet Review (erpipe-org/mcp-odoo, 421 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Beancount Ask?

bex-co (a GitHub organization) maintains it in bex-co/beancount-io, which has 296 GitHub stars. The repository holds 27 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 9, 2026.

Source: bex-co/beancount-io on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.