Build a private cashflow chart from your bank CSVs to plan the next six months
A founder asked AI to build a cashflow tool just for himself: upload bank statement CSVs, see cashflow as a graph over time, and add upcoming and recurring expenses to see how much he'll need to borrow until revenue catches up.
Source
hacky_engineer on Hacker News · 2026-10-20
Written in our own words. Credit to the original author. Link checked 2026-10-23.
What they did
A founder asked AI to build a cashflow tool just for himself: upload bank statement CSVs, see cashflow as a graph over time, and add upcoming and recurring expenses to see how much he'll need to borrow until revenue catches up.
Result (as claimed)
He says seeing the graph makes him feel in control, even when it goes far negative.
Tools they used
Cost: Pricing depends on the tools you pick; check each official pricing page.
Set it up
Gather the documents
Collect statements, bills, invoices or tax documents for the period you want reviewed.
Ask for an audit, not actions
Have AI coding agent list findings, amounts and suggested next steps before it does anything.
Approve each action
Approve cancellations, disputes or payments one at a time. Never give an agent open-ended access to move money.
Track the result
Record what changed and what you saved so you can check it next month. This is not financial advice.
Copy the full setup prompt
Paste into your agent and it will walk you through the setup, asking before anything that sends, posts or spends.
You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Claude Code. Goal: Build a private cashflow chart from your bank CSVs to plan the next six months What the original author did: A founder asked AI to build a cashflow tool just for himself: upload bank statement CSVs, see cashflow as a graph over time, and add upcoming and recurring expenses to see how much he'll need to borrow until revenue catches up. Reported result (as claimed by the author): He says seeing the graph makes him feel in control, even when it goes far negative. Source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50160457 Tools they used: AI coding agent, CSV, Bank statements Category: Money Please: 1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like). 2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure. 3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data. 4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.
You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Codex. Goal: Build a private cashflow chart from your bank CSVs to plan the next six months What the original author did: A founder asked AI to build a cashflow tool just for himself: upload bank statement CSVs, see cashflow as a graph over time, and add upcoming and recurring expenses to see how much he'll need to borrow until revenue catches up. Reported result (as claimed by the author): He says seeing the graph makes him feel in control, even when it goes far negative. Source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50160457 Tools they used: AI coding agent, CSV, Bank statements Category: Money Please: 1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like). 2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure. 3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data. 4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.
You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Grok Bot. Goal: Build a private cashflow chart from your bank CSVs to plan the next six months What the original author did: A founder asked AI to build a cashflow tool just for himself: upload bank statement CSVs, see cashflow as a graph over time, and add upcoming and recurring expenses to see how much he'll need to borrow until revenue catches up. Reported result (as claimed by the author): He says seeing the graph makes him feel in control, even when it goes far negative. Source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50160457 Tools they used: AI coding agent, CSV, Bank statements Category: Money Please: 1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like). 2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure. 3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data. 4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.
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