n8n-Actual-Automation provides six ready-to-import workflows for n8n that integrate with Actual Budget. This JavaScript project, hosted at github.com/hail2victors/n8n-Actual-Automation with 117 stars, targets users who track finances through Actual Budget and want automation for tasks like AI-powered transaction categorization, automatic envelope funding, and Telegram notifications. Actual Budget follows an envelope budgeting method, where users allocate money to categories. These workflows pull transaction data, apply rules or AI, and send summaries, reducing manual entry. The bundle exists to connect n8n's workflow engine to Actual Budget's API, especially for those syncing bank data automatically.

Core workflows

The repository includes these JSON files for direct import into n8n:

File Description
workflows/00 🔍 Actual Budget - Discovery (Run Once).json Fetches all account and category IDs from Actual Budget. Run this first to populate IDs for other workflows.
workflows/01 📅 Sunday Financial Briefing.json Generates a weekly AI-powered budget summary and sends it via Telegram.
workflows/02 💸 Monthly Auto-Fund Envelopes.json Transfers funds between envelopes on the first of each month based on predefined rules.
workflows/03 🏷️ AI Transaction Categorizer.json Uses AI in three tiers to categorize transactions, adapting to user patterns over time.
workflows/04 💵 Friday Paycheck Summary.json Detects paychecks weekly and provides a month-to-date budget overview via Telegram.
workflows/05 🔄 Monthly Rule Digest.json Analyzes categorization rules monthly and logs suggestions, optionally to Notion.

A BRIDGE_SETUP.md file covers setting up a SimpleFIN bridge for bank syncs.

Prerequisites

Set up these services before importing workflows.

Required components:

  • n8n version 1.0 or later, self-hosted via Docker or on n8n Cloud. See docs.n8n.io/hosting/ for installation.
  • Actual Budget, self-hosted or cloud version, with HTTP API enabled. Note the sync ID and server URL.
  • SimpleFIN Bridge paired with actual-auto-sync for bank imports. Costs about $15 per year and works with most US banks. Follow BRIDGE_SETUP.md for Docker Compose setup. Workflows need this for fresh transaction data.

For AI features (workflows 01, 03, 05):

  • Anthropic API account at console.anthropic.com. Usage runs pay-per-use, around $0.01 for every 100 transactions.

Optional:

  • Telegram bot token and chat ID from @BotFather for notifications.
  • Notion API key from notion.so/my-integrations for workflow 05 logging. Skip it, and the workflow still sends digests via Telegram.

Setting up n8n credentials

In n8n, go to Settings > Credentials to add these. Reuse existing ones during workflow import.

For Actual Budget, use a Custom Auth credential:

  • Name it Actual Budget Bridge.
  • JSON configuration:
{
  "headers": {
    "x-bridge-key": "YOUR_BRIDGE_KEY"
  }
}

Replace YOUR_BRIDGE_KEY with the key from your SimpleFIN bridge setup.

For Anthropic (workflows 01, 03, 05):

  • Select the native Anthropic type.
  • Name it Anthropic API.
  • Enter your sk-ant-api03-... key from console.anthropic.com.

n8n prompts for credential selection on import.

Full setup process

Follow these steps in sequence:

  1. Add the credentials above in n8n.
  2. Deploy the SimpleFIN bridge per BRIDGE_SETUP.md. This Docker Compose file handles bank pulls into Actual Budget.
  3. Import workflows: In n8n, use the Import from File option or paste JSON. Start with 00 🔍 Actual Budget - Discovery (Run Once).json.
  4. Execute workflow 00 manually. It queries your Actual Budget instance and saves IDs to n8n variables for use elsewhere.
  5. Edit each workflow: Replace placeholders with your sync ID, server URL, Telegram details, and envelope rules. Workflow 03's AI tiers build on prior categorizations.
  6. Test manually, then activate with schedules (e.g., cron for Sundays or monthly).

The maintainer responds to issues within 48 hours. Workflow 05 has instructions to remove Notion if unused.

Who this fits

This bundle suits Actual Budget users handling US bank accounts who run self-hosted n8n. It automates envelope budgeting pain points: categorizing imports, funding categories monthly, and reviewing patterns without daily logins. If you sync via SimpleFIN, expect AI to handle most categorizations after initial runs, with Telegram keeping you updated weekly. Power users get value from the learning AI in workflow 03 and Notion exports in 05. Self-hosters benefit from low ongoing costs beyond Anthropic fees.

Comparisons and limits

No direct competitors bundle n8n workflows for Actual Budget. Plain Actual Budget rules cover basic categorization, but lack AI adaptation or Telegram briefs. n8n users could build similar from scratch using Actual's API docs at actualbudget.org/docs/, though this repo saves hours. Alternatives include GnuCash with scripts or YNAB's native automations, but those drop self-hosting or envelope focus.

Skip this if outside the US (SimpleFIN limits banks), not using Actual Budget, or preferring no AI costs. Version 1.0 assumes n8n 1.0+, so older setups need upgrades.

Find the workflows and full README at github.com/hail2victors/n8n-Actual-Automation.

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