heath-ledger
v1.0.0AI bookkeeping agent for Mercury bank accounts. Pulls transactions, categorizes them (rule-based + AI), and generates Excel workbooks with P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, and transaction detail. Use when the user wants to do bookkeeping, generate financial statements, categorize bank transactions, co...
Installation
Heath Ledger
AI bookkeeping skill for Mercury bank accounts.
Quick Start
scripts/init_db.mjs— creates DB + seeds ~90 universal vendor→category rulesscripts/connect_mercury.sh <MERCURY_API_TOKEN> [entity_name]— discovers accounts- (Optional)
scripts/connect_stripe.sh <entity_id> <stripe_api_key>— connect Stripe for exact revenue + fees - (If Stripe connected)
scripts/pull_stripe_revenue.sh <entity_id> <start_date> <end_date>— pull monthly revenue data scripts/pull_transactions.sh <entity_id> <start_date> <end_date>scripts/categorize.sh <entity_id>— rule-based first, AI for unknowns- Review ambiguous items, correct with
scripts/set_category.sh scripts/generate_books.sh <entity_id> <start_date> <end_date> [output_path]
Setup Flow
Mercury API Key (Required)
Get from Mercury Dashboard → Settings → API Tokens. The token gives read-only access to transactions.
Stripe API Key (Optional but Recommended)
Without Stripe API: Mercury shows net Stripe deposits (revenue minus fees). The system estimates gross revenue using a configurable fee rate (default 2.3% + $0.30).
With Stripe API: You get exact gross revenue, exact fees, and proper refund tracking. Always prefer this when available.
To connect: scripts/connect_stripe.sh <entity_id> <stripe_api_key>
Then pull data: scripts/pull_stripe_revenue.sh <entity_id> <start_date> <end_date>
The P&L generator automatically uses Stripe data when available, falling back to Mercury estimates otherwise.
Entity Settings
Configure per-entity via the entity_settings table:
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
accounting_basis |
accrual |
accrual or cash — cash basis uses posted dates only |
month_offset |
1 |
Fiscal year month offset (1 = calendar year) |
stripe_fee_rate |
0.023 |
Stripe percentage fee for gross-up calculation |
stripe_fee_fixed |
0.30 |
Stripe fixed fee per transaction |
amortization_monthly |
null |
Monthly amortization amount for acquired assets |
Workflow
- Connect Mercury —
scripts/connect_mercury.sh <token> [name]discovers accounts, creates entity - Pull transactions —
scripts/pull_transactions.sh <entity_id> <start_date> <end_date> - Categorize —
scripts/categorize.sh <entity_id> [max_transactions]— rule-based first, then AI for unknowns - Review ambiguous — Script outputs low-confidence items. Ask user, then update with
scripts/set_category.sh <transaction_id> <category> [subcategory] - Generate books —
scripts/generate_books.sh <entity_id> <start_date> <end_date> [output_path]
Scripts Reference
All scripts are in scripts/. Run with bash or node. Database is SQLite at data/heath.db.
| Script | Purpose |
|---|---|
init_db.mjs |
Create/migrate SQLite database + seed rules |
connect_mercury.sh |
Connect Mercury API, discover accounts |
pull_transactions.sh |
Pull transactions for date range |
categorize.sh |
Categorize transactions (rules + AI) |
set_category.sh |
Manually set category for a transaction |
add_rule.sh |
Add/update a categorization rule |
generate_books.sh |
Generate Excel workbook |
list_entities.sh |
List all entities |
connect_stripe.sh |
Connect Stripe API to an entity |
pull_stripe_revenue.sh |
Pull Stripe balance transactions by month |
status.sh |
Show entity status (accounts, tx counts) |
Chart of Accounts
See references/chart-of-accounts.md for the full chart with P&L sections and cash flow classifications.
Learning & Compounding System
Heath Ledger gets smarter over time through a layered rule system:
Rule Hierarchy
- Entity-specific rules (highest priority) — per-company overrides
- Global rules (
entity_id = NULL) — apply to all entities - Seed rules — universal vendor mappings shipped with the skill
- AI categorization — used when no rule matches
How Learning Works
- Every manual correction creates or updates a categorization rule
- Rules track
usage_count— heavily-used rules are more reliable sourcefield tracks provenance:seed,ai,human,manual- Human-confirmed rules get
confidence: 0.95-1.0 - AI-generated rules start at
0.85and can be promoted - Entity-specific rules can be promoted to global when they prove universal
The Compounding Effect
After categorizing ~5,000 transactions across 2 entities, the system now auto-categorizes ~95% of transactions without AI. Each new entity benefits from all previous learnings.
Known Limitations
Stripe Net vs Gross (Without Stripe API)
Mercury deposits from Stripe are net amounts (revenue minus ~2.9% + $0.30 fees). Without the Stripe API: - We estimate gross revenue using configurable fee rates - This creates "synthetic" Stripe Fee entries - Accuracy depends on your actual Stripe fee rate (varies by plan, card type, international) - Solution: Connect Stripe API for exact numbers
Deel Fee Splitting
Deel combines platform fees and contractor payroll in one transaction stream. Pattern: - Small fixed amounts (~$2-5) → Deel Platform Fee → categorize as "Software expenses" - Larger variable amounts → Contractor Payroll → categorize as "Wages & Salaries" - The system learns this pattern but may need initial human guidance
Mercury API Limitations
- Only returns posted transactions (not pending)
- Some counterparty names are truncated or normalized differently
- Wire descriptions may include reference numbers that create duplicate rules
Multi-Currency
- Wise transfers create both a debit (USD) and may show FX fees separately
- International wire fees from Mercury appear as separate line items
- FX gains/losses are not tracked (would need multi-currency ledger)
AI Categorization
The categorize.sh script calls the host agent's model via stdin/stdout JSON protocol. It sends transaction batches and expects category assignments back. The script writes a prompt to stdout that the agent should process and return results for.
When AI confidence < 0.85, transactions are flagged as ambiguous for user review.
Key Details
- Cash or accrual basis — configurable per entity
- Multiple entities supported — each with own connections and rules
- Rules persist — categorization rules saved to SQLite, reused across runs
- Seed rules — ~90 universal vendor mappings loaded on init
- Excel output — 4-tab workbook: P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, Transaction Detail