Auto-Rules

Auto-Rules

Auto-Rules let you define conditions and actions that apply to transactions automatically. Set up a rule once, and every matching transaction—past and future—is handled the way you want.

Why Use Auto-Rules?

Auto-Rules save time and ensure consistency:

• Fix recurring miscategorizations - If the AI always puts your gym membership in the wrong category, create a rule to fix it
• Automate tagging - Automatically tag business expenses, shared costs, or project spending
• Customize descriptions - Add notes or clean up merchant names automatically
• Control transfer detection - Explicitly mark certain transactions as transfers or non-transfers

How Rules Work

Each rule has three parts:

1. Conditions

Conditions define which transactions the rule matches. You can combine multiple conditions with AND/OR logic.

2. Actions

Actions define what happens to matching transactions. A single rule can perform multiple actions.

3. Priority

Rules are evaluated in priority order. Higher-priority rules are checked first, and some actions may prevent lower-priority rules from applying.

Creating a Rule

1. Go to Settings → Auto-Rules
2. Tap "Add Rule"
3. Give the rule a descriptive name
4. Add conditions (see below)
5. Add actions (see below)
6. Save

Naming Your Rule

Use descriptive names that explain what the rule does:

• ✅ "Categorize Spotify as Subscriptions"
• ✅ "Tag all Home Depot as Home Improvement"
• ❌ "Rule 1"
• ❌ "Fix stuff"

Good names make rules easier to manage as your list grows.

Condition Types

Merchant Name

Match transactions by merchant or payee:

• Contains - Merchant name includes text (e.g., "STARBUCKS")
• Equals - Exact match
• Matches pattern - Regular expression for complex matching

Example: Merchant contains "NETFLIX" matches "NETFLIX.COM" and "NETFLIX INC"

Description

Match the transaction description from your bank:

• Contains - Description includes text
• Equals - Exact match
• Matches pattern - Regular expression

Useful for transactions where the merchant name isn't clear but the description is.

Amount

Match by transaction amount:

• Equals - Exact amount (e.g., exactly $9.99)
• Greater than - Above a threshold
• Less than - Below a threshold
• Between - Within a range

Remember: expenses are negative, income is positive.

• "Amount less than -100" means "expenses over $100"
• "Amount greater than 0" means "income"

Account

Match transactions from specific accounts:

• Equals - From a specific account
• Any of - From any of several accounts

Useful for rules like "All transactions from my business card → Tag 'Business Expense'"

Category

Match transactions already in a category:

• Equals - Specific category
• Any of - Multiple categories

Useful for adding tags based on existing categorization.

Tags

Match transactions with specific tags:

• Any of - Has at least one of these tags
• All of - Has all of these tags
• None of - Has none of these tags

Useful for rules that build on previous tagging.

Date/Time

Match by when the transaction occurred:

• After - After a specific date
• Before - Before a specific date
• Between - Within a date range

Useful for temporary rules or historical corrections.

Combining Conditions

AND Logic

All conditions must match:

Merchant contains "UBER" AND Amount less than -50

Matches Uber rides over $50.

OR Logic

Any condition can match:

Merchant contains "LYFT" OR Merchant contains "UBER"

Matches transactions from either rideshare service.

Complex Logic

Combine AND and OR for sophisticated matching:

(Merchant contains "AMAZON" OR Merchant contains "AMZN")
AND Amount less than -100

Matches large Amazon purchases regardless of how Amazon appears in the name.

Action Types

Set Category

Assign a specific category to matching transactions:

• Overrides AI categorization
• Overrides previous manual categorization (unless "Skip if already categorized" is checked)

Add Tag

Add one or more tags to matching transactions:

• Adds to existing tags (doesn't remove anything)
• Won't add duplicates if tag already exists

Append to Description

Add text to the transaction description:

• Adds to the end of the existing description
• Useful for notes or context
• Won't duplicate if the text already exists

Append to Merchant Name

Modify the displayed merchant name:

• Adds text to clarify or clean up merchant names
• Original data is preserved

Append to Notes

Add to the transaction notes field:

• Useful for reminders or context
• Won't duplicate existing note content

Mark as Transfer

Control transfer detection:

• Mark as transfer - Explicitly include in transfer detection
• Mark as not transfer - Explicitly exclude from transfer detection

Overrides automatic detection heuristics.

Rule Options

Skip If Category Exists

When enabled, the rule won't change the category if one is already assigned. Useful when you want to fix only uncategorized transactions.

Apply to Existing Transactions

When creating or editing a rule:

• Apply now - Immediately apply to all matching transactions
• Future only - Only apply to new transactions going forward

Dry Run Preview

Before applying a rule, you can preview:

• How many transactions match
• Sample matching transactions
• What changes would be made

This helps catch overly broad rules before they cause problems.

Rule Priority

Rules are evaluated in order. You can drag rules to reorder them.

Why Priority Matters

If multiple rules could match a transaction:

• Higher-priority rules are evaluated first
• Some actions (like "Set Category") may only apply from the first matching rule
• Other actions (like "Add Tag") can apply from multiple rules

Example Priority

1. "All transactions from Business Card → Tag 'Business'" (specific account rule)
2. "Uber over $50 → Tag 'Large Expense'" (specific merchant + amount)
3. "All Uber → Category: Transportation" (general merchant rule)

A $75 Uber charge on your business card would:

• Get tag "Business" (rule 1)
• Get tag "Large Expense" (rule 2)
• Get category "Transportation" (rule 3)

Managing Rules

Viewing All Rules

Settings → Auto-Rules shows:

• All rules in priority order
• Enable/disable toggle for each
• Match count (how many transactions currently match)

Editing a Rule

Tap any rule to:

• Modify conditions or actions
• Re-apply to existing transactions
• Test with dry run

Disabling a Rule

Toggle a rule off to:

• Stop it from applying to new transactions
• Keep the rule for later without deleting it
• Troubleshoot rule conflicts

Deleting a Rule

Swipe or tap delete to remove a rule. This doesn't undo changes already made to transactions.

Common Rule Patterns

Fix Miscategorization

Problem: AI keeps putting gym membership in "Health" instead of "Fitness"

Rule:

• Condition: Merchant contains "PLANET FITNESS"
• Action: Set category "Fitness"

Tag Business Expenses

Problem: Need to track business spending across categories

Rule:

• Condition: Account equals "Business Credit Card"
• Action: Add tag "Business Expense"

Clean Up Merchant Names

Problem: Merchant shows as "SQ *COFFEE SHOP NYC"

Rule:

• Condition: Merchant contains "SQ *COFFEE SHOP"
• Action: Append " (Square)" to merchant name

Control Transfers

Problem: Rent payment to property manager looks like a transfer

Rule:

• Condition: Merchant contains "PROPERTY MGMT"
• Action: Mark as not transfer

Track Project Spending

Problem: Home renovation purchases are spread across categories

Rule:

• Condition: Merchant contains "HOME DEPOT" OR Merchant contains "LOWES"
• Action: Add tag "Home Renovation"

Tips for Effective Rules

Start Specific

Begin with narrow conditions. It's easier to broaden a rule than to fix one that's too broad.

Use Dry Run

Always preview before applying to existing transactions. Check the match count and sample transactions.

Name Clearly

Descriptive names make rules easier to manage. Future you will thank present you.

Review Periodically

Check your rules occasionally:

• Are they still needed?
• Are match counts as expected?
• Are there conflicts or redundancies?

Don't Over-Engineer

Only create rules for recurring patterns. One-off corrections can be done manually.

Related Features

• Categories - Primary transaction classification
• Tags - Flexible additional context
• Transfer Detection - Customize with rules
• Creating Budgets - Track spending by category or tag