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Auto-categorize YNAB transactions with GPT-5-Mini and Discord notifications

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Auto-categorize YNAB transactions with GPT-5-Mini and Discord notifications preview
Open on n8n.io

Important notice

This workflow is provided as-is. Please review and test before using in production.

1. Workflow Overview

YNAB Super Budget Ever wish that Y.N.A.B was just a little smarter when auto categorizing your transactions? Now you can supercharge your YNAB budget with ChatGPT! No more manual categorization. Se...

Best for

  • AI Summarization automation workflows
  • Multimodal AI automation workflows
  • advanced n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.manualtrigger, n8n-nodes-base.set, n8n-nodes-base.httprequest, n8n-nodes-base.splitout, n8n-nodes-base.filter, n8n-nodes-base.merge, n8n-nodes-base.aggregate, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.agent

Source and attribution

This workflow is cataloged by N8N Workflows and links back to its original n8n.io source page by spencer owen.

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title
Auto-categorize YNAB transactions with GPT-5-Mini and Discord notifications
Workflow name
Auto-categorize YNAB transactions with GPT-5-Mini and Discord notifications

YNAB Super Budget

Ever wish that Y.N.A.B was just a little smarter when auto-categorizing your transactions?

Now you can supercharge your YNAB budget with ChatGPT! No more manual categorization.

Setup

  1. Get a YNAB Api Key
  2. Get YNAB Budget ID & Account ID (They are part of the URL) https://app.ynab.com/BUDGETID/accounts/ACCOUNTID

Additional information

Every transaction that this workflow modifies will be tagged with n8n and color yellow. You can easily review all changes by selecting just that tag.

Customization

By default it pulls transactions from the last 30 days. This workflow will post a message in a discord channel showing which transactions it modified and what categories it chose.

Discord notifications are optional.

Considerations

YNAB allows for 200 api calls per hour. If you have more than 200 Uncategorized transactions, consider reducing the previous_days value.

1.2 Logical Blocks

This catalog entry is organized from the workflow JSON. The node-level section below shows the executable blocks available for review before importing the template.

2. Block-by-Block Analysis

Block 1 - When clicking ‘Execute workflow’

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.manualTrigger - manualTrigger
Config choices
Version 1

Block 2 - Variables

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.set - set
Config choices
Version 3.4

Block 3 - Get Categories

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices
Version 4.2

Block 4 - Get Category Groups

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.splitOut - splitOut
Config choices
Version 1

Block 5 - Remove Invalid Category Groups

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.filter - filter
Config choices
Version 2.2

Block 6 - Hide Internal Categories

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.filter - filter
Config choices
Version 2.2

Block 7 - Flatten Category Groups to Categories

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.splitOut - splitOut
Config choices
Version 1

Block 8 - Categories Only

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.set - set
Config choices
Version 3.4

Block 9 - Get Transactions

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices
Version 4.2

Block 10 - Break out Transactions

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.splitOut - splitOut
Config choices
Version 1

Block 11 - Filter out transfers and invalid transactions

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.filter - filter
Config choices
Version 2.2

Block 12 - Merge

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.merge - merge
Config choices
Version 3.2

Block 13 - Group Categories

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.aggregate - aggregate
Config choices
Version 1

Block 14 - Group Transactions

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.aggregate - aggregate
Config choices
Version 1

Block 15 - AI Agent1

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.agent - agent
Config choices
Version 2.2

Block 16 - OpenAI Chat Model2

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmChatOpenAi - lmChatOpenAi
Config choices
Version 1.2

Block 17 - Structured Output Parser1

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.outputParserStructured - outputParserStructured
Config choices
Version 1.3

Block 18 - Loop Transactions

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.splitOut - splitOut
Config choices
Version 1

Block 19 - Skip Categories, Loop Transactions

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.if - if
Config choices
Version 2.2

Block 20 - Discord

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.discord - discord
Config choices
Version 2

Block 21 - YNAB modify transactions

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices
Version 4.2

Block 22 - Loop Over Items1

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.splitInBatches - splitInBatches
Config choices
Version 3

Block 23 - Aggregate

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.aggregate - aggregate
Config choices
Version 1

Block 24 - Aggregate1

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.aggregate - aggregate
Config choices
Version 1

Showing the first 24 of 29 workflow blocks. Download the JSON for the full node graph.

3. Summary Table

Workflow Auto-categorize YNAB transactions with GPT-5-Mini and Discord notifications
Complexity advanced
Nodes 29
Categories AI Summarization, Multimodal AI
Author spencer owen
Published 19 Aug 2025

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

  1. 1. Download the workflow JSON

    Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/7566/7566.json as the source template for this automation.

  2. 2. Import the template into n8n

    Open n8n, import the downloaded JSON, and review each node before activating the workflow.

  3. 3. Configure credentials and variables

    Replace placeholder credentials, API keys, webhook URLs, account IDs, and environment-specific values with your own settings.

  4. 4. Test with sample data

    Run the workflow manually or in a staging workspace, inspect node output, and confirm downstream systems receive the expected data.

  5. 5. Activate and monitor

    Enable the workflow only after testing, then monitor executions, errors, and rate limits during the first production runs.

5. General Notes & Resources

Review imported nodes carefully before activation. This catalog entry is intended to help you inspect the workflow structure, understand required services, and find related templates faster.

Node names, credentials, schedules, webhook paths, and external service limits may need adjustment for your workspace.

Frequently asked questions

What does Auto-categorize YNAB transactions with GPT-5-Mini and Discord notifications do?

YNAB Super Budget Ever wish that Y.N.A.B was just a little smarter when auto categorizing your transactions? Now you can supercharge your YNAB budget with ChatGPT! No more manual categorization. Se...

What do I need before importing this workflow?

Review the workflow JSON, configure any required credentials in n8n, and test the automation in a safe workspace before using it in production.

Can I customize this workflow?

Yes. Use the block-by-block analysis and the downloadable JSON to inspect each node, then adjust credentials, prompts, schedules, filters, or destinations for your AI Summarization, Multimodal AI use case.