WhatsApp expense tracker with multi-input (text, image & audio)

Description

CashMate – Your AI-Powered WhatsApp Finance Agent
Turn WhatsApp into a smart finance assistant that auto-registers you, logs transactions in natural language, extracts data from receipts and voice notes, and delivers instant report summaries—no apps, no charts, just lightning-fast insights in chat.

Who is this for?

• Personal finance enthusiasts wanting effortless expense tracking
• Freelancers & solopreneurs juggling multiple incomes and expenses
• Small business owners needing quick bookkeeping on the go
• Busy professionals who prefer messaging over apps
• Privacy-minded users who host data on their own PostgreSQL

What problem does this solve?

• Zero onboarding friction: Just send "Hi"—no forms, no sign-ups
• No app switching: Track everything right inside WhatsApp
• Manual entry eliminated: Natural-language, image, and voice input all auto-parsed
• Instant summaries: On-demand report requests—no dashboards to navigate

How it works

Auto-Registration

• New users: "Hi" → Creates your profile in PostgreSQL
• Returning users: Bypasses creation if your number already exists

Intent Classification routes every message into one of five branches:

Reports & Summaries

• Triggers on keywords like "today's report," "show May vs June," or "summary."
• Returns concise text summary of income, expenses, and net balance.

Natural-Language Transactions

• Messages like "Give 200 to Mukesh for car repair" → AI extracts date, category, amount, payee → logs it.

Receipt OCR

• Attach a receipt image → Gemini OCR node reads line-items → AI categorizes and logs.

Voice-Driven Logging

• Send a voice note → Deepgram node transcribes → AI logs transaction.

General Chat & Greetings

• "Hi," "Hello," or casual finance questions → Routed to chat branch for greetings or tips.

Setup

Prerequisites

• n8n instance (self-hosted or n8n.cloud, v1.0+)
• WhatsApp Business Cloud API credentials
• PostgreSQL database (host, port, user, password)
• OpenRouter/OpenAI API key for NLP
• Gemini API key for OCR
• Deepgram API key for voice transcription

Quick Start

1. Import CashMate.n8n.json into n8n.
2. Rename nodes to suit your environment.
3. Configure Credentials in n8n's Credentials section—avoid hard-coding keys.
4. Activate workflow and message "Hi" from WhatsApp.
5. Test by sending a sample expense text, image receipt, or voice note.

> Note: All detailed setup instructions and deep configuration steps are provided in the sticky notes within the template.

How to Customize

• Categories & Currencies: Edit parsing logic in the Function nodes.
• AI Models: Swap OpenAI/OpenRouter for GPT-4, Claude, or self-hosted alternatives.
• Multi-User Support: Extend registration logic to tag team or family accounts.
• Additional Features: Add budget alerts, multi-currency support, or bank integrations via Plaid.

Example Interactions

1. Text Transaction

User: 300 given to James for the coffee  
CashMate: ✅ Transaction Added:
   • Date:          2025-06-24  
   • Category:      Coffee & Beverages  
   • Type:          Expense  
   • Amount:        ₹300.00  
   • Counterparty:  James

2. Receipt Image (OCR)

User: [sends image of café bill totaling ₹450]  
CashMate: ✅ Transaction Added:
   • Date:          2025-06-24  
   • Category:      Coffee & Beverages  
   • Type:          Expense  
   • Amount:        ₹450.00  
   • Counterparty:  Café Aroma

3. Voice Transaction

User: [voice note: "Paid 650 rupees for office stationery"]  
CashMate: ✅ Transaction Added:
   • Date:          2025-06-24  
   • Category:      Office Supplies  
   • Type:          Expense  
   • Amount:        ₹650.00  
   • Counterparty:  (none)