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YNAB

Node for automating YNAB budget

Actions22

Overview

This node integrates with the YNAB (You Need A Budget) API to retrieve detailed information about a specific budget category. The "Get Category" operation under the "Categories" resource fetches data for a given category ID, optionally scoped to a particular month.

Typical use cases include:

  • Fetching category details to display or process budgeting information.
  • Retrieving monthly-specific category data to analyze spending or budget allocations for that period.
  • Automating financial workflows where category data is needed for reporting or decision-making.

For example, you might use this node to get the details of a category like "Groceries" for March 2024 to see its budgeted amount, activity, and balance.

Properties

Name Meaning
Category ID The unique identifier of the category to retrieve. This is required.
Additional Fields Optional extra parameters:
  Specify Month A date-time value specifying the month for which to retrieve the category data. Only the month part is used (e.g., "2024-03"). If provided, the category data will be fetched for that specific month; otherwise, general category data is returned.

Output

The node outputs a JSON object representing the category data retrieved from the YNAB API. The structure includes fields such as:

  • Category details (id, name, etc.)
  • Budgeted amounts
  • Activity (spending) within the category
  • Available balance
  • Other metadata related to the category

If a specific month is specified, the output reflects the category's state for that month.

No binary data is produced by this node.

Dependencies

  • Requires an active connection to the YNAB API using an API key credential configured in n8n.
  • The node dynamically constructs the base URL using the budget ID obtained from credentials or helper functions.
  • Uses HTTP requests authenticated via the configured API key to communicate with YNAB endpoints.

Troubleshooting

  • Missing or invalid Category ID: The operation requires a valid category ID. Ensure the ID is correct and exists in your YNAB budget.
  • Invalid month format: If specifying the month, it must be a valid ISO date string. Only the year and month parts are used.
  • Authentication errors: Verify that the API key credential is correctly set up and has access to the specified budget.
  • Network or API errors: Check connectivity and YNAB API status if requests fail.
  • Error messages typically come from the YNAB API and may indicate issues like unauthorized access, not found resources, or malformed requests. Review the error details and adjust parameters accordingly.

Links and References

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