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YNAB

Node for automating YNAB budget

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Overview

This node integrates with the YNAB (You Need A Budget) API to automate budget management tasks. Specifically, the Create Account operation under the Accounts resource allows users to create a new financial account within a specified YNAB budget.

Typical use cases include:

  • Automating the setup of new bank accounts or credit cards in your budgeting system.
  • Integrating account creation into larger workflows that manage personal or business finances.
  • Quickly adding accounts with initial balances and types without manual entry in the YNAB app.

For example, you could use this node to automatically add a new checking account with a starting balance when onboarding a new client or setting up a new project budget.

Properties

Name Meaning
Account Name The name of the new account to be created.
Balance The starting balance for the new account, specified as a number with two decimal places.
Account Type The type of account being created. Options include: Checking, Savings, Cash, Credit Card, Line of Credit, Other Asset, Other Liability, Mortgage, Auto Loan, Student Loan, Personal Loan, Medical Debt, Other Debt.

Output

The output JSON contains the newly created account object returned by the YNAB API. This includes details such as the account's unique ID, name, type, current balance (in milliunits), and other metadata provided by YNAB.

No binary data is produced by this operation.

Example output structure snippet (simplified):

{
  "id": "string",
  "name": "Account Name",
  "type": "checking",
  "balance": 100000, // balance in milliunits (e.g., $1000.00)
  "cleared_balance": 100000,
  "uncleared_balance": 0,
  "transfer_payee_id": null,
  "deleted": false
}

Dependencies

  • Requires an active connection to the YNAB API via an API key credential.
  • The node expects a valid budget ID to be configured or dynamically retrieved.
  • Uses HTTP requests authenticated with the YNAB API token.
  • No additional external dependencies beyond the YNAB API and n8n's HTTP request helper.

Troubleshooting

  • Invalid API Key or Authentication Failure: Ensure the API key credential is correctly set up and has access to the target budget.
  • Budget ID Not Found or Incorrect: The node requires a valid budget ID; verify it is correctly configured or accessible.
  • Balance Precision Issues: The balance is multiplied by 1000 internally to convert dollars to milliunits. Inputting incorrect values may cause unexpected balances.
  • Unsupported Account Type: Use one of the predefined account types listed in the properties; otherwise, the API will reject the request.
  • Network or API Errors: Check network connectivity and YNAB API status if requests fail.

If errors occur, the node either throws an error or continues on failure depending on the workflow settings.

Links and References

Discussion