Prompts for month-end close and reconciliation
Closing a month here means two separate things done in order: reconciling each bank account against its statement, then locking the period so nothing else can post into it by accident. The prompts below follow that order, plus the checks worth running before you lock anything.
One thing worth knowing going in: "closing the books" in BalanceMCP locks a period — it doesn't run the year-end closing entries an accountant's software might. Retained earnings is computed live from all-time income and expenses, not rolled forward by a closing entry.
Reconciling an account
Checking the ledger against what the statement actually says.
Compares the ledger balance to that ending figure as of the date you give it. If they don't match, it also lists the uncategorized transactions that might explain the gap.
Uses: reconcile_account
Same check, but a card balance is entered as a negative number, since it's money owed. Getting that sign backwards will make an already-matching account look wildly off.
Uses: reconcile_account
The reconciliation response lists candidate uncategorized transactions when the totals don't match. A matching subtotal among them suggests where to look — it doesn't prove the cause.
Uses: reconcile_account
cash_position is where the bank account ids for reconcile_account come from — useful before reconciling if you're not sure what's in the book.
Uses: cash_position
Checking before you lock
A lock moves forward only — worth being sure first.
Lists anything still unposted for the period. Worth checking before you lock: categorize_transactions always dates an entry on the transaction's own date, so anything left uncategorized here becomes permanently stuck once the lock is in place, recoverable only through a manual entry dated after the lock.
Uses: list_transactions
A healthy trial balance always has debits equal credits. If "balanced" ever comes back false, that's worth reporting rather than closing over.
Uses: trial_balance
One last look at income and expenses for the period being locked, so nothing about the month is a surprise after it becomes read-only.
Uses: profit_and_loss
The lock preview reports the current lock date even before you confirm a new one — a safe way to check status without changing anything.
Uses: lock_period
Locking the period
Making a closed month actually stay closed.
Locks the book through that date — nothing can post on or before it afterward. Preview first: it shows the current lock and the one it would move to.
Uses: lock_period
A lock can move forward but never backward, on purpose, so closing a month is meant to be final. Check the current lock in the preview before confirming the new one.
Uses: lock_period
Nothing can post on or before June anymore, and categorize_transactions can't change that — it always dates the entry on the transaction's own date, and the lock can't move backward. The two rows stay uncategorized permanently; if the same effect needs recording, post a manual journal entry dated after the lock instead.
Uses: list_transactions, post_journal_entry
Worth knowing before you run these
- Reconciliation surfaces candidates when a total doesn't match — it says where to look, not that it found the cause. Treat a matching subtotal as a lead, not a verdict.
- A period lock only moves forward. There's no built-in way to reopen a closed month; plan the reconciliation and the categorizing before you lock, not after.
- "Closing the books" here means locking a period against new postings. It is not a year-end closing entry — retained earnings is always computed live from all-time activity.
Common questions
- What happens to a transaction I forgot to categorize before locking?
- It stays uncategorized permanently through categorize_transactions, since that tool always dates the entry on the transaction's own date and can't post it after the lock. If you need the same effect recorded, post a manual journal entry dated after the lock instead — the original bank row stays in the unposted inbox either way.
- Can I unlock a period if I locked it too early?
- Not backward. A lock can only move forward, so if you locked June and needed one more June entry, there's no tool that reopens it — this is worth checking before you confirm the lock, not after.
- Does reconciling actually change anything in the ledger?
- No — reconcile_account is read-only. It compares numbers and lists candidates; it doesn't post, adjust, or lock anything on its own.