Getting Started

Install

macOS / Linux (install script)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thedavidweng/money/main/install.sh | sh

The installer detects Homebrew automatically and uses the cask when available. Otherwise it downloads the release binary to ~/.local/bin.

Windows PowerShell

powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thedavidweng/money/main/install.ps1 | iex"

The latest release must include a Windows archive for this installer to complete. If it does not, the script fails explicitly and points you to go install.

macOS / Linux (Homebrew Cask)

brew install --cask thedavidweng/tap/money

If you installed the old Homebrew formula, migrate to the cask:

brew update
brew uninstall --formula thedavidweng/tap/money
brew install --cask thedavidweng/tap/money
money version

This does not remove your local ~/.money configuration, secrets, or encrypted database.

macOS / Linux / all platforms (Go)

Requires Go 1.26 or later:

go install github.com/thedavidweng/money/cmd/money@latest

Make sure $GOPATH/bin (usually $HOME/go/bin) is in your PATH.

Pre-built binaries

Download the latest release for your platform from GitHub Releases, extract the archive, and move the money binary to a directory in your PATH.

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First-time setup

Run the guided setup. It creates your local config directory, generates an encryption key, and initializes an encrypted SQLite database:

money setup

After setup, if no financial provider is configured yet, money walks you through an interactive wizard:

1. Choose a provider — select Plaid, Bridge, or skip for now.
2. Configure credentials — for Plaid, sign in to the Plaid Dashboard and fetch API keys automatically, or paste client_id and secret manually.
3. Store credentials locally — API keys are written to .env; config keeps explicit env: references.
4. Repeat or finish — configure additional providers, or skip and come back later with money providers configure <provider>.

Example interactive flow:

$ money setup
Config:   /Users/you/.money/config.yaml
Secrets:  /Users/you/.money/.env
Database: /Users/you/.money/data/money.db
Encryption key: created
Database: ready

No providers are configured yet. To link financial institutions, you need at least one provider.

How do you want to configure Plaid?
> Sign in with Plaid Dashboard and fetch API keys automatically
  Paste client ID and secret manually
  Skip Plaid for now

plaid configured (2 credentials written).
  ✓ [Config] Config loaded from /Users/you/.money/config.yaml
  ✓ [Providers] plaid credentials present.

Plaid Dashboard login is best-effort because it follows Plaid CLI-compatible Dashboard behavior. Manual configuration remains the durable path:

money providers configure plaid --client-id <client-id> --secret <secret> --environment sandbox

Try it without real credentials

Use demo mode to explore the CLI with bundled sample data:

money demo accounts list --json
money demo transactions list --json
money demo transactions search "coffee" --json

Demo mode is non-persistent and does not require provider credentials.

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Link an institution

Once a provider is configured, link your bank:

money link

This starts an institution-first flow: search for your bank, choose the provider that supports it, and authenticate.

Then sync data into your local encrypted database:

money sync

For local Plaid Sandbox testing without the browser Link flow, use:

money plaid sandbox link --products transactions --institution-id ins_56

After syncing, query your local data:

money accounts list --json
money transactions list --json
money transactions search "Costco" --json

# Investments and liabilities (synced via Plaid investments/liabilities products)
money investments holdings --json
money investments securities --json
money liabilities list --json

# Manage provider items
money items list
money items rename <id> "My Chase Savings"

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Pricing

money itself is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license. You bring your own provider credentials (BYOK). Provider costs depend on the provider you choose.

Plaid

Plaid offers a free Trial plan for new teams. See Plaid billing documentation for full details.

Free Trial plans are available to new Plaid teams (US/Canada only) created on or after April 15, 2026. You can create 10 connection Items on a Trial plan:

• One bank login = 1 connection (even if it contains multiple accounts).
• Same user at two different banks = 2 connections.
• The 10 limit is on connections, not on API calls.
• You can make unlimited API calls against those up-to-10 Items.

After the Trial plan, you may upgrade to a paid Plaid plan if your usage exceeds the free tier.

Bridge

Bridge pricing is separate and set by Bridge. Check Bridge API pricing for current plans.

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Next steps

• Read docs/ARCHITECTURE.md to understand how data flows.
• Read docs/CONFIG.md for advanced configuration options.
• Run money doctor to check configuration health at any time.