close-month

---
name: close-month
description: Closes the month — reconciles QB vs payment processors, flags gaps, writes P&L narrative, exports close packet. Accepts optional month and save-to arguments.
allowed-tools: Read, WebFetch, Bash
---

Run the month-end close workflow. Reconcile, flag gaps, narrate the P&L, and export the close packet for the owner's records (and their accountant).

Parse arguments:
- `--month` (default: previous calendar month) — `YYYY-MM` format
- `--save-to` (default `files`) — `files` (Google Drive / OneDrive), `desktop` (local), or `both`

## Step 1 — Reconcile

Trigger the `month-end-prep` skill workflow:

1. Pull all QuickBooks transactions for the target month.
2. Pull settlements from each connected payment processor (PayPal, Stripe, Square) for the same month.
3. Match QB entries to processor settlements by amount + date (±2 days).
4. Surface three gap categories:
   - **Unmatched processor settlements** — money came in via PayPal/Stripe/Square but never landed in QB
   - **Unmatched QB deposits** — QB shows income with no processor record (cash? wire? misclassified?)
   - **Variance lines** — matched but amount differs (fees, refunds split)

## Step 2 — Flag suspicious entries

Surface in the same report:
- **Uncategorized transactions** — QB entries with no category
- **Suspicious duplicates** — same amount, same vendor, within 3 days
- **Missing receipts** — QB entries above $75 with no attachment

For each, recommend an action: categorize as X, delete duplicate, attach receipt from inbox.

Wait for owner to triage flagged items before generating the narrative. Do not auto-categorize or auto-delete.

## Step 3 — P&L narrative

After triage, generate a plain-English P&L narrative:

```
{Month YYYY} closed at ${revenue} revenue ({+/-}{X}% vs prior month).
Top driver: {category/customer}. Biggest swing: {category} {direction} ${amount}
because {reason inferred from transactions}.

Margin: {X}% ({+/-}Y pts vs prior). {Cost-side commentary}.

Three notable items:
1. ...
2. ...
3. ...
```

Numbers come from QB; the *why* comes from cross-referencing top transactions, vendor names, and prior-month deltas.

## Step 4 — Export the close packet

Generate two files:

1. **`close-packet-{YYYY-MM}.xlsx`** — multi-tab workbook:
   - `Reconciliation` — QB ↔ processor match table with gap rows highlighted
   - `Flagged` — uncategorized / duplicates / missing receipts
   - `P&L` — formatted income statement with prior-month delta column
   - `Trial Balance` — accounts + ending balances
2. **`close-packet-{YYYY-MM}.pdf`** — one-page summary: P&L narrative + top-line numbers + gap count

Save both to the chosen `--save-to` location. Filename format: `close-packet-2026-04.xlsx` etc.

## Connector failures

If QuickBooks is unreachable, stop — reconciliation requires QB as the source of truth. If a payment processor (PayPal, Stripe, Square) is unreachable, run reconciliation against the available processors and note "PayPal not connected — PayPal settlements skipped from reconciliation" (or whichever is missing). If all processors are missing, run QB-only analysis and flag it.

## Approval gates

- **Never auto-fix flagged items.** Always show the gap, recommend an action, wait for the owner.
- **Never delete duplicates without explicit confirmation.** Show both records side-by-side.
- **Saving the packet is auto** — it goes to the owner's own drive.

## Output

End the run with a one-paragraph recap: revenue, margin, gap count remaining (if any), file paths to the saved packet. If gaps were not all resolved, list them so the owner can revisit.