Skill: Debug RTA (Ready to Assign)
Use this skill when RTA shows an incorrect value. See scripts/ for diagnostic SQL queries.
Quick Start
npm run db:debug-rta
This prints per-month income, assigned, and RTA for the last 12 months.
The RTA Formula
RTA(M) = Cash Balance (non-CC budget accounts, date ≤ today)
+ Positive CC Balances (cashback/overpayments)
− Sum of category Available (latest complete month, cumulative)
− Future Month Assigned (months > latestComplete AND ≤ M)
− Credit Overspending Correction
RTA is per-month — assignments beyond month M do NOT reduce M's RTA.
Diagnostic Flowchart
Step 1: Identify the Symptom
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Section |
|---|---|---|
| RTA is way too high (millions) | Ghost entry → wrong latest month | §A |
| RTA is slightly too high | Credit overspending not subtracted | §B |
| RTA is too low | Extra assignments, missing carryforward | §C |
| Wrong for one specific month | available propagation broken | §D |
| Past month shows negative RTA | Clamping not applied | §E |
§A. Ghost Entry Problem
A ghost entry (assigned=0, activity=0, available=0) in a future month causes MAX(month) to select that month. With only 1 entry, SumAvailable ≈ 0 → RTA = full cash balance.
Diagnose: Run queries 1–2 from scripts/diagnostic-queries.sql.
Fix: Delete ghost entries. The HAVING COUNT(*) >= 10 clause is the safety net.
Prevention: updateBudgetAssignment() must delete rows when all fields are zero.
§B. Credit Overspending Not Subtracted
CC spending overspent a category. The negative available reduced SumAvailable without reducing cash → inflated RTA.
Diagnose: Run query 3 from scripts/diagnostic-queries.sql. Check getCashOverspendingForMonth() classification.
Key: If ALL spending is from CC → credit overspending (subtract from RTA formula). If ANY from cash → cash overspending (does NOT inflate RTA).
§C. RTA Too Low
Check 1 — Carryforward: When no budget_months row exists, computeCarryforward() must fetch available from the latest prior month. If broken → available = 0.
Check 2 — Future assigned: Is futureMonthAssigned including too many months? Run query 5 from scripts/diagnostic-queries.sql.
Check 3 — Propagation: Assignment delta not propagating to subsequent months.
§D. Available Propagation Broken
The available column is cumulative: available(M) = available(M-1) + assigned(M) + activity(M).
Diagnose: Run query 4 from scripts/diagnostic-queries.sql for the affected category. Look for breaks in the chain.
§E. Past Month Negative RTA
Past months (month < current) should clamp negative RTA to $0.00 (grey banner). Only current and future months show negative RTA (red banner).
Key Files
| File | Function | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
lib/engine/rta.ts | calculateRTA() | Pure RTA formula |
lib/engine/rta-breakdown.ts | calculateRTABreakdown() | RTA popup breakdown |
lib/repos/budget.ts | getReadyToAssign() | Orchestration |
lib/engine/overspending.ts | calculateCashOverspending() | Cash vs credit |
lib/engine/carryforward.ts | computeCarryforward() | Month rollover |
lib/engine/cc-payment.ts | calculateCCPaymentAvailable() | CC funded amount |
scripts/debug-rta.ts | CLI script | Per-month dump |
Critical Rule: Future Date Filter
Every balance query MUST use AND date <= date('now'). Missing this filter causes future transactions to inflate balances.
Functions that need this filter:
- •
getReadyToAssign()— cash + CC balance - •
updateBudgetActivity()— category activity - •
updateCreditCardPaymentBudget()— CC spending - •
updateAccountBalances()— account balances - •
getReconciliationInfo()— cleared balance
Related Rules
- •
02-ready-to-assign-calculation.md— Full formula - •
03-credit-card-rta-logic.md— CC interaction - •
07-rta-overspending-edge-cases.md— Overspending, carryforward, ghost entries