A minimalist expense tracker enabling quick logging of expenses in natural language, using LLMs for parsing and categorization.

Gullak is a minimalist expense tracker designed to make logging expenses effortless. Input your expenses in natural language, and let the integrated AI handle categorization. Gullak focuses on quick expense logging with the ability to export to CSV for analysis in tools like Actual Budget.

I originally developed Gullak for personal use. I had a habit of recording my expenses on Apple Notes — a quick and simple method that just got the job done. However, I needed a tool that could not only store these entries but also parse and organize them effectively. Gullak is designed as a "log and forget" expense tracker that focuses on making expense logging fast and effortless, then exporting to CSV for analysis in dedicated budgeting tools. While Gullak was created out of my own necessity, I decided to open source it to help others who might be seeking similar solutions.

• Natural Language Input: Simply type your expenses as you would in a notebook or notes app.
• Smart Categorization: AI learns from your categories and maintains consistency across transactions.
• Multi-Currency Support: Automatically detects currency from context ($, ₹, €, £) - perfect for travel.
• Quick Confirmation: Inline checkbox to confirm transactions instantly without modals.
• Bulk Operations: Select multiple transactions to edit, confirm, or delete at once.
• Advanced Filters: Filter by date ranges, amounts, and categories before export.
• CSV Export: Export filtered transactions for analysis in Actual Budget or similar tools.
• Dense Table UI: Compact, fast interface focused on efficiency.

Gullak is designed as a "log and forget" expense tracker. Instead of trying to be an all-in-one budgeting tool with charts and analytics, it focuses on what it does best: making expense logging fast and effortless.

The workflow is simple:

1. Log expenses quickly using natural language
2. Confirm transactions with a single click
3. Export to CSV when ready
4. Analyze in dedicated tools like Actual Budget

This keeps Gullak lean, fast, and focused on its core purpose.

Gullak is easy to self-host using Docker. Multi-architecture images are available for both amd64 and arm64 platforms.

1. Create a .env file with your API keys:

cp .env.sample .env
# Edit .env and add your OpenAI or Groq API token

2. Start Gullak:

docker-compose up -d

3. Access Gullak at http://localhost:3333

The database will be persisted in the ./data directory. You can customize the configuration by editing environment variables in docker-compose.yml or by mounting a custom config.toml file.

Production notes:

• The healthcheck monitors container health by checking the HTTP endpoint every 30 seconds
• Customize the TZ environment variable to set your timezone (default: Asia/Kolkata)
• Consider pinning to a specific version tag instead of latest for production deployments

For a quick setup without docker-compose:

docker run --name gullak \
  -e GULLAK_OPENAI_TOKEN=your-api-key-here \
  -e GULLAK_APP_DB_PATH=/app/data/expenses.db \
  -v gullak-data:/app/data \
  -p 3333:3333 \
  -d ghcr.io/mr-karan/gullak:latest

This setup will expose Gullak on port 3333, storing the SQLite database in a named volume.

Download Shortcut

Gullak supports integration with Apple Shortcuts, enabling you to log expenses quickly and effortlessly using Siri. This workflow is especially useful for hands-free operation, such as logging expenses on the go.

Follow these steps to configure it:

• Download a copy of the shortcut from here.

• Add the shortcut to your library in the Shortcuts app on your iOS device.

• Customize the GULLAK_API endpoint.

  • Open the Shortcuts app and find the newly added shortcut.
  • Tap on the shortcut to open the editing interface.
  • Look for the gullak_api_endpoint variable within the actions list.
  • Edit the variable to point to your specific Gullak self hosted installation.

• Run the shortcut via Siri:

  • After setting up, invoke Siri and use the shortcut by saying a phrase like "Log expense."
  • Narrate the details of your expense, such as "Spent 150 Rs on groceries."

Gullak allows you to customize various settings through a configuration file in .toml format. Please refer to the provided sample config file. Below is a description of each section and their respective settings:

If you prefer to use a different provider like Groq for OpenAI services, you can specify this in the openai section:

[openai]
base_url = "https://api.groq.com/openai/v1"
model = "llama3-70b-8192"
token = ""

Gullak supports configuration overrides using environment variables. This is the recommended approach for Docker deployments to keep sensitive data like API tokens secure. All environment variables must be prefixed with GULLAK_.

Common environment variables (see docker-compose.yml for complete list):

# Required: LLM API Configuration
GULLAK_OPENAI_TOKEN=your_api_token_here
GULLAK_OPENAI_MODEL=gpt-4o-mini
GULLAK_OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://api.openai.com/v1

# Optional: App Settings
GULLAK_APP_CURRENCY=INR
GULLAK_APP_DB_PATH=/app/data/expenses.db
GULLAK_APP_DEBUG=false

You can also override any config.toml setting using environment variables with the pattern GULLAK_<SECTION>_<KEY>. For example, http.timeout becomes GULLAK_HTTP_TIMEOUT.

To set up Gullak for development on your local machine, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/mr-karan/gullak

2. Build the UI (a Vue3 app):

make build-ui

3. Compile the Go binary:

make build

4. Start the application:

make fresh

Gullak is licensed under the AGPL v3 license.