## Overview
We're excited to introduce budgeting capabilities to Whisper Money! This
feature helps you take control of your finances by setting spending
limits and tracking your progress over time.
## Screenshots
<img width="1316" height="793" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ac394d36-cded-4ea4-9883-120785e260f1"
/>
<img width="1315" height="907" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/7c682474-5aa7-4388-b626-29b56f5ebbef"
/>
<img width="1315" height="992" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/21eace45-23c6-472d-9aa0-0feb6db3fba4"
/>
## What's New
### Create Flexible Budgets
- Set budgets for specific categories or labels
- Choose from monthly, weekly, bi-weekly, or custom periods
- Set your own budget start date for better alignment with your pay
schedule
### Track Your Spending
- Visual spending charts show how much you've spent vs. your budget
- See at a glance which budgets are on track and which need attention
- View all transactions that count toward each budget
### Smart Budget Management
- **Carry Over**: Unused budget amounts automatically roll into the next
period
- **Reset**: Unused amounts return to your available money pool
- Edit or delete budgets anytime as your needs change
### Easy Access
- New Budgets section in the main navigation
- Quick overview cards showing budget status
- Detailed budget pages with spending history and transaction lists
## How It Works
1. Create a budget by selecting a category or label and setting your
spending limit
2. Your transactions are automatically matched to relevant budgets
3. Track your progress with visual charts and spending summaries
4. Adjust your budgets as needed to stay on track with your financial
goals
This feature is now available behind a feature flag and can be enabled
for users who want to start budgeting their expenses.
## Overview
This PR adds a flexible system for sending update emails to all Whisper
Money users. As the solo developer, you can now easily communicate
product updates, announcements, and news to your growing user base.
## Problem Solved
- **No easy way to send announcements**: Previously, there was no simple
way to broadcast important updates to all users
- **Manual process**: Would require writing custom scripts each time
- **No duplicate prevention**: Risk of accidentally sending the same
email multiple times
- **Version control**: Email content wasn't tracked in git
## Solution
A complete email system that lets you:
1. Write update emails as markdown templates (version controlled)
2. Send them with a single command
3. Automatic duplicate prevention (users only receive each update once)
4. Track who received what in the database
## How It Works
### 1. Create Email Template
Create a markdown file in `resources/views/mail/updates/`:
```blade
<x-mail::message>
# What's New in January 2026
Hi {{ $user->name }},
Your update content here...
<x-mail::button :url="'https://discord.gg/9UQWZECDDv'">
Join the Discord Community
</x-mail::button>
Víctor Falcón Ruíz
Founder & Solo Developer, Whisper Money
</x-mail::message>
```
### 2. Send to All Users
```bash
# Simple - one command
php artisan email:update first-update-jan-2026
# With options
php artisan email:update first-update-jan-2026 --subject="Personal Thank You" --exclude-demo
```
### 3. Automatic Tracking
- Users only receive each update once (tracked by identifier)
- Can send different updates to same users
- View history in `user_mail_logs` table
## First Email Included
The PR includes the first update email (`first-update-jan-2026`)
announcing:
- 240+ GitHub stars milestone
- First paying users
- Discord community invitation
- Canny roadmap links
- Personal message from Víctor as the solo developer
## Technical Details
### What's New
**Database:**
- Migration: Add `email_identifier` column to `user_mail_logs`
- Migration: Update unique constraint to `(user_id, email_type,
email_identifier)`
**Backend:**
- `DripEmailType` enum: Added `Update` case
- `UpdateEmail` mailable: Generic mailable accepting any view
- `SendUpdateEmailJob`: Handles sending + duplicate prevention
- `SendUpdateEmailCommand`: Artisan command with progress bar
- Updated all 6 drip email jobs to support new constraint
**Frontend:**
- Email template directory: `resources/views/mail/updates/`
- Comprehensive README with examples
**Tests:**
- Complete test suite: 11 tests covering all scenarios
- Tests duplicate prevention, filtering, queue behavior
### Command Options
```bash
php artisan email:update <view> [identifier] [options]
Arguments:
view Template name (e.g., "jan-2026-updates")
identifier Tracking ID (defaults to view name)
Options:
--subject= Custom email subject
--exclude-demo Skip demo account
--force Skip confirmation prompt
```
## Benefits
1. **Simple**: One command to send any update email
2. **Flexible**: Just create a new markdown view, no code changes needed
3. **Safe**: Confirmation prompt and duplicate prevention
4. **Fast**: Queued delivery, non-blocking
5. **Tracked**: Full audit trail in UserMailLog
6. **Consistent**: Follows existing drip email patterns
7. **Reusable**: Same command for all future update emails
8. **Version Controlled**: Email content is in git, reviewable
## Migration Path
To use in production:
```bash
# 1. Run migrations
php artisan migrate
# 2. Create your email template
vim resources/views/mail/updates/your-update.blade.php
# 3. Commit and deploy
git add resources/views/mail/updates/your-update.blade.php
git commit -m "Add update email"
git push
# 4. Send on production
php artisan email:update your-update
```
## Example Use Cases
- Product announcements
- New feature launches
- Community updates
- Milestone celebrations
- Important notifications
- Partnership announcements
## Files Changed
### Created
- `database/migrations/*_add_email_identifier_to_user_mail_logs.php`
- `database/migrations/*_update_user_mail_logs_unique_constraint.php`
- `app/Mail/UpdateEmail.php`
- `app/Jobs/SendUpdateEmailJob.php`
- `app/Console/Commands/SendUpdateEmailCommand.php`
- `resources/views/mail/updates/first-update-jan-2026.blade.php`
- `resources/views/mail/updates/README.md`
- `tests/Feature/Console/SendUpdateEmailCommandTest.php`
### Modified
- `app/Enums/DripEmailType.php` (added Update case)
- `app/Models/UserMailLog.php` (added email_identifier field)
- All 6 drip email jobs (added email_identifier support)
## Testing
All tests passing (11 tests, 27 assertions):
- ✅ Command dispatches jobs for all users
- ✅ Command excludes demo account when flag is set
- ✅ Command fails when view does not exist
- ✅ Command uses custom subject when provided
- ✅ Job is dispatched to emails queue
- ✅ Command handles empty user database gracefully
- ✅ Job skips users who already received the update
- ✅ Job creates mail log entry after sending
- ✅ Job sends email with correct view and user data
- ✅ Command requires confirmation by default
- ✅ Command skips confirmation with force flag
## Summary
<img width="1220" height="1001" alt="whispermoney test_"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/c35751d5-385b-449c-81d6-14b5b6577ff2"
/>
Introduces a fully-functional demo account that lets prospective users
explore Whisper Money without creating an account. Users can click
"Check Demo" on the welcome page to instantly access a pre-populated
account with realistic financial data spanning 12 months.
## What's New
**Try Before You Sign Up**
- New "Check Demo" button on the welcome page for instant access
- Pre-configured demo account with real-world financial scenarios
- 12 months of sample transactions across multiple account types
(checking, savings, credit cards, investments)
- Pre-built automation rules, labels, and categories to showcase the
full app experience
**Demo Account Limitations**
- Demo accounts are read-only for sensitive operations (can't change
password, email, or payment settings)
- Clear messaging throughout the UI when demo restrictions apply
- Settings pages show helpful notices about demo limitations
- Automatic daily reset to maintain fresh demo experience
**Developer Experience**
- `php artisan demo:reset` command for manual resets
- Configurable via environment variables (DEMO_EMAIL, DEMO_PASSWORD,
DEMO_ENCRYPTION_KEY)
- Comprehensive test coverage for demo restrictions and data generation
## User Impact
This feature removes the friction of signing up before understanding the
product's value. Users can:
- Explore all features with realistic data
- Test automation rules and see them in action
- View charts and insights based on a year of financial activity
- Experience the full privacy-first encryption workflow
- Understand the product before committing to create an account
Perfect for demos, screenshots, documentation, and helping users make
informed decisions about whether Whisper Money fits their needs.
Summary
- Add new Cashflow page with income/expense analytics, Sankey chart
visualization, and trend analysis
- Add Cashflow summary widget to the dashboard
- Implement feature flag system using Laravel Pennant to control feature
visibility per user
- Add artisan commands to enable/disable features: `php artisan
feature:enable/disable [feature] [email|all]`
## New Features
- **Cashflow Page**: Period-based income/expense breakdown with category
analysis
- **Sankey Chart**: Visual flow diagram showing money movement between
categories
- **Trend Chart**: 12-month historical cashflow visualization
- **Dashboard Widget**: Quick cashflow summary card
- **Feature Flags**: Cashflow feature hidden behind feature flag,
controllable per-user
## How to enable it
This feature it's under a feature flag until we are sure it's working
fine. If you want to test it, [send us a message on the general channel
in our discord](https://discord.gg/9UQWZECDDv). If you're self hosting
just run `php artisan feature:enable CashflowFeature {your_email}`.
## New Cashflow Page
<img width="1278" height="1185" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/83469f24-9f96-4e5f-bef9-86c076d31243"
/>
<img width="1274" height="1035" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8949ff9d-c370-4fc4-81c6-268307c587a5"
/>
## New Dashboard Widget
<img width="1180" height="289" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ad984a66-9ffd-4079-85ce-0b2d28278d76"
/>
<img width="1179" height="286" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/bff60286-8ea2-4e9c-8fa6-22755566648f"
/>
## Summary
- Add a subscription cancellation email that can be manually triggered
via artisan command
- Include CONTINUE50 coupon code (50% off current and future payments
for monthly/yearly subscriptions)
- Add option to disable all drip emails via `DRIP_EMAILS_ENABLED` env
var
## Usage
```bash
# Send to single user
php artisan email:subscription-cancelled user@example.com
# Send to multiple users
php artisan email:subscription-cancelled user1@example.com,user2@example.com
# Disable all drip emails
DRIP_EMAILS_ENABLED=false
```
## Summary
- Implement event-driven drip email campaign system for new user signups
- Add 5 targeted emails based on user journey (welcome, onboarding
reminder, promo code, import help, feedback)
- Configure Laravel Horizon with Redis queue for reliable job processing
- Track sent emails in `user_mail_logs` table to prevent duplicates
## Email Schedule
| Email | Timing | Condition |
|-------|--------|-----------|
| Welcome | 30 min after signup | All users |
| Onboarding Reminder | 1 day after signup | Not onboarded |
| Promo Code (FOUNDER) | 1 day after signup | Onboarded + has
transactions + not subscribed |
| Import Help | 1 day after signup | Onboarded + no transactions + not
subscribed |
| Feedback | 5 days after signup | Not subscribed |
## Architecture
```
User Registers → ScheduleDripEmailsListener
├─> SendWelcomeEmailJob (30 min delay)
├─> SendOnboardingReminderEmailJob (1 day delay)
├─> SendPromoCodeEmailJob (1 day delay)
├─> SendImportHelpEmailJob (1 day delay)
└─> SendFeedbackEmailJob (5 days delay)
```
Each job checks conditions at execution time and either sends the email
+ logs it, or silently completes.
## Test plan
- [x] All 23 drip email tests pass
- [x] Migration creates `user_mail_logs` table
- [x] Jobs dispatch with correct delays
- [x] Emails only sent when conditions are met
- [x] Duplicate emails prevented via UserMailLog check
- [ ] Verify Horizon processes jobs in production
## Summary
Add a labeling system for transactions that differs from categories in
that labels are ephemeral and created on-the-fly when assigned (no
pre-creation required). A transaction can have multiple labels
(many-to-many relationship), and labels can be used for filtering in the
transaction table and as actions in automation rules.
<img width="1372" height="484" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fd342b11-dafb-44ed-b818-578e1ea856e6"
/>
<img width="1373" height="613" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/aa5cfb8b-50b7-4101-a872-54904924f234"
/>
<img width="1035" height="594" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ffa946b2-b01f-496b-8cb8-ab55ab5b79ed"
/>
## Changes
### Backend (Laravel)
- Add `labels` table with user_id, name, color, and soft deletes
- Add `label_transaction` pivot table for transaction-label many-to-many
- Add `automation_rule_labels` pivot table for automation rule-label
many-to-many
- Create Label model with relationships to User, Transaction, and
AutomationRule
- Add LabelController for CRUD operations (returns JSON for on-the-fly
creation)
- Add LabelSyncController for frontend sync
- Add LabelPolicy for authorization
- Update TransactionController to handle bulk label updates
- Update AutomationRuleController to handle label actions
- Add validation for label_ids in transactions and automation rules
### Frontend (React/TypeScript)
- Add Label type and color utilities
- Add labels table to IndexedDB (Dexie version 6)
- Create label-sync service with findOrCreate functionality
- Create LabelCombobox component with multi-select and create-on-type
- Add labels column to transactions table
- Add labels filter to transaction filters
- Add bulk label assignment in bulk actions bar
- Add labels action in create automation rule dialog
- Update rule engine to include labels in evaluation results
## Testing
- 11 feature tests for label CRUD
- 3 tests for label sync
- All 241 feature tests pass
## Screenshots
N/A - UI changes can be reviewed in browser
## Summary
Implements a complete user onboarding flow that guides new users through
setting up their account after registration.
## Features
- **Step-by-step wizard UI** with progress indicator and smooth
animations
- **E2E Encryption setup** with password strength indicator and
explanation of how encryption works
- **Account creation** supporting all account types (checking, savings,
credit card, investment, pension)
- **Category customization** with explanation of category types
(expenses, income, transfer)
- **Smart rules explanation** covering why there is no AI
auto-categorization (privacy & E2EE)
- **Transaction/balance import** based on account type
- **Sync integration** to ensure data consistency with backend
## Flow Diagram
```mermaid
flowchart TD
A[User Registration] --> B[Welcome]
B --> E[Encryption Explained]
E --> C{Has encryption key?}
C -->|No|F[Encryption Setup]
C -->|Yes|G{Has Existing Accounts?}
G -->|Yes| H[Show Existing Accounts]
G -->|No| I[Create First Account]
H --> J[Continue]
I --> K{Account Type?}
K -->|Checking/Savings/Credit Card| L[Import Transactions]
K -->|Investment/Pension| M[Import Balances]
J --> N[Category Types Explanation]
L --> N
M --> N
N --> O[Customize Categories]
O --> P[Smart Rules Explanation]
P --> Q[More Accounts?]
Q -->|Add More| I
Q -->|Finish| R[Complete]
R --> S[Redirect to Dashboard]
S --> T{Subscribed?}
T -->|No| U[Subscribe Page]
T -->|Yes| V[Dashboard]
```
## Technical Changes
### Backend
- Added `onboarded_at` field to users table with migration
- Created `EnsureOnboardingComplete` middleware for redirect logic
- Created `OnboardingController` with index and complete actions
- Custom `RegisterResponse` to redirect new users to onboarding
- Updated `AccountController::store` to return JSON for fetch requests
### Frontend
- `OnboardingLayout` - fullscreen layout with step progress
- `useOnboardingState` hook - manages step navigation and state
- 12 step components for each onboarding screen
- Backend sync after account creation and imports
### Tests
- Feature tests for onboarding middleware
- Updated existing tests to use `onboarded()` factory state
* Add category type field support
- Remove default value from type column in migration
- Add type validation to StoreCategoryRequest and UpdateCategoryRequest
- Include type field in CategoryController index response
- Assign proper types to all default categories (income/expense/transfer)
- Update CategoryFactory to include type field
- Add type field to TypeScript Category interface
- Add type select field to create and edit category dialogs
- Update all category tests to include type field
- Add new tests for type field validation
All tests passing (27 category-related tests)
* Add CategoryColor enum and update validation rules
* Remove unused AccountType enum class
* Add category type column to settings page
* Remove obsolete import screenshots, add new category edit screenshot
* feat(ui): add transfer type description alerts
* feat(tests): Add .gitignore and update CategoriesTest.php for Browser tests
* fix: update transfer category UI and test
* chore: update .gitignore to include Screenshots directory
* Change category type from income to expense
- Create CategoryType enum (income, expense, transfer)
- Add type column to categories table with default 'expense'
- Update Category model to cast type field to CategoryType enum
Víctor Falcón