What are rule logs?

Every time Synci evaluates a rule against a transaction, it creates a log entry for each action it attempts to take. Whether the action was successful or failed (e.g., due to an invalid expression or an API error from YNAB), a log is recorded to help you understand exactly what happened "under the hood."

You can access these logs directly from your Synci dashboard or via the API to see the history of changes applied to any specific transaction.

Information captured in a log

Each rule log contains detailed metadata about the operation:

• Rule & Action: Identifies exactly which rule and which specific action within that rule was triggered.

• Transaction Reference: Links the log to the specific bank transaction that was affected.

• Field Changes: Shows the Field Name that was targeted, the Previous Value before the rule ran, and the New Value applied by the rule.

• Status & Result:

  • Success: A green checkmark (or true via API) indicates the rule action was applied successfully.

  • Failure: If an action fails, the log will capture a Message explaining why (e.g., "YNAB API Error: Account not found" or "Invalid math expression").

• Timestamp: The exact time the action was executed (executed_at).

The "Undo" feature

Another powerful feature of rule logs is the ability to revert changes. If a rule incorrectly modified a transaction, you can "Undo" that specific action directly from the log.

Supported actions

Currently, you can undo actions that set values:

• Set Field (Internal Synci/Bank data)

• Set YNAB Field (Data sent to YNAB)

How it works

When you trigger an Undo:

1. Synci looks at the Previous Value stored in the log.

2. It restores that value to the transaction (either locally or by sending an update to YNAB).

3. A new log entry is created to track the undo action itself, ensuring the audit trail remains complete.

4. The original log is marked with an undone_at timestamp.

Limitations

• Depth: An action can be undone/redone up to 3 times in a chain to prevent infinite loops or data corruption.

• Logic-based actions: Actions like "Stop Transfer" cannot be undone because they prevent the transaction from being processed further; there is no "previous value" to restore.

Searching and filtering logs

In the Rule Logs view, you can filter the list to find exactly what you need:

• By Rule: See all activity for a specific automation you've created.

• By Transaction: See every rule that touched a specific bank transaction.

• By Success/Failure: Quickly identify only the rules that are failing so you can fix your configurations.

• By Field: See all rules that are modifying a specific field like amount or memo.

Pro tips for troubleshooting

• Check the Message: If a rule isn't working, the message field in a failed log is your best friend. It usually contains the exact error returned by the destination service (YNAB/Lunch Money).

• Verify "Generated" Fields: Use logs to see how Synci's smart cleaning transforms your bank data into generated.payee or generated.description. If the result isn't what you expected, you can write a rule to clean it further. Or, you can change your bank account settings to use a specific field to generate the “clean” fields.

• Sequence Matters: If multiple rules change the same field, check the timestamps. Rules are processed in order, and logs will show you the cumulative effect of these changes as the transaction moves through your pipeline.