Use Cases And Prompts

Use these prompts after you’ve built a first version of your Finance Brain and opened its folder in Cowork.

Each use case lists the connectors that make the workflow strongest. If a connector is missing, Claude should say what is incomplete and leave open questions rather than guessing.

Some of these map to a dedicated workflow: runway and burn, board metrics, and revenue reconciliation. Others, like explaining a burn change or finding recurring vendors, are ad-hoc analyses Claude runs using your handbook and connected systems. Either way you just ask; the ad-hoc ones are marked below.

Each dedicated workflow also has its own page in the tool library, with what it reads and exactly what to install.

1. Runway And Burn

Prompt:

What is our runway?

Best with:

• Mercury
• Ramp
• Stripe
• QuickBooks

Expected output:

• current cash included in runway;
• trailing burn calculation;
• runway in months;
• estimated cash-out date;
• caveats and open questions.

Try asking:

Use the trailing three full months and show the monthly burn table.

2. Board Metrics

Prompt:

Give me board metrics for last month.

Best with:

• Stripe
• Mercury
• Ramp
• QuickBooks

Expected output:

• ARR / MRR;
• cash;
• net burn;
• runway;
• AR and AP;
• short narrative for a board deck.

Try asking:

Format this so I can paste it into a board deck.

3. Revenue Reconciliation

Prompt:

Do Stripe and QuickBooks revenue tie out for last month?

Best with:

• Stripe
• QuickBooks

Expected output:

• Stripe gross activity;
• QuickBooks recognized revenue;
• timing, fees, refunds, deferred revenue, and non-Stripe adjustments;
• unexplained variance, if any.

Try asking:

Show me the bridge from Stripe gross revenue to QuickBooks recognized revenue.

4. Add Context To Your Handbook

Prompt:

Add this board deck to the handbook.

Best with:

• any shared document or pasted context;
• your Finance Brain folder open in Cowork.

Expected output:

• the source saved in handbook/sources/;
• the relevant handbook pages updated, placeholders replaced where the document answers them;
• a changelog line in CLAUDE.md.

Try sharing:

• investor update;
• close checklist;
• KPI sheet;
• revenue policy;
• finance team notes.

5. Define Your Metrics

Prompt:

Run the follow-up stage of the setup-finance-brain skill with me.

Best with:

• whoever owns the numbers (founder, CEO, or controller);
• a past board deck or monthly package.

Expected output:

• handbook/metrics-and-reporting.md filled in: your metric definitions, burn and runway rules, plan, and who reads the numbers;
• anything unanswered listed as an open question with an owner.

6. Explain A Burn Change

Ad-hoc — no dedicated workflow yet; Claude runs this using your handbook.

Prompt:

Why did burn change this month?

Best with:

• QuickBooks
• Ramp
• Mercury

Expected output:

• month-over-month change;
• biggest drivers;
• recurring vs. one-time items;
• open questions where vendor/account treatment is unclear.

7. Find Recurring Vendor Themes

Ad-hoc — no dedicated workflow yet; Claude runs this using your handbook.

Prompt:

What recurring vendors should I review before the next close?

Best with:

• Ramp
• QuickBooks

Expected output:

• recurring vendors;
• likely department and expense category;
• unusual increases;
• potential duplicate or stale tools;
• suggested follow-up questions.

8. Build A Custom Workflow

Prompt:

Turn our monthly flux review into a reusable skill.

Best with:

• a workflow you just ran successfully;
• clear expected output format;
• connected systems needed for the dry run.

Expected output:

• a scoped workflow;
• a dry run against a recent period;
• a copy-ready SKILL.md if the workflow is validated.

What To Watch For

Good outputs should:

• use your handbook’s definitions;
• name missing assumptions;
• avoid inventing values;
• show enough work for you to review;
• produce something you could refine into a board or operating deliverable.

If an answer feels generic, ask:

Which handbook pages did you use for this answer?