Close Management
Plan and track month-end close tasks with day-by-day sequencing, dependencies, and blocker visibility for a small finance stack.
Overview
Close-management is an agent skill for the Operate phase that sequences month-end close tasks, dependencies, and status tracking for recurring financial close workflows.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill close-managementWhat is this skill?
- Pre-close checklist for cut-offs, payroll alignment, bank rec, and unusual transactions
- Close Day 1–style sequencing for sub-ledgers, AP accruals, payroll entries, and cash activity
- Dependency-aware status tracking for contributors across AP, AR, payroll, and treasury
- Explicit disclaimer that workflows require qualified financial professional review
- Pre-close window covers the last 2–3 business days of the month
- Close Day 1 (T+1) checklist for sub-ledgers, AP accruals, payroll, and cash
Adoption & trust: 1.6k installs on skills.sh; 19.6k GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
Month-end close feels like a scattered checklist across AP, AR, payroll, and treasury with no shared order or visibility into what blocks the books.
Who is it for?
Founder-operators or solo finance-adjacent builders running a formal monthly close with ERP, payroll, and banking subsystems.
Skip if: Builders without recurring accounting close responsibilities, or anyone seeking automated journal entries without professional review.
When should I use this skill?
Planning the close calendar, tracking close progress, identifying blockers, or sequencing close activities by day (month-end close process).
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get a day-sequenced close plan with contributor reminders and dependency-aware tracking so blockers surface before deadlines slip.
- Pre-close and close-day checklists with ordered tasks
- Close calendar with dependencies and blocker notes for contributors
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Operate is the canonical phase because month-end close is recurring production-of-record work after the product is live and money moves. Iterate fits cyclical process improvement: each close calendar refines cut-offs, accruals, and contributor deadlines.
How it compares
Close calendar and checklist skill—not tax advice, audit automation, or a live ERP integration.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is close-management for?
Solo and indie operators who coordinate month-end close contributors and need structured sequencing from the agent.
When should I use close-management?
Use it in Operate iterate when building the close calendar, during the pre-close window for cut-off reminders, and on close days to track AP accruals, payroll, and sub-ledger completion.
Is close-management safe to install?
It handles sensitive financial process guidance only; review the Security Audits panel on this page and have qualified professionals validate all entries and judgments.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Close Management
# Close Management **Important**: This skill assists with close management workflows but does not provide financial advice. All close activities should be reviewed by qualified financial professionals. Month-end close checklist, task sequencing and dependencies, status tracking, and common close activities organized by day. ## Month-End Close Checklist ### Pre-Close (Last 2-3 Business Days of the Month) - [ ] Send close calendar and deadline reminders to all contributors - [ ] Confirm cut-off procedures with AP, AR, payroll, and treasury - [ ] Verify all sub-systems are processing normally (ERP, payroll, banking) - [ ] Complete preliminary bank reconciliation (all but last-day activity) - [ ] Review open purchase orders for potential accrual needs - [ ] Confirm payroll processing schedule aligns with close timeline - [ ] Collect information for any known unusual transactions ### Close Day 1 (T+1: First Business Day After Month-End) - [ ] Confirm all sub-ledger modules have completed period-end processing - [ ] Run AP accruals for goods/services received but not invoiced - [ ] Post payroll entries and payroll accrual (if pay period straddles month-end) - [ ] Record cash receipts and disbursements through month-end - [ ] Post intercompany transactions and confirm with counterparties - [ ] Complete bank reconciliation with final bank statement - [ ] Run fixed asset depreciation - [ ] Post prepaid expense amortization ### Close Day 2 (T+2) - [ ] Complete revenue recognition entries and deferred revenue adjustments - [ ] Post all remaining accrual journal entries - [ ] Complete AR subledger reconciliation - [ ] Complete AP subledger reconciliation - [ ] Record inventory adjustments (if applicable) - [ ] Post FX revaluation entries for foreign currency balances - [ ] Begin balance sheet account reconciliations ### Close Day 3 (T+3) - [ ] Complete all balance sheet reconciliations - [ ] Post any adjusting journal entries identified during reconciliation - [ ] Complete intercompany reconciliation and elimination entries - [ ] Run preliminary trial balance and income statement - [ ] Perform preliminary flux analysis on income statement - [ ] Investigate and resolve material variances ### Close Day 4 (T+4) - [ ] Post tax provision entries (income tax, sales tax, property tax) - [ ] Complete equity roll-forward (stock compensation, treasury stock) - [ ] Finalize all journal entries — soft close - [ ] Generate draft financial statements (P&L, BS, CF) - [ ] Perform detailed flux analysis and prepare variance explanations - [ ] Management review of financial statements and key metrics ### Close Day 5 (T+5) - [ ] Post any final adjustments from management review - [ ] Finalize financial statements — hard close - [ ] Lock the period in the ERP/GL system - [ ] Distribute financial reporting package to stakeholders - [ ] Update forecasts/projections based on actual results - [ ] Conduct close retrospective — identify process improvements ## Task Sequencing and Dependencies ### Dependency Map Tasks are organized by what must complete before the next task can begin: ``` LEVEL 1 (No dependencies — can start immediately at T+1): ├── Cash receipts/disbursements recording ├── Bank statement retrieval ├── Payroll processing/accrual ├── Fixed asset depreciation run ├── Prepaid amortization ├── AP accrual preparation └── Intercompany transaction posting LEVEL 2 (Depends on Level 1 completion): ├── Bank reconciliation (needs: cash entries + bank statement) ├── Revenue recognition (needs: billing/delivery data finalized) ├── AR subledger reconciliation (needs: all revenue/cash entries) ├── AP subledger reconciliation (needs: all AP entries/accruals) ├── FX r