Overview
Bank Rules help you automatically categorize transactions in Adam based on conditions you define (like narration, amount, or transaction type).
Instead of manually categorizing transactions one by one, you create rules that tell Adam:
“When this happens → do this.”
How Bank Rules Work
When a transaction is uploaded, Adam checks:
Does it match any rule?
If yes, apply the rule category
If no, use default AI categorization
ℹ️ Note: Bank Rules always override default AI categorization when a match is found.
When Should You Create Bank Rules?
You should create bank rules:
Before uploading bank statements (Recommended): This ensures clean categorization from the start.
After uploading bank statements: You can still apply the created rules to already uploaded statements.
How to Access Bank Rules
Step 1: Navigate to Settings
Go to the left navigation bar, click Settings
Step 2: Open Bank Rules
On the settings menu, select Bank Rules.
This takes you to the bank rules table, where you can see a list of bank rules you have created, if any.
To create a rule, click the Create Rule button.
You will see two options:
Bulk Generate with AI
Create one manually
Step 3: Bulk Generate Rules with AI
If you don’t want to manually set up bank rules, this option helps you speed things up. Instead of defining conditions yourself, you simply provide a sample of your bank transactions.
Adam then studies the patterns in your data and suggests rules automatically based on how your transactions are structured.
Upload a sample of your bank statement
When you click “Generate with AI”, a setup window appears asking you to provide sample data.
You can upload your bank statement in several formats, including PDF, CSV, XLSX, XLS, PNG, or JPEG.
If you prefer not to upload a file, you can also switch to a text input mode where you paste a section of your bank statement directly into the system.
⚠️ WARNING: PDF uploads may not always process correctly depending on formatting. CSV is strongly recommended.
Generate your rules
Once your file or pasted data is ready, click Generate.
Adam reads through your sample transactions and looks for patterns such as:
Repeated merchants (e.g., Uber, Amazon, utilities)
Consistent narration keywords
Transaction behaviors that look similar across time
From this, it builds a draft set of rules that reflect how your business naturally operates.
Review Generated Rules
After processing is complete, Adam will present a list of suggested rules for you to review before saving them. Each rule is made up of 3 main parts:
Rule setup (name + scope)
Conditions (when the rule should trigger)
Outcome (what happens when it triggers)
Once satisfied, click submit, and the rule is ready to work.
Apply to Historical Transactions (Optional)
Apply this option if you want Adam to automatically recategorize matching transactions already uploaded prior to the rule being created.
Step 4: Create Rule Manually
If you want to manually set up bank rules
Select the option Create one manually.
Define the rule name and conditions.
Define the outcome of the rule when triggered.
Once satisfied, click Submit to save the rule.
Optionally, you can select the checkbox to apply the rule to historical transactions.
Understanding Each Field on the “Create Bank Rule” Screen
Think of a rule like this: IF (conditions are true) → THEN (apply outcome). Here is an explanation of each part of a rule.
Rule setup (name + scope)
Rule Name:
This is the label for your rule. It helps you identify what the rule is for later.
Example:
“Starbucks Expense Rule”
“Fuel Purchases Rule”
“Payroll Rule”
This does not affect how the rule works; it is only for identification.
Rule Approach:
This controls how multiple conditions in the rule are evaluated.
You will see:
Apply all the conditions (AND): This means every condition must be true for the rule to apply.
Apply any conditions (OR): This means only one condition needs to be true for the rule to apply.
Example:
If you select AND:
Narration contains “Uber.”
AND Amount is greater than 0
Both must match for the rule to trigger.
Bank Account:
This lets you decide where the rule should apply.
You can:
Select a specific bank account
Or leave it general (depending on setup)
ℹ️ Note: If a bank account is selected, the rule will only apply to transactions from that bank account.
Condition Fields (when the rule should trigger)
When creating a condition, you first select a field. This tells Adam what part of the transaction to inspect.
Available fields include:
Narration: transaction description text
Amount: transaction value
Date: transaction date
Type: debit or credit
Balance: account balance after the transaction
Reference: transaction reference ID
ℹ️ Note: You can add more than one condition to make a rule more precise.
Operators (How matching works)
After selecting a field, you choose an operator. The available operators depend on the field you selected.
If you select the field Narration:
You can use the following operators:
equals
not equals
contains
not contains, etc
Example:
Narration contains “Amazon.”
ℹ️ Note: The available operators depend on the field you selected.
Value (What to match)
This is the actual keyword, number, or text you want Adam to look for.
Examples:
“Uber”
“Office supplies”
5000
This completes the condition.
Outcome (what happens when it triggers)
This defines what happens when a transaction matches your conditions. You can set the outcome to any of the available fields.
Available fields include:
Account: This is where you assign the transaction category
Contact: This is where you assign the transaction to a specific contact (if applicable).
Status: This defines the state of the transaction (Categorized, Recognized, etc)
Example:
SET [Account] AS [Account Name]
SET Account AS “Travel Expenses”
Best Practice Workflow
Create 5–10 core rules first
Upload 1 month of transactions
Review results
Adjust rules if needed
Continue to upload bank statements month-by-month
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I created rules to categorize my transactions, but Adam is not detecting the keywords. What am I doing wrong?
This usually happens when rules are created after the bank statement has already been uploaded. Rules should be created before uploading for the best results.
If you have already uploaded your transactions, go to Settings → Bank Rules, open the rule you created, click the Edit icon on the action column, and select "Apply to Transactions" from the dropdown. This will push the rule to your already-uploaded transactions.
2. During onboarding, I'm stuck on "Create First Bank Rules." I uploaded a CSV, but clicking "Generate" does nothing. What's wrong?
You don't need to upload your entire bank statement at this stage. The Bulk Generate with AI feature only needs a small sample of your transactions to detect patterns and suggest rules.
Try uploading a smaller portion of your data. Also, CSV is the strongly recommended format; PDF files may not always process correctly, depending on their formatting.
3. I watched the tutorial on bank rules, but I can't find the "Apply to History" option when editing a rule.
The "Apply to History" checkbox is only available when you are creating a new rule, not when editing an existing one. If your rule has already been created and you need to apply it to existing transactions, click the Edit icon on the action column of the rule in your Bank Rules table and select "Apply to Transactions" from the dropdown.
4. I've been writing instructions in "Train Adam," but the results aren't consistent. Should I be doing something differently?
You can switch to Bank Rules for more reliable and consistent results. Train Adam uses free-text instructions, which can be affected by formatting, punctuation, and how the instructions are worded.
Bank Rules use structured conditions that Adam reads precisely. For example: IF Narration contains "petrol" OR "BP" OR "fuel" → SET Account AS "Petrol Expense." You can combine multiple keywords in one rule using the OR condition, so any one of them triggers the categorization.
5. How much of Adam's categorization actually comes from the rules I create?
Currently, 100% of Adam's automatic categorization is driven by the rules you set up. Manual corrections contribute to learning, but are still developing. This is why creating solid, specific rules from the start, covering your most common transaction types like payroll, fuel, subscriptions, and rent, makes the biggest difference in accuracy.