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Your First Journal Entry in 5 Minutes

Get from zero to a recorded journal entry using the lim CLI.

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Prerequisites

  • Node.js 24+
  • A lim account (sign up)

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Install

npm install -g @lim-labs/lim

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Authenticate

lim auth login
This opens your browser for OAuth authentication. Once complete, you’re logged in. 
lim auth whoami
# => ✅ tsumi@uselim.com (user_01ABC...)

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Create or Select a Company

# Create a new company
lim companies create --name "My Startup Inc."

# Or list existing companies
lim companies list

# Set the active company
lim companies use <company-id>

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Add Your First Journal Entry

lim understands natural language. Just describe the transaction: 
lim add "AWS 11000 yen credit card"

✅ Communication     10,000 / Accounts payable  11,000
   Input VAT          1,000
📚 Learned rule for "AWS" (auto-suggest next time)
lim automatically:
  • Identifies the correct accounts (Communication expense + Input VAT)
  • Decomposes the tax-inclusive amount (10% consumption tax)
  • Creates a rule so next month’s AWS bill is instant

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Add from a Receipt Photo

lim add "expense" --file receipt.jpg
lim reads the receipt, extracts the vendor, amount, and date, then creates the journal entry. Supported formats: PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP, PDF.

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Check Your Trial Balance

lim reports tb --from 2026-01-01 --to 2026-12-31

Trial Balance (2026-01-01 ~ 2026-12-31)
────────────────────────────────────────────────
Account              Debit       Credit
────────────────────────────────────────────────
Communication        10,000
Input VAT             1,000
Accounts payable                  11,000
────────────────────────────────────────────────
Total                11,000       11,000  ✓

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What Just Happened?

  1. You described a transaction in natural language
  2. The Judgment Engine matched “AWS” to communication expense (rule match)
  3. Tax decomposition split ¥11,000 into ¥10,000 expense + ¥1,000 VAT
  4. A rule was created — next time you mention “AWS”, lim skips AI entirely
  5. The trial balance updates in real-time

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Next Steps

Natural Language Input

Learn more about how the judgment engine processes your entries.

Financial Reports

P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, and more.

MCP Server

Connect Claude Code to automate accounting.

CLI Reference

Full command reference.