name: fondo-local-dev-loop description: 'Configure local development workflows that integrate with Fondo for
financial data, using Fondo exports with QuickBooks or accounting tools.
Trigger: "fondo dev setup", "fondo export", "fondo QuickBooks", "fondo local data".
' allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash(npm:*), Grep version: 1.0.0 license: MIT author: Jeremy Longshore jeremy@intentsolutions.io tags:
- saas
- accounting
- fondo compatibility: Designed for Claude Code
Fondo Local Dev Loop
Overview
Local development workflow for Fondo startup tax and bookkeeping integration. Provides a fast feedback loop using CSV exports and mock financial data so you can build dashboards, R&D credit calculators, and burn-rate tools without waiting on live Fondo reports. Toggle between mock mode for rapid iteration and real export parsing for production validation.
Environment Setup
cp .env.example .env
# Set your credentials:
# FONDO_API_KEY=fondo_xxxxxxxxxxxx
# FONDO_EXPORT_DIR=./exports
# MOCK_MODE=true
npm install express csv-parse dotenv tsx typescript @types/node
npm install -D vitest supertest
mkdir -p exports
Dev Server
// src/dev/server.ts
import express from "express";
const app = express();
app.use(express.json());
const MOCK = process.env.MOCK_MODE === "true";
if (MOCK) {
const { mountMockRoutes } = require("./mocks");
mountMockRoutes(app);
} else {
const { mountExportRoutes } = require("./export-parser");
mountExportRoutes(app, process.env.FONDO_EXPORT_DIR!);
}
app.listen(3002, () => console.log(`Fondo dev server on :3002 [mock=${MOCK}]`));
Mock Mode
// src/dev/mocks.ts — realistic startup financial data
export function mountMockRoutes(app: any) {
app.get("/api/transactions", (_req: any, res: any) => res.json([
{ date: "2025-03-01", description: "AWS Infrastructure", amount: -4200, category: "Cloud Hosting", account: "Operating", isRnD: true },
{ date: "2025-03-05", description: "Engineer Salary", amount: -12500, category: "Payroll", account: "Operating", isRnD: true },
{ date: "2025-03-10", description: "Stripe Revenue", amount: 8750, category: "Revenue", account: "Income", isRnD: false },
]));
app.get("/api/reports/pnl", (_req: any, res: any) => res.json({
period: "2025-Q1", revenue: 26250, expenses: 50100, netIncome: -23850,
}));
app.get("/api/reports/rnd-summary", (_req: any, res: any) => res.json({
totalQualified: 38500, categories: ["Cloud Hosting", "Payroll", "Software Tools"],
}));
}
Testing Workflow
npm run dev:mock & # Start mock server in background
npm run test # Unit tests with vitest
npm run test -- --watch # Watch mode for rapid iteration
MOCK_MODE=false npm run test:integration # Test against real Fondo CSV exports
Debug Tips
- Place sample CSVs in
exports/to test parsing without Fondo dashboard access - Validate CSV column headers match Fondo's export format (Date, Description, Amount, Category, Account, R&D Qualified)
- Use
--verboseflag with the parser to log skipped rows and type coercion warnings - Check for locale-specific number formats (
$1,234.56vs1234.56) in Amount column
Error Handling
| Issue | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
CSV parse error | Malformed export file | Re-export from Fondo with UTF-8 encoding |
NaN in amount | Currency symbols in Amount column | Strip $ and , before parseFloat |
Missing R&D column | Older export format | Use Fondo's updated report template |
ENOENT exports/ | Export directory missing | Run mkdir -p exports |
Empty dataset | Date range has no transactions | Widen the date range in Fondo dashboard |
Resources
Next Steps
See fondo-debug-bundle.