If you want programmatic access to your budget, here’s a secret: Buckets files are just SQLite databases.

$ sqlite3 Tutorial.buckets 
SQLite version 3.16.0 2016-11-04 19:09:39
Enter ".help" for usage hints.
sqlite> select count(*) from account;
3

You’re welcome to open up your budget files and even modify them. Just be sure to follow all the normal SQLite concurrency tips. The Buckets app includes the most current documentation about the file format (look in the Help menu).

Example - How much is in the bank?

On macOS or Linux, the sqlite3 command line tool is likely already installed. Here’s a one line program that will tell you how much money you have in the bank. Remember that all amounts are stored as integers (hence the printf call):

$ echo 'SELECT printf("%.2f", sum(balance)/100.0) AS balance FROM account;' \
| sqlite3 Tutorial.buckets
4852.24

And if you find the transaction-importing functions of Buckets limited, you’re welcome to write your own using your favorite language’s SQLite library.

Happy Budgeting!