# Bill Tracker — Future Improvements

**This document tracks potential future enhancements for Bill Tracker.**

**Last Updated:** 2026-05-08  
**Current Version:** v0.19.0
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## How to Use This Document

This file is a living document. Agents should:
1. Read this file before proposing changes
2. Add new recommendations with priority levels
3. Mark completed items with ✅ and version number
4. Reference this file when dispatching improvement tasks


## Pending Recommendations

### Click-to-toggle Paid/Unpaid Status
**Priority:** HIGH  
**Status:** ✅ COMPLETED v0.19.0  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by _null

**Description:**
Allow users to click directly on the "Paid", "Missed", "Late", "Due Soon", "Upcoming" status in the tracker to toggle between Paid and Unpaid states without opening the bill modal.

**Implementation:**
- Added `POST /api/bills/:id/toggle-paid` endpoint
- StatusBadge component now supports `clickable` prop with hover effects
- Clicking Paid removes payment (soft delete), Clicking Unpaid creates payment
- Confirmation dialog before toggling Unpaid → Paid
- Loading spinner during API call
- Toast notifications on success/failure

**Files Modified:**
- `routes/bills.js` — new toggle-paid endpoint
- `client/api.js` — togglePaid API function
- `client/pages/TrackerPage.jsx` — StatusBadge click handler, enhanced StatusBadge component

---

### Billing Cycle Sub-categories for Weekly/Monthly
**Priority:** MEDIUM  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by _null

**Description:**
Add sub-categories to billing cycles. Current cycles (1st, 15th, Other) work for monthly bills, but need weekly and monthly options with sub-categories for due dates.

**Rationale:**
Supports users with weekly bills (rent, subscriptions, etc.) and more complex monthly schedules. Requires backend schema changes and frontend updates.

**Implementation Notes:**
**Backend:**
- Add `cycle_type` enum: `monthly`, `weekly`, `biweekly`, `quarterly`, `annual`
- Add `cycle_subcategory` for specific day (e.g., "Monday", "1st", "15th")
- Migration for existing bills (default to `monthly`)
- Update bill creation/edit endpoints

**Frontend:**
- Dropdown for cycle type
- Conditional sub-category selector based on type
- Update Tracker to group by cycle type
- Files likely to be modified: `db/schema.sql`, `db/database.js`, `routes/bills.js`, `client/pages/BillsPage.jsx`, `client/components/BillModal.jsx`
- Estimated effort: 6-8 hours

---

### Previous Month Paid Amount on Tracker Page
**Priority:** MEDIUM  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by _null

**Description:**
Display the previous month's total paid amount on the Tracker page, positioned between "Expected" and "Paid" columns.

**Rationale:**
Context for users to compare current month spending vs. previous month at a glance. Helps with budgeting and spotting anomalies.

**Implementation Notes:**
- Fetch previous month's payment data alongside current month
- New column: "Last Month" between Expected and Paid
- Option to show/hide via settings
- Consider sparkline mini-chart for trend
- Files likely to be modified: `routes/tracker.js`, `client/pages/TrackerPage.jsx`
- Estimated effort: 3 hours

---

### 3-Month Trend Indicator with Up/Down Arrows
**Priority:** MEDIUM  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by _null

**Description:**
Add trend indicators showing whether the last 3 months of payments went up or down compared to current month. Display as up/down arrow with percentage change.

**Rationale:**
Visual trend indicator helps users identify spending patterns without navigating to Analytics page.

**Implementation Notes:**
- Calculate 3-month rolling average
- Compare current month vs. previous 3-month average
- Show green up arrow if trending up (more paid), red down arrow if trending down
- Display percentage change
- Position in Tracker header or Summary card
- Files likely to be modified: `routes/analytics.js` (new endpoint), `client/pages/TrackerPage.jsx` or `client/pages/SummaryPage.jsx`
- Estimated effort: 4 hours

---

### Add React.memo() to prevent unnecessary re-renders
**Priority:** HIGH  
**Status:** ✅ COMPLETED v0.19.0  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Scarlett

**Description:**
Many components render on every state change in the parent (especially App.jsx, TrackerPage.jsx, BillsPage.jsx), causing unnecessary re-renders of child components that don't depend on those specific state changes.

**Implementation:**
- Applied `React.memo()` to StatusBadge, SummaryCard, MobileBillRow, MobileTrackerRow, NavPill, and BrandBlock
- Extracted NavPill and BrandBlock to separate files in `client/components/layout/`
- Fixed missing React imports and useState bugs during implementation
- Build verified successful

**Files Modified:**
- `client/components/StatusBadge.jsx`
- `client/components/SummaryCard.jsx`
- `client/components/MobileBillRow.jsx`
- `client/components/MobileTrackerRow.jsx`
- `client/components/layout/NavPill.jsx` (new file)
- `client/components/layout/BrandBlock.jsx` (new file)
- `client/components/layout/Sidebar.jsx` (refactored to use new components)


### Implement proper error boundaries
**Priority:** CRITICAL  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Scarlett

**Description:**
The app has no React error boundaries. When a component throws an error (network failure, unexpected data shape, etc.), the entire app crashes with a white screen and no clear path to recovery.

**Rationale:**
User experience and reliability. Currently, any JavaScript error in a component causes a complete app crash. Error boundaries would allow the app to display a fallback UI and potentially recover. This is especially important for production use where you can't predict all error conditions.

**Implementation Notes:**
- Create a generic `ErrorBoundary` component with fallback UI
- Wrap top-level pages (TrackerPage, BillsPage, AnalyticsPage) in error boundaries
- Wrap App.jsx router with error boundary
- Log errors to console and optionally to error tracking service
- Consider adding `componentDidCatch` class component wrapper for critical paths
- Files likely to be modified: Add new `client/components/ErrorBoundary.jsx`, wrap pages in App.jsx
- Estimated effort: 45-60 minutes


### Add loading skeletons and better async state management
**Priority:** MEDIUM  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Scarlett

**Description:**
Many pages show only "Loading..." or no state between async API calls and data rendering. Pages like TrackerPage, AnalyticsPage, and BillsPage have inconsistent loading states.

**Rationale:**
Perceived performance. Users should see immediate visual feedback when data is loading, even if the actual data loads slowly. Skeleton loaders prevent layout shifts and set proper expectations about wait times.

**Implementation Notes:**
- Add loading skeleton components for:
  - Summary cards (4 skeleton cards for TrackerPage)
  - Table rows (skeleton rows for bills tracker tables)
  - Chart placeholders (shimmer effect for analytics)
  - Form fields (skeleton inputs for modals)
- Create reusable Skeleton components in `client/components/ui/Skeleton.jsx`
- Implement loading state with proper transitions (fade in/out)
- Consider adding `aria-busy` attributes during load
- Files likely to be modified: `client/components/ui/`, `client/pages/TrackerPage.jsx`, `client/pages/AnalyticsPage.jsx`, `client/pages/BillsPage.jsx`
- Estimated effort: 60-90 minutes


### Add keyboard navigation and accessible ARIA labels
**Priority:** HIGH  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Scarlett

**Description:**
While many components use semantic HTML, several interactive elements lack proper ARIA attributes, keyboard navigation, or focus management, making the app inaccessible to screen reader users and keyboard-only users.

**Rationale:**
Accessibility compliance and broader user reach. Bill Tracker should be usable by everyone. WCAG 2.1 Level A compliance requires:
- Proper labeling of interactive elements
- Keyboard navigation support
- Focus management in modals
- Screen reader announcements for dynamic content

**Implementation Notes:**
- Audit all interactive components for missing ARIA labels:
  - Buttons without `aria-label` or visible text
  - Icons used as buttons
  - Custom selects and dropdowns
  - Modal dialogs (missing `role="dialog"` and `aria-modal`)
- Add focus management to modals (trap focus, return focus on close)
- Ensure keyboard navigation works through all pages
- Add proper `aria-live` regions for toast notifications
- Ensure color contrast meets WCAG AA standards (verify with axe DevTools)
- Files likely to be modified: `client/components/*.jsx`, `client/pages/*.jsx`
- Estimated effort: 2-3 hours for comprehensive audit and fixes


### Add React Query (TanStack Query) for server state management
**Priority:** MEDIUM  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Scarlett

**Description:**
Currently using manual `useState`/`useEffect` patterns with custom `api` wrapper for data fetching. This leads to duplicated loading/error handling, stale data issues, and no request caching.

**Rationale:**
Developer experience and performance. React Query provides:
- Automatic request caching and stale-while-revalidate
- Background refetching
- Optimistic updates
- Request deduplication
- Built-in loading/error states

**Implementation Notes:**
- Replace manual API calls in pages with `useQuery`, `useMutation`
- Add query keys for cache invalidation
- Implement global query client with React Query DevTools
- Gradual migration: start with TrackerPage, then BillsPage, then AnalyticsPage
- Files likely to be modified: `client/pages/*.jsx`, add `client/hooks/useQueryClient.js`
- Estimated effort: 4-6 hours for full migration


### Add comprehensive unit and integration tests
**Priority:** LOW  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Scarlett

**Description:**
Currently no unit tests exist for components or hooks. The only testing appears to be functional tests in `test-functional.js`. Component-level testing is missing.

**Rationale:**
Code quality and maintainability. Unit tests catch regressions and document component behavior. Bill Tracker has complex business logic (bill calculations, monthly state, analytics) that should be tested.

**Implementation Notes:**
- Set up Jest + React Testing Library
- Test key components: BillModal, TrackerPage row, BillsTableInner
- Test hooks: useAuth, custom form hooks
- Test utility functions in `client/lib/utils.js`
- Consider vitest for faster test execution
- Add CI integration for test execution
- Files likely to be modified: Add `client/test/` directory, add `jest.config.cjs`
- Estimated effort: 8-12 hours for baseline coverage


### Optimize bundle size and code splitting
**Priority:** LOW  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Scarlett

**Description:
No code splitting is implemented. All JavaScript loads on initial page load, including rarely used pages like AdminPage (1873 lines) and DataPage (1583 lines).

**Rationale:**
Initial load performance. Users shouldn't download admin-only code if they're regular users. Code splitting reduces initial bundle size and improves time-to-interactive.

**Implementation Notes:**
- Use React.lazy() for route-level code splitting
- Lazy load admin routes for non-admin users
- Lazy load rarely used pages (DataPage, AnalyticsPage)
- Consider dynamic imports for large dependencies (xlsx, openid-client)
- Analyze bundle with `vite-bundle-visualizer`
- Add preload hints for critical resources
- Files likely to be modified: `client/App.jsx`, `vite.config.js`
- Estimated effort: 1-2 hours


### Add consistent form state management pattern
**Priority:** MEH  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Scarlett

**Description:**
Form state management is inconsistent across components. Some use `useState` for each field, others use form libraries. Validation patterns vary.

**Rationale:**
Consistency and maintainability. A consistent pattern makes it easier to add new forms and reduce bugs.

**Implementation Notes:**
- Consider react-hook-form for complex forms
- Create reusable form field components (InputField, SelectField, etc.)
- Standardize validation approach
- Files likely to be modified: `client/components/*.jsx`
- Estimated effort: 4-6 hours for migration


## Template for New Recommendations

```markdown
### [Feature Name]
**Priority:** CRITICAL / HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW / MEH  
**Added:** YYYY-MM-DD by [Agent]

**Description:**
Brief description of the improvement.

**Rationale:**
Why this matters.

**Implementation Notes:**
- Technical approach
- Files likely to be modified
- Estimated effort

**Depends On:**
Any prerequisites or blocking issues.
```


## Completed Items

*None yet*

---

## Backend Analysis Recommendations (by Neo)

### Database Query Optimization: Add Missing Indexes
**Priority:** HIGH  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Neo

**Description:**
Several frequently queried columns lack indexes, causing full table scans on growth.

**Rationale:**
- `bills.name` and `bills.user_id` are used in WHERE clauses but only indexed as part of composite indexes
- `payments.method` is used for filtering but has no index
- `monthly_starting_amounts.user_id` exists but lacks explicit index
- `import_history.imported_at` is used for cleanup but not indexed

**Implementation Notes:**
- Files to modify: `/home/kaspa/.openclaw/Projects/bill-tracker/db/database.js` (migrations section)
- Estimated effort: 30 minutes
- Add these indexes:
  ```sql
  CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_bills_user_name ON bills(user_id, name);
  CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_payments_method ON payments(method);
  CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_monthly_starting_amounts_user ON monthly_starting_amounts(user_id);
  CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_import_history_imported_at ON import_history(imported_at);
  ```

---

### Security: Missing Input Validation on Bulk Operations
**Priority:** HIGH  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Neo

**Description:**
The `/api/payments/bulk` endpoint validates individual items but lacks validation for the request body as a whole.

**Rationale:**
- No maximum item count check — an attacker could send 10,000+ items
- No size limit on JSON body beyond Express defaults
- Missing rate limiting per user (not just per IP) for bulk operations
- No duplicate detection — sending same payment twice creates duplicates

**Implementation Notes:**
- Files to modify: `/home/kaspa/.openclaw/Projects/bill-tracker/routes/payments.js`
- Estimated effort: 2 hours
- Add:
  - Max 50 items per request
  - Max 5MB body size
  - Per-user rate limit (e.g., 10 bulk operations per hour)
  - Duplicate detection using `bill_id + paid_date + amount` hash

---

### Security: Session Token Expiry Not Enforced at Database Level
**Priority:** CRITICAL  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Neo

**Description:**
Session tokens expire in application logic but database records persist indefinitely.

**Rationale:**
- `/services/authService.js` checks `expires_at > datetime('now')` in code
- Expired sessions accumulate in `sessions` table
- No cleanup worker for orphaned/expired sessions
- Risk of table bloat and potential token reuse if bugs exist

**Implementation Notes:**
- Files to modify: `/home/kaspa/.openclaw/Projects/bill-tracker/db/database.js`, `/services/cleanupService.js`
- Estimated effort: 4 hours
- Add:
  - Database-level cleanup job (runs daily via admin cleanup service)
  - SQL:
    ```sql
    DELETE FROM sessions WHERE expires_at < datetime('now');
    ```
  - Consider adding `created_at` + `last_used_at` for better cleanup targeting

---

### Architecture: Business Logic Mixed with Route Handlers
**Priority:** MEDIUM  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Neo

**Description:**
Many routes contain business logic that should be extracted to service layers.

**Rationale:**
- `bills.js` contains `parseDueDay()`, `parseInterestRate()` — validation logic
- `tracker.js` contains date/range calculations that are reused across routes
- `admin.js` has complex OIDC config building mixed with routing
- `analytics.js` has complex date-building logic (`buildMonths`, `monthKey`, etc.)

**Implementation Notes:**
- Files to modify: Multiple route files + new service files in `/services/`
- Estimated effort: 8 hours
- Proposed structure:
  ```
  /services/billsService.js
  /services/trackerService.js
  /services/analyticsService.js
  /services/authService.js (existing)
  /services/oidcService.js (existing)
  /services/cleanupService.js (existing)
  ```
- Route handlers should call services, not contain business logic

---

### Features: Missing Audit Logging for Critical Operations
**Priority:** HIGH  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Neo

**Description:**
Security-sensitive operations lack comprehensive audit trails.

**Rationale:**
- Password changes (via `/api/profile/change-password`) not logged
- User role changes (admin routes) not logged
- Session invalidation events not tracked
- Import/export operations only tracked via `import_history` table, missing details
- CSRF token validation failures not logged

**Implementation Notes:**
- Files to modify: `/home/kaspa/.openclaw/Projects/bill-tracker/services/auditService.js` (new file), route files
- Estimated effort: 4 hours
- Add audit table:
  ```sql
  CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS audit_log (
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
    user_id INTEGER,
    action TEXT NOT NULL,
    entity_type TEXT,
    entity_id INTEGER,
    details_json TEXT,
    ip_address TEXT,
    user_agent TEXT,
    created_at TEXT DEFAULT (datetime('now'))
  );
  CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_audit_log_user ON audit_log(user_id, created_at);
  ```
- Log: password changes, role changes, login attempts (success/fail), session invalidation

---

### Features: Missing Export for User-Specific Reports
**Priority:** LOW  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Neo

**Description:**
No built-in way to export filtered data (e.g., "all bills in category X for last 6 months").

**Rationale:**
- `/api/analytics/summary` exists but returns JSON only
- Users cannot generate Excel/PDF reports
- No programmatic way to get export links for specific filters
- `/api/export/user-excel` exports everything, not filtered views

**Implementation Notes:**
- Files to modify: `/home/kaspa/.openclaw/Projects/bill-tracker/routes/export.js`
- Estimated effort: 6 hours
- Add endpoints:
  - `GET /api/export/user-excel?category_id=1&start=2026-01&end=2026-06`
  - `GET /api/export/user-json?filter=bills&status=missed`
  - Add report title/description to export metadata

---

### Performance: N+1 Query Patterns in Tracker and Analytics
**Priority:** MEDIUM  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Neo

**Description:**
Looping over bills and querying payments/state individually causes N+1 queries.

**Rationale:**
- `tracker.js` line 27-37: iterates over `bills`, runs `mbsStmt.get()` per bill
- `analytics.js` uses `bills.map()` and builds maps with per-bill lookups
- With 50 bills, this creates 100+ extra queries per request

**Implementation Notes:**
- Files to modify: `/home/kaspa/.openclaw/Projects/bill-tracker/routes/tracker.js`, `/analytics.js`
- Estimated effort: 3 hours
- Use batch queries instead:
  ```js
  // Fetch all monthly states for bills in one query
  const states = db.prepare(`
    SELECT * FROM monthly_bill_state
    WHERE bill_id IN (${billIds.join(',')}) AND year=? AND month=?
  `).all(billIds, year, month);
  ```

---

### Security: Session Token Not Rotated on Auth Events
**Priority:** MEDIUM  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Neo

**Description:**
Session tokens are not rotated on password change or logout events.

**Rationale:**
- `admin.js` deletes sessions on password change, but this is inconsistent
- `/api/profile/change-password` does not invalidate other sessions
- Logout only removes current session, doesn't invalidate others
- Session tokens are static — no rotation mechanism

**Implementation Notes:**
- Files to modify: `/home/kaspa/.openclaw/Projects/bill-tracker/services/authService.js`
- Estimated effort: 4 hours
- Add:
  - `session_version` or `token_seed` column in `users` table
  - Increment seed on password change, logout all
  - Validate seed in `getSessionUser()`
  - Logout invalidates only current session (more usable)

---

### Features: Missing Bill Grouping and Reorganization API
**Priority:** LOW  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Neo

**Description:**
No way to reorder bills, drag-and-drop, or group by custom criteria.

**Rationale:**
- `bills` table has `due_day` ordering but no manual sort order
- Frontend likely orders by `due_day` only
- Users cannot create bill groups or categories for bills
- No way to mark bills as "hidden" or "archived" without deactivating

**Implementation Notes:**
- Files to modify: `/home/kaspa/.openclaw/Projects/bill-tracker/db/schema.sql`, `/routes/bills.js`
- Estimated effort: 6 hours
- Add:
  - `sort_order` column to bills table (default NULL, ordered first by sort_order then due_day)
  - `PUT /api/bills/reorder` endpoint accepting `{bill_id: new_index}`
  - `PUT /api/bills/:id/archived` to soft-dearchive (sets `archived` flag)

---

### Security: Error Messages Expose Implementation Details
**Priority:** LOW  
**Added:** 2026-05-08 by Neo

**Description:**
Some error messages leak database or implementation details.

**Rationale:**
- SQLite errors (e.g., "UNIQUE constraint failed") bubble up in some paths
- Stack traces logged to console (not in HTTP response, but visible in logs)
- DB path exposed in error messages if `DB_PATH` env is set incorrectly
- Migration errors include full SQL in some cases

**Implementation Notes:**
- Files to modify: `/home/kaspa/.openclaw/Projects/bill-tracker/middleware/errorFormatter.js`, `/server.js` error handler
- Estimated effort: 2 hours
- Add generic error messages for 500s:
  ```json
  { "error": "INTERNAL_ERROR", "message": "An unexpected error occurred. Please contact support.", "code": "ERR-500" }
  ```
- Log detailed errors server-side only, never in response
- Sanitize all error messages before sending
