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Business Pulse

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Get a concise snapshot of your business health in one page.

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Free · Opens the source repo

What Business Pulse does

Business Pulse is designed to provide small and medium business (SMB) owners with a comprehensive overview of their business's current status. By integrating data from various tools such as QuickBooks, PayPal, HubSpot, Google Calendar, Gmail, and Slack, it synthesizes this information into a single, easily digestible report. The skill automatically retrieves live data from connected sources, ensuring that users receive the most up-to-date insights without needing to manually gather the information themselves.

The process begins by pulling data in parallel from all available connectors, allowing for a swift compilation of metrics. This includes cash positions from QuickBooks, sales trends from PayPal or Square, pipeline movements from HubSpot, and urgent items from Gmail and Slack. If any connector fails to provide data, the skill gracefully skips that section and continues to compile the report, ensuring that users are not left waiting due to a single source's unavailability.

Once the data is collected, key metrics are computed based on predefined thresholds. The skill categorizes each metric into red, yellow, or green statuses, providing a clear visual representation of the business's health. Additionally, it proactively flags risks by identifying actionable items, such as overdue invoices or stalled deals, which can help owners prioritize their next steps effectively.

Finally, Business Pulse presents the synthesized output in a structured format, allowing users to quickly grasp their business's performance. Whether requested for a weekly summary or a quick snapshot before a call, the skill adapts to the context of the request, ensuring relevance and clarity in its delivery. This tool is ideal for SMB owners who need a comprehensive yet concise overview of their business without the hassle of manual data collection.

When to use it

Use this skill when you need a quick, comprehensive snapshot of your business's performance, such as during weekly reviews or before important meetings.

When not to use it

This skill may not be suitable for businesses that do not use the specified tools or for those looking for in-depth analysis beyond a high-level overview.

What you can build with it

Weekly Business Review

Generate a comprehensive overview of your business's performance every week to track progress and identify areas needing attention.

Quick Meeting Prep

Get a concise snapshot of your business health before an important meeting, ensuring you have key metrics at your fingertips.

Risk Management

Identify and prioritize urgent issues such as overdue invoices or stalled deals to take immediate action.

How to install Business Pulse

View source

1. Install with the skills CLI

npx skills add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins/business-pulse --agent claude-code

2. Or install it manually

Download the skill folder and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or .claude/skills/ to scope it to one repo. Restart Claude Code so it picks up the new skill.

Anthropic's agentic coding CLI, and the reference implementation of Agent Skills. Drop a skill folder into ~/.claude/skills and Claude Code loads it automatically whenever a task matches the skill's description. Claude Code docs

Inside SKILL.md

Written by anthropics

Business Pulse

One prompt, one page. Pull live data from every connected tool, synthesize it into a single scannable brief, and surface the single most important thing to act on today. Do the work — don't ask the user to help find the data.

Step 1 — Pull data in parallel

Dispatch all connector calls in a single parallel batch — see reference/data_sources.md for the exact tool-to-metric mapping. Do not pull serially; latency turns a 30-second skill into a painful wait.

Connectors to attempt simultaneously:

  • QuickBooks — cash balance, MTD revenue, outstanding receivables, overdue invoices
  • PayPal / Square — 7-day settlements, sales trend, failed/pending transactions
  • HubSpot — pipeline by stage, deals moved/closed, deals gone cold, new leads
  • Google Calendar — key meetings, deadlines, events this week and next 7 days
  • Gmail — threads flagged urgent, customer complaints, time-sensitive requests
  • Slack / Teams — urgent internal signals, threads needing owner attention
  • Intercom / Zendesk — open tickets, escalations (if connected)
  • Shopify / Square — fulfillment issues (if connected)

If a connector errors or returns no data, record it internally and move on. Never block the pulse on a single bad integration.

QuickBooks fallback: if QBO returns an unexpected state (account not connected, sync pending, empty response), mark the Cash section "n/a — QuickBooks unavailable" and proceed. Do not retry or ask the user to reconnect.

Gmail fallback: Gmail auth is intermittently flaky. If the call errors, skip the Watch List section silently and note "Gmail unavailable" in the appendix — do not surface an error mid-pulse.

Step 2 — Compute metrics

Read reference/thresholds.md for red/yellow/green cutoffs. Compute:

  • AR aging — open QuickBooks invoices grouped by days since due date (0–30, 31–60, 61+)
  • Pipeline coverage — HubSpot weighted pipeline ÷ monthly revenue target
  • Revenue trend — this month's QBO revenue vs. prior month (or 7-day PayPal/Square vs. prior 7 days)

Assign a 🟢/🟡/🔴 status to each section. If a source returned nothing, mark the metric "n/a" and note it in the appendix.

Step 3 — Flag risks proactively

Scan for actionable items. Every risk entry must name a specific record and a next step — "some overdue invoices" is useless; "$3,400 from Acme Corp, 47 days overdue, no response since Mar 12" is actionable.

  • QuickBooks invoices past due > 30 days — name customer, amount, days overdue
  • HubSpot deals with no activity in 7+ days, or close date in past but still open
  • Gmail threads marked urgent or containing "escalation," "complaint," "cancel," "refund"
  • Failed or pending PayPal/Square transactions > $500

Step 4 — Compose the output

Use the exact template in reference/output_template.md. Include only sections where real data exists — omit headers for connectors that weren't available. Adapt depth to context: a casual "how are we doing" gets a fuller report; "quick snapshot before a call" gets a tighter one.

Cross-connector synthesis is where this skill earns its keep. If a Slack message connects to a stalled HubSpot deal, surface that link in the #1 Priority section. Synthesis is what makes the pulse more useful than checking each tool separately.

Writing rules:

  • Numbers lead, words follow. Never write "revenue is healthy" — write "$43k this month, ▲ 8% MoM" and let the owner judge.
  • Every number carries a delta vs. the prior period where available. Absolute snapshots (cash balance) still show WoW delta.
  • Names and dollars, not adjectives. "$4,200 from Acme, 23 days overdue" beats "some concerning receivables."
  • No filler. If a section has nothing worth reporting, write "No material changes" and move on.

Step 5 — Export and share (once)

After presenting the pulse, offer once:

  • "Want me to save this as a file?" (use Files connector if available)
  • "Should I post this to your Slack?" (only if Slack is connected and the user confirms — Slack write requires explicit approval)

If they say yes, do it. If they say no or don't respond, move on — don't ask again.

Scope variants

The owner may ask for a narrower cut:

  • "Just cash" / "financial check" → only Cash & Finance + AR-related risks
  • "Pipeline only" / "deals check" → only Pipeline section + stalled-deal risks
  • "Watch list" / "anything urgent" → only Watch List + all risks, no metric sections
  • "Quick snapshot before a call" → TL;DR + #1 Priority only, no full sections

What not to do

  • Do not ask permission before pulling data. If the skill was invoked, run it. Asking "should I check QuickBooks?" defeats the whole point.
  • Do not invent or estimate numbers. If a source returned nothing, say "n/a" explicitly. Never fill a gap with guesswork.
  • Do not skip the delta. A number without a comparison is a missed insight. If there's no prior-period baseline, say "(no prior baseline)" rather than omitting the field.
  • Do not surface connector errors mid-pulse. Log them to the appendix. The pulse leads with what was delivered.

Reference files

  • reference/data_sources.md — exact connector tool → metric mapping with fallbacks
  • reference/thresholds.md — 🟢/🟡/🔴 cutoffs, tunable per owner
  • reference/output_template.md — exact markdown structure; do not deviate
  • reference/gotchas.md — known failure modes (QB states, Gmail auth, Slack write)

Frequently asked questions about Business Pulse

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