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Liquidity forecast review for treasury decisions

Create a checked treasury briefing from cash forecasts, debt schedules and payment calendars. For teams managing near-term funding decisions.

5 min read

Nothing here is financial advice, and none of it replaces your own checks.

Use this pack to turn three working documents into a briefing that shows when cash is tight, what can change the result and who must act. It is for treasury teams, finance directors and controllers managing near-term cash and funding decisions.

Nothing here is financial advice, and none of it replaces your own checks. Treat every output as a draft work product that needs source review and approval under your own treasury policy.

Use the prompts in this order

  1. Run Reconcile the treasury inputs when the cash forecast, debt schedule and payment calendar come from different owners. It identifies whether you are comparing the same period, currency and version before you discuss headroom.
  2. Run Map cash timing gaps once the core data is sufficiently reconciled. This separates a low balance from a true inability to meet a payment on its due date.
  3. Run Calculate covenant headroom only when you have the actual covenant wording and the inputs it calls for. A debt schedule alone is not enough.
  4. Run Prepare approval decisions to turn exceptions into a meeting agenda. It should name the missing evidence and the deadline, not make an unsupported call.
  5. Run Draft the treasury briefing after you have reviewed the earlier outputs. Paste the source documents again if the earlier analysis does not include enough evidence.

Key point

Start with reconciliation

A polished briefing is not useful if its opening cash, debt movements and payment dates do not agree with the underlying documents.

Keep one as-of date across every prompt. If the forecast was updated after the payment calendar, state both document dates and treat the difference as an exception. Do not silently combine them.

Prepare the documents

Before pasting anything, collect the current versions of these documents:

  • The rolling cash forecast, showing opening cash, receipts, payments, financing movements and closing cash by day or week.
  • The debt schedule, showing drawn and undrawn amounts, maturity, interest, amortisation and facility restrictions.
  • The payment calendar, including tax, payroll, supplier, interest and other material payment dates.
  • Covenant definitions and testing dates from the relevant agreement or internal covenant register.
  • Your delegated-authority policy, if you want the approval log to identify actual approvers.

Use a single reporting currency where the source documents provide a valid conversion basis. Otherwise, keep each currency separate. A total that mixes currencies without an exchange rate is not a liquidity number you can rely on.

Watch out

Do not fill gaps with standard terms

A facility may have notice periods, conditions or restrictions that are absent from the schedule. Mark availability as unconfirmed until the source confirms it.

Redact personal data and information your organisation does not permit you to share. Keep the original files and note their version or export date. Product behaviour and available limits are version-dependent, so check the xAI documentation overview before using sensitive or unusually large documents.

Set the right thresholds

Set two values in the prompts before you begin:

  • Minimum operating cash balance: the internal minimum you are testing against. If none has been approved, enter not set. The output should then show cash balances but must not imply a breach.
  • Materiality threshold: the amount above which a reconciliation difference, payment movement or assumption must appear in the briefing.

These are reporting controls, not conclusions about what funding or payment action should be taken. The authorised people decide that under the applicable policy.

Check the output against the documents

Read the briefing beside the source documents. Do not check only whether the writing sounds plausible. Check the figures, dates, labels and calculation basis.

If you see this Check this document field What to do
Closing cash differs from the forecast Opening cash, net movement and closing cash for that period Recalculate the movement and correct the source reference.
A facility appears as available Drawn amount, committed amount, notice period and conditions Mark it unconfirmed if any availability condition is missing.
Covenant headroom is stated Exact definition, test period and each input Remove the calculation if the agreement wording or inputs are incomplete.
A payment creates a gap Payment date, status and certainty Confirm whether the date is fixed, estimated or already released.
An approval has an owner Delegated authority or meeting terms Change it to approver not identified if the policy was not supplied.

Check

A usable briefing shows its evidence

Every material number should have a source reference, a date and a status such as confirmed, forecast or estimated.

Pay particular attention to the first period where headroom falls. A weekly forecast can hide a daily payroll, tax or interest date. If a payment falls inside a week, ask for a daily cash view or record that the timing cannot be assessed at the required level.

Also inspect negative signs. Debt drawdowns, repayments, interest and restricted cash are often presented differently across source files. The reconciliation prompt should expose this. It cannot decide which convention is correct without the underlying documents.

Keep the briefing decision-ready

A short briefing normally needs four things: the lowest cash point, the dates driving it, facility and covenant evidence, and the approvals or confirmations due next. Put unresolved facts in Assumptions and exceptions, rather than burying them in a narrative paragraph.

Note

Separate fact from forecast

A confirmed bank balance and an expected customer receipt may both support liquidity, but they need different labels and different owners.

Avoid using the final draft as a substitute for an approval paper where your policy requires one. It is a structured summary for review. Nothing here is financial advice, and none of it replaces your own checks.

When the pack does not work

Stop and return to the source documents if the output combines currencies, cannot identify an as-of date, treats an unconfirmed facility as available, or calculates covenant compliance without the agreement definition. Ask the document owner for the missing field, then rerun the relevant prompt rather than editing a figure by hand.

If the output is too general, paste the specific rows for the low-cash period, the next debt event and the next covenant test. State the materiality threshold and minimum cash balance again. If source documents conflict, keep both values visible, assign an owner to resolve the conflict and do not present a single figure as confirmed.

Copy-ready prompts

5 prompts. Open one to read it, or take the whole pack.

1Reconcile the treasury inputsUse this first, before analysing a forecast that comes from several files or owners.
Review the rolling cash forecast, debt schedule and payment calendar below. Produce an input-control report for a treasury briefing.

Reporting currency: [currency]
As-of date: [date]
Forecast horizon: [start date] to [end date]
Materiality threshold: [amount and currency]

ROLLING CASH FORECAST
[paste the forecast, including opening cash, receipts, payroll, tax, supplier payments, capex, interest, debt movements and closing cash by day or week]

DEBT SCHEDULE
[paste the schedule, including facility, lender, currency, committed amount, drawn amount, maturity, interest dates, amortisation, covenant terms and security where available]

PAYMENT CALENDAR
[paste the calendar, including payment date, amount, currency, payee category, payment status and whether the date is fixed or estimated]

Return markdown with these sections only:
1. `Source coverage`: a table with Source, Period covered, Currency, Key fields present, Missing fields, and Date or version stated.
2. `Reconciliation checks`: compare forecast debt movements, interest and debt repayments against the debt schedule; compare forecast outflows against the payment calendar. For every difference, state the amount, date, source fields compared and whether it exceeds materiality.
3. `Data-quality exceptions`: numbered list. Separate confirmed errors, timing differences and missing data.
4. `Assumptions required before decision use`: table with Assumption, Why it matters, Owner to confirm, and Latest confirmation date.

Do not alter source amounts. Do not net items unless the documents explicitly net them. If currencies differ and no exchange rate is supplied, keep currencies separate and mark the comparison `not calculable`. If a date, balance or covenant term is unclear, quote the source wording and mark it `ambiguous`. This is an internal reporting draft, not financial advice.
2Map cash timing gapsUse this after the source files reconcile well enough to assess daily or weekly liquidity pressure.
Analyse the rolling cash forecast and payment calendar below for liquidity timing gaps. Prepare a cash-timing schedule for the treasury team.

Reporting currency: [currency]
As-of date: [date]
Forecast granularity: [daily/weekly]
Minimum operating cash balance: [amount, or state not set]
Available undrawn committed facilities: [amount by facility, or paste from debt schedule]
Materiality threshold: [amount]

ROLLING CASH FORECAST
[paste the forecast with opening balance, inflows, outflows, financing flows and closing balance for each period]

PAYMENT CALENDAR
[paste payments with date, amount, currency, category, payment status, certainty and any expected receipt offsets]

DEBT AVAILABILITY
[paste facility availability, draw notice requirements, maturity dates, restrictions and relevant conditions]

Return markdown with:
1. `Liquidity timeline`: a table with Date or period, Opening cash, Confirmed inflows, Estimated inflows, Fixed outflows, Estimated outflows, Debt service, Net movement, Closing cash, Undrawn facilities, and Headroom to minimum cash.
2. `Timing gaps`: list every period where closing cash is below the minimum, below zero, or dependent on an estimated receipt or unconfirmed facility draw. Give the amount, date, driver and source reference.
3. `Pressure points`: rank the five most material dates or periods by lowest headroom. Explain the payment or receipt creating the pressure.
4. `Operational actions to assess`: list information-gathering or approval actions only, such as confirming a receipt date, validating payment release status, or checking draw conditions. Do not recommend a funding action.

Use confirmed and estimated cash flows as separate columns. Do not assume an undrawn facility is available if notice, conditions or restrictions are missing. If the forecast is weekly but a payment is dated within a week, flag that daily timing cannot be assessed. This is an internal reporting draft, not financial advice.
3Calculate covenant headroomUse this when the debt schedule or facility agreement provides covenant definitions and test dates.
Prepare a covenant monitoring schedule from the debt schedule, covenant terms and forecast information below. Report calculations and evidence gaps for treasury review.

As-of date: [date]
Reporting currency: [currency]
Forecast horizon: [start date] to [end date]

DEBT SCHEDULE
[paste facility names, lenders, drawn balances, maturity dates, interest dates, repayment dates and available commitments]

COVENANT TERMS
[paste each covenant definition exactly, including threshold, test date, measurement period, cure rights, waiver terms, exclusions, notices and calculation methodology]

FORECAST INPUTS
[paste forecast EBITDA, net debt, interest expense, liquidity balances, capex, working capital or other inputs relevant to the stated covenant definitions]

Return markdown with:
1. `Covenant register`: a table with Facility, Covenant, Exact test definition, Threshold, Test date, Source reference, and Inputs required.
2. `Headroom calculation`: one table row per covenant test with Calculated metric, Threshold, Headroom, Calculation shown, Input period, and Calculation status (`calculated`, `partially calculated`, or `not calculable`).
3. `Near-term test risks`: list tests occurring within the forecast horizon, changes in forecast inputs that reduce headroom, and required notices or confirmations.
4. `Unresolved interpretation points`: quote the relevant wording, explain what is unclear, and identify the document owner or qualified reviewer needed.

Calculate only where the exact definition and all required inputs are supplied. Preserve the covenant's stated sign convention, currency, testing period and exclusions. Do not substitute a common market definition for the agreement wording. Do not state that compliance is confirmed where inputs, definitions or lender interpretation are incomplete. This is an internal reporting draft, not financial advice.
4Prepare approval decisionsUse this when you need to separate facts from matters that need a named approver.
Review the treasury documents below and create an approval log for the next treasury meeting. Identify decisions requiring approval, confirmation or escalation. Do not make the decisions.

As-of date: [date]
Decision horizon: [number of days or weeks]
Approval policy or delegated authority limits: [paste, or state not supplied]
Materiality threshold: [amount and currency]

CASH FORECAST
[paste the rolling forecast]

DEBT SCHEDULE AND FACILITY TERMS
[paste the schedule and relevant terms]

PAYMENT CALENDAR
[paste upcoming payments and payment status]

COVENANT REVIEW OR CALCULATIONS
[paste the covenant output or source information]

Return markdown with:
1. `Decision log`: a table with Decision or approval required, Trigger date, Amount and currency, Evidence, Consequence of delay, Named owner, Required approver, and Status.
2. `Confirmations required`: a table with Item to confirm, Why it changes the liquidity view, Source owner, Deadline, and Current assumption.
3. `Escalations`: a numbered list of matters that may affect minimum cash, facility availability, debt maturity, covenant reporting or payment execution.
4. `Items not ready for approval`: list each missing fact, document or calculation that prevents a complete submission.

Classify an item as `approval required` only where the documents or supplied policy support that classification. Otherwise use `confirmation required` or `policy not supplied`. If an approver is not named in the source material, write `approver not identified`; do not guess. This is an internal reporting draft, not financial advice.
5Draft the treasury briefingUse this last to produce the concise briefing for a finance director, controller or treasury meeting.
Draft a treasury briefing from the reviewed documents and analysis below. It must distinguish confirmed facts from forecast assumptions and identify items requiring approval without recommending an outcome.

Briefing date: [date]
Audience: [treasury committee/finance director/controller/board]
Reporting currency: [currency]
Forecast horizon: [start date] to [end date]
Minimum operating cash balance: [amount, or not set]
Materiality threshold: [amount]

SOURCE DOCUMENTS
Rolling cash forecast:
[paste]

Debt schedule and facility terms:
[paste]

Payment calendar:
[paste]

Input-control report, timing-gap analysis, covenant monitoring schedule and approval log:
[paste the completed outputs, if available]

Return a markdown briefing of no more than 900 words with these headings:
## Position at a glance
State opening cash, lowest forecast cash date and balance, available facility amount if confirmed, next material debt event, and next covenant test. Label every item `confirmed`, `forecast`, `estimated` or `not confirmed`.

## Liquidity timeline
Provide a table with Date or period, Closing cash, Headroom to minimum cash, Main driver, and Confidence.

## Debt and covenant position
Provide a table with Facility or covenant, Next date, Amount or metric, Headroom where calculable, and Evidence gap.

## Decisions and approvals
List each item needing approval or confirmation. Give the deadline, owner, approver if identified, and consequence of delay.

## Assumptions and exceptions
List the assumptions that could materially change the result, plus unreconciled differences and missing data.

## Questions for the meeting
Give up to five precise questions that can be answered from a document, a named owner or an approved policy.

Use source references in parentheses, for example `(Cash forecast, week ending [date])`. Do not invent balances, facility availability, covenant compliance or approvers. If documents conflict, report both values and place the conflict in `Assumptions and exceptions`. This is an internal reporting draft, not financial advice.

Last checked against xAI’s own pages on 2026-08-21. Grok changes quickly; anything version-specific should be confirmed upstream before you rely on it.

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