ynab-mcp-server

ynab-mcp-server

Connect YNAB to ChatGPT or Claude with a hosted MCP server.

Use this if you want your AI assistant to read and manage your YNAB plans, categories, transactions, and goals — and review balances and net worth — after you sign in with your own YNAB account.

What You Need

• a YNAB account
• the hosted MCP URL: https://mcpforynab.smirnovlabs.com/mcp
• ChatGPT or Claude with support for custom MCP connectors

Quick Start

1. Get your hosted MCP URL.
2. Add that URL in ChatGPT or Claude.
3. Click Connect.
4. Sign in with YNAB when prompted.
5. Return to your chat and start asking YNAB questions.

On Claude, the Add to Claude button at the top covers steps 1 and 2. See Set Up in Claude.

Set Up in ChatGPT

These steps are for the ChatGPT web app.

As of March 25, 2026, OpenAI requires developer mode for custom MCP connectors.

Before you start

• You need a ChatGPT plan that supports custom MCP connectors.
• If you are on a workspace plan, your admin may need to enable developer mode first.
• You need this hosted MCP URL: https://mcpforynab.smirnovlabs.com/mcp.

Step-by-step

1. Open chatgpt.com.
2. Open Settings.
3. Enable developer mode if it is not already enabled.
4. Go to Apps or Connectors and choose to create a custom app or connector.
5. Paste your hosted MCP URL.
6. Choose OAuth if ChatGPT asks for an authentication method.
7. Save or create the connector.
8. Start a new chat.
9. Open the tools menu and enable the new connector.
10. When redirected, sign in with YNAB and approve access.
11. Return to ChatGPT and send a test prompt.

Good first prompts

• Show me the balances of all my plan accounts.
• List my plan categories with available amounts.
• Find my most recent grocery transactions.
• What were my largest spending categories last month?

Set Up in Claude

These steps are for claude.ai.

As of October 25, 2026, Claude keeps custom connectors under Customize > Connectors.

Before you start

• Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans support custom connectors. The Free plan allows one.
• The hosted MCP URL is https://mcpforynab.smirnovlabs.com/mcp. The Add to Claude button fills it in for you.
• On Claude Team or Enterprise, an organization Owner adds the connector first.

Step-by-step for Claude Free, Pro, or Max

1. Click Add to Claude at the top of this page.
2. If prompted, sign in to Claude.
3. Claude opens the Add custom connector dialog with the fields filled in, plus a notice that the values came from an external link. Check that the name is YNAB and the URL is https://mcpforynab.smirnovlabs.com/mcp.
4. If the dialog shows Authentication and OAuth client settings, choose Sign in now and Register automatically. This server does not support Use Claude's published identity.
5. Click Add.
6. Click Connect.
7. When redirected, sign in with YNAB and approve access.
8. Start a new chat.
9. Click +, select Connectors, and turn on YNAB.
10. Send a test prompt.

To add the connector by hand, go to Customize > Connectors and click Add custom connector. Enter the name YNAB and the hosted MCP URL, then continue from step 4.

Step-by-step for Claude Team or Enterprise

An organization Owner adds the connector once. Then each member connects their own YNAB account.

For the Owner:

1. Open the organization install link. Claude opens the organization's Add custom connector dialog with the name and URL filled in.
2. If the dialog shows Authentication and OAuth client settings, choose Sign in now and Register automatically.
3. Click Add.

To add it by hand, go to Organization settings > Connectors and select Add, then Custom. Enter the name YNAB and the hosted MCP URL, then continue from step 2.

For each member:

1. Go to Customize > Connectors.
2. Find the connector your Owner added. It has the Custom label.
3. Click Connect.
4. When redirected, sign in with YNAB and approve access.
5. Start a new chat.
6. Click +, select Connectors, and turn on the connector.
7. Send a test prompt.

Good first prompts

• Show me my current account balances in YNAB.
• What categories are overspent right now?
• Find transactions from Amazon in the last 30 days.
• Summarize my spending by category this month.

What Happens When You Connect

1. ChatGPT or Claude connects to the hosted MCP URL.
2. The MCP server sends you to YNAB sign-in.
3. You approve access to your YNAB account.
4. The service stores the OAuth tokens needed to make future YNAB requests on your behalf.
5. Your assistant can then use YNAB tools and resources in chat.

Available Tools

Once connected, your assistant can use the tools below. Read tools only look at your data; Write tools change your budget (and ones marked delete remove data).

Budgets & setup

Tool	What it does	Access
ynab_list_budgets	List your YNAB budgets	Read
ynab_budget_summary	Month summary of categories, balances, and accounts	Read
ynab_set_default_budget	Remember a default budget so you don't name it every time	Setup

Categories & goals

Tool	What it does	Access
ynab_list_categories	List category groups and categories with balances and goals	Read
ynab_create_category	Create a category in a group	Write
ynab_update_category	Rename a category, edit its note, or move it between groups	Write
ynab_create_category_group	Create a category group	Write
ynab_update_category_group	Rename a category group	Write
ynab_set_category_goals	Create, update, or remove a category's goal	Write

Transactions

Tool	What it does	Access
ynab_list_transactions	List and filter transactions by account, category, payee, or date	Read
ynab_get_unapproved_transactions	List transactions waiting for approval	Read
ynab_create_transaction	Add a transaction	Write
ynab_update_transaction	Edit an existing transaction	Write
ynab_approve_transaction	Approve one pending transaction	Write
ynab_bulk_approve_transactions	Approve many pending transactions at once	Write
ynab_delete_transaction	Delete a transaction	Write (delete)

Scheduled (recurring) transactions

Tool	What it does	Access
ynab_list_scheduled_transactions	List scheduled/recurring transactions	Read
ynab_create_scheduled_transaction	Schedule a future or recurring transaction	Write
ynab_update_scheduled_transaction	Edit a scheduled transaction	Write
ynab_delete_scheduled_transaction	Delete a scheduled transaction	Write (delete)

Budgeting workflows

Tool	What it does	Access
ynab_move_funds_between_categories	Move budgeted dollars between categories	Write
ynab_auto_distribute_funds	Allocate "Ready to Assign" money across categories by goal	Write
ynab_handle_overspending	Cover overspent categories by moving funds	Write
ynab_budget_from_history	Allocate based on historical spending	Write
ynab_reconcile_account	Reconcile an account to a statement balance	Write

Analytics & insights (read-only)

Tool	What it does
ynab_analyze_spending_patterns	Spot spending trends and anomalies
ynab_goal_progress_report	Track progress toward category goals
ynab_cash_flow_forecast	Project upcoming cash flow from history
ynab_category_performance_review	Compare budgeted vs. actual by category
ynab_net_worth_analysis	Summarize net worth across accounts

YNAB API Coverage

How these tools line up with the official YNAB API (accessed through the ynab JavaScript SDK). ✅ = covered, ◐ = partial, — = not yet.

YNAB API area	Covered	Tools / notes
Budgets (plans)	✅	ynab_list_budgets, ynab_budget_summary; plan settings are not exposed
Accounts	◐	Balances read via ynab_budget_summary, ynab_net_worth_analysis, ynab_reconcile_account; no create-account or standalone account list
Categories & groups	✅	List, create, and update categories and groups; goals; per-month funding
Months	✅	Surfaced through ynab_budget_summary and the analytics tools
Transactions	✅	List, create, update, delete, approve, bulk-approve (file import is not exposed)
Scheduled transactions	✅	List, create, update, delete
Payees	—	Referenced implicitly by name in the transaction tools; no list/update-payee tool
Payee locations	—	Not exposed
User	—	Identity is handled by OAuth; getUser is not exposed

Beyond the raw API, this server adds composite tools that have no single API endpoint: the budgeting workflows (move funds, auto-distribute, handle overspending, budget from history, reconcile) and the analytics tools (spending patterns, goal progress, cash flow, category performance, net worth).

Troubleshooting

The connector does not appear in ChatGPT

• Confirm your plan supports custom MCP connectors.
• Confirm developer mode is enabled.
• If you are on a workspace plan, confirm your admin enabled the required settings.

The connector does not appear in Claude

• Confirm your plan supports remote MCP connectors.
• On Team or Enterprise, confirm your workspace owner added the connector first.

I connected, but YNAB tools are not working

• Disconnect and reconnect the connector.
• Make sure you completed the YNAB OAuth approval step.
• Start a fresh chat and re-enable the connector for that conversation.

The MCP URL is not working

• Make sure you pasted the full HTTPS URL.
• Do not remove the trailing /mcp if your hosted URL includes it.

Privacy

This service uses OAuth to connect to your YNAB account. It does not ask for your YNAB password directly.

This app is not officially supported by YNAB in any way. Use it at your own risk.

Read the privacy policy here:

• PRIVACY.md

For Self-Hosting or Operators

If you are trying to deploy or host this service yourself, use CONTRIBUTING.md. This README is intentionally written for end users connecting the hosted service in ChatGPT or Claude.