YNAB

You set up an MCP server to let AI assistants interact with your YNAB budgets. This server provides tools to view, analyze, and manage budgets, transactions, categories, and payees, all through a standardized MCP interface.

How to use

Start the server and connect through an MCP client. You will run a local process that exposes a consistent set of actions for YNAB data, such as getting overviews, listing accounts, reviewing transactions, and adjusting budgeted amounts. Use a client to invoke the available tools in a conversational or scripted flow, then review results and refine prompts based on the responses you receive.

How to install

Prerequisites: you need a runtime capable of executing the MCP server command. The setup uses a local runtime that executes a simple command and loads your YNAB access token.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ynab_mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["ynab-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "YNAB_PAT": "your_token_here",
      }
    }
  }
}

Additional configuration and startup

You can run the MCP server in a local (stdio) mode, which starts the server directly on your machine using the uvx runner.

{
  "YNAB_PAT": "your_token_here",
  "YNAB_DEFAULT_BUDGET_ID": "your_budget_id",
  "YNAB_READ_ONLY": "true"
}

Configuration notes

Configure environment variables in a .env file at the project root or export them in your shell before starting the server.

Security and access

Keep your YNAB Personal Access Token private. Do not share the token or commit it to version control. If you enable read-only mode, all mutating tools will be disabled to prevent changes to your budgets.

Available tools

manage-financial-overview

Get, update, or refresh a high-level financial overview including balances, goals, and context notes.

list-accounts

List all accounts for a budget to retrieve IDs and assess available funds.

get-month-info

Fetch detailed monthly budget information, including age of money and totals budgeted, spent, and available.

list-categories

List categories and budgeting details to understand allocation status before changes.

list-transactions

List transactions for an account or month to analyze spending patterns.

list-scheduled-transactions

List upcoming recurring transactions for forecasting bills and transfers.

manage-budgeted-amount

Allocate funds by assigning budgeted amounts or moving money between categories.

bulk-manage-transactions

Create, update, or delete multiple transactions efficiently.

manage-scheduled-transaction

Create, update, or delete a single recurring transaction.

list-payees

List payees to find IDs and clean up data.

manage-payees

Merge and clean up payee names to improve data quality.

lookup-entity-by-id

Retrieve the name and details of an account, category, or payee by ID.

lookup-payee-locations

Look up geographic information related to a payee.

list-budgets

List all budgets available in the connected YNAB account (not in single-budget mode).