Monarch Money

You can query Monarch Money data and get personalized financial insights directly through a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server running on your machine. This server handles authentication locally, talks to Monarch Money via a secure API, and lets Claude Desktop access your accounts, transactions, budgets, and insights without exposing credentials long-term.

How to use

You connect Claude Desktop to the Monarch Money MCP Server using a local, token-based setup. After configuring the MCP server in Claude Desktop, you can ask questions like your net worth, spending by category, or how your budget looks against actual spending. The MCP server exposes a set of tools that let you retrieve accounts, balances, transactions, spending breakdowns, monthly summaries, and more. All processing happens on your machine for privacy.

How to install

# Prerequisites
node --version
npm --version

# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/whitebirchio/monarch-mcp.git
cd monarch-mcp

# 2. Install dependencies
npm install

# 3. Authentication setup
# Option A: Token Authentication (recommended)
npm run login
# Follow prompts to enter Monarch Money credentials and MFA code
# Copy the generated token for use in Claude Desktop configuration

# Option B: Direct credentials (less recommended)
# Create a .env file with your token
echo "MONARCH_TOKEN=your-auth-token-here" > .env

# 4. Build the project
npm run build

# 5. Start the server (local stdio configuration will point to this index.js after build)
# You typically start via the Claude Desktop config integrating with the local dist/index.js

Security & privacy

The MCP server uses token-based authentication so you don’t store Monarch Money credentials long-term. Your credentials are kept secure and not hardcoded. MFA support adds an extra layer of protection. All communication with Monarch Money happens through a GraphQL API, and all analysis is performed locally on your machine to protect your data.

Claude Desktop configuration

You configure Claude Desktop to run the local MCP server. Use the absolute path to the compiled server entry and provide your token in the environment. The configuration works on macOS and Windows as shown.

macOS configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "monarch_money": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/monarch-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MONARCH_TOKEN": "your-auth-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windows configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "monarch_money": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\path\\to\\monarch-mcp\\dist\\index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MONARCH_TOKEN": "your-auth-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage examples

After configuring Claude Desktop and restarting the application, you can ask for a financial overview, spending analysis, budget insights, transaction searches, and historical balance trends. Examples include asking for net worth, showing account balances, or breaking down spending by category for a specific period.

Available tools

The MCP server provides a collection of tools to access and analyze your financial data. Each tool is callable to retrieve specific information.

Development

Development commands and project structure help you build and test the MCP server locally. Run in development mode, build for production, start the production server, or obtain an authentication token.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter authentication issues, verify your token and MFA flow. If tools do not appear in Claude Desktop, restart the application. Ensure the absolute path in the config is correct and check file permissions on the built server file.

Common messages include missing MONARCH_TOKEN, authentication failures, or GraphQL errors indicating request format issues.

Notes

This MCP server provides a private, local integration between Monarch Money and Claude Desktop. Always review financial data carefully and keep your tokens secure.

Available tools

get_accounts

List all financial accounts with real-time balances and details.

get_account_balance

Get a specific account balance by accountId.

get_transactions

Retrieve transactions with filters such as limit, accountId, startDate, and endDate.

get_spending_by_category

Provide spending breakdown by category within a date range.

get_budget_summary

Return the current budget status, including planned vs actual spending.

search_transactions

Search transactions by criteria including query, minAmount, maxAmount, and limit.

get_net_worth

Calculate total net worth across accounts.

get_monthly_summary

Generate a monthly financial summary for a given year and month.

get_categories

List all transaction categories.

get_account_snapshots

Provide account balance history with startDate and endDate.