MCP YNAB Server
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| YNAB_API_KEY | Yes | YNAB API key from your YNAB Developer Settings |
Instructions
Guidance the server publishes about itself, which clients place ahead of the tool catalog so the model reads it before choosing anything.
This server publishes no instructions, or was last inspected before Glama recorded them.
Capabilities
Server capabilities have not been inspected yet.
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| create_transactionC | Create a new transaction in YNAB. |
| get_account_balanceC | Get the current balance of a YNAB account (in dollars). |
| get_budgetsB | List all YNAB budgets in Markdown format. |
| get_accountsC | List all YNAB accounts in a specific budget in Markdown format. |
| get_transactionsC | Get recent transactions for a specific account in a specific budget. |
| get_transactions_needing_attentionC | List transactions that need attention based on specified filter type in a YNAB budget. |
| _find_transaction_by_idC | Find a transaction by its ID and ID type. |
| get_categoriesB | List all transaction categories for a given YNAB budget in Markdown format. |
| set_preferred_budget_idC | Set the preferred YNAB budget ID. |
| cache_categoriesC | Cache all categories for a given YNAB budget ID. |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No prompts | |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| ynab://preferences/budget_id |
TDQS
Scored across 10 tools
Most tools have distinct purposes, but there is some potential overlap between 'get_transactions' and 'get_transactions_needing_attention', as the latter could be seen as a filtered version of the former. However, their descriptions clarify different use cases, so confusion is minimal.
The naming is mixed with some inconsistencies: most tools use a verb_noun pattern (e.g., 'create_transaction', 'get_accounts'), but '_find_transaction_by_id' uses a leading underscore and a different verb style, and 'cache_categories' uses 'cache' instead of 'get' or 'list'. This creates a readable but not fully consistent convention.
With 10 tools, this server is well-scoped for managing YNAB budgets, covering core operations like listing budgets, accounts, categories, and transactions, as well as creating transactions and setting preferences. Each tool serves a clear purpose without being overwhelming.
The tool set provides good coverage for YNAB interactions, including CRUD-like operations (e.g., create transaction, get various resources) and utility functions (e.g., cache categories, set preferred budget). Minor gaps might include updating or deleting transactions, but agents can likely work around this with the available tools.