Actual MCP Server

Talk to your budget. Run it anywhere. Trust it in production.

Actual MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol server that connects any MCP-compatible AI assistant (such as LibreChat, LobeChat, Claude Desktop, and more) directly to your self-hosted Actual Budget instance. Ask natural language questions, create transactions, analyse spending, and manage your entire budget without ever opening the Actual Budget UI.

┌─────────────┐   MCP/HTTP    ┌──────────────────┐   Actual API   ┌──────────────┐
│  LibreChat  │ ◄───────────► │  Actual MCP      │ ◄───────────► │   Actual     │
│  LobeChat   │               │  Server          │               │   Budget     │
│  (remote)   │               │  (63 tools)      │               │   Server     │
└─────────────┘               └──────────────────┘               └──────────────┘

┌─────────────┐   MCP/stdio   ┌──────────────────┐   Actual API   ┌──────────────┐
│  Claude     │ ◄───────────► │  Actual MCP      │ ◄───────────► │   Actual     │
│  Desktop    │               │  Server          │               │   Budget     │
│  (local)    │               │  (63 tools)      │               │   Server     │
└─────────────┘               └──────────────────┘               └──────────────┘

Why this project?

Most Actual Budget MCP implementations are simple stdio bridges designed for single-user, local use with Claude Desktop. This project goes further:

• 63 tools, the most comprehensive coverage available. Accounts, transactions, categories, payees, rules, budgets, batch operations, bank sync, and more. Covers 84% of the Actual Budget API.

• HTTP and stdio transport. Runs as a real remote server for LibreChat/LobeChat (--http), or as a direct local process for Claude Desktop (--stdio). No Docker or HTTP server is needed for local use.

• 6 exclusive ActualQL-powered tools. Search and summarise transactions by month, amount, category, or payee using Actual Budget's native query engine. Aggregated results, no raw data dumped into the AI context window.

• Multi-budget switching at runtime. Configure multiple budget files and let the AI switch between them mid-conversation with actual_budgets_switch.

• Multi-user ready with OIDC. Secure every session with JWKS-validated JWTs and per-user budget ACLs. No shared tokens required.

• Production-grade reliability. Connection pooling (up to 15 concurrent sessions), automatic retry with exponential backoff, and a full test suite (unit + E2E + integration).

Verified working with LibreChat, LobeChat, and Claude Desktop. All 63 tools tested end-to-end. Any MCP-compatible client should work.

Table of Contents

• Quick Start

• Upgrading

• Available Tools

• Configuration

• Multi-Budget Switching

• Transport & Authentication

• Testing

• Documentation

• Comparison with Similar Projects

• Contributing

• License

• Disclaimer

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Actual Budget server running (local or remote)

• Your Budget Sync ID: Actual → Settings → Show Advanced Settings → Sync ID

• Node.js 20+ (npm method) or Docker

Option A: Docker (recommended)

docker run -d \
  --name actual-mcp-server-backend \
  -p 3600:3600 \
  # Use the same URL you type in your browser to open Actual Budget:
  #   http://localhost:5006          (if Actual Budget runs on the same machine)
  #   http://192.168.1.50:5006       (if it runs on another machine on your network)
  #   https://actual.yourdomain.com  (if you use a domain name)
  #   http://actual:5006             (if both containers share a Docker network; use container name)
  -e ACTUAL_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:5006 \
  -e ACTUAL_PASSWORD=your_password \
  -e ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID=your_sync_id \
  -e MCP_SSE_AUTHORIZATION=your_secret_token \
  -v actual-mcp-data:/data \        # required, see note below
  -v actual-mcp-logs:/app/logs \
  ghcr.io/agigante80/actual-mcp-server:latest

Why the /data volume is required: Actual Budget does not expose a REST API. The official @actual-app/api library (used internally by this server) works by downloading a local copy of your budget data, running all queries on that local copy, then syncing changes back. The /data volume gives the container a persistent, writable place to store that local copy. Without it the container has nowhere to write and will fail on startup. See the Actual API docs for details.

actual-mcp does not need to run on the same machine as Actual Budget. You can have Actual Budget on one server and actual-mcp on another - as long as ACTUAL_SERVER_URL points to your Actual Budget instance, everything works.

Verify it's running:

# Quick health check
curl http://localhost:3600/health
# Expected: {"status":"ok","transport":"http","version":"..."}

# Full MCP handshake (also verifies your token)
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:3600/http \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_secret_token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"cli-test","version":"1.0"}}}' \
  | python3 -m json.tool
# Success: JSON response with "protocolVersion" and "serverInfo"
# Wrong token: {"error": "Unauthorized"}
# Server not running: curl: (7) Failed to connect

Also available on Docker Hub: agigante80/actual-mcp-server:latest

Option B: Docker Compose

git clone https://github.com/agigante80/actual-mcp-server.git
cd actual-mcp-server
cp .env.example .env        # fill in ACTUAL_SERVER_URL, ACTUAL_PASSWORD, ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID

docker compose --profile production up -d   # Nginx proxy on :3600
# or
docker compose --profile dev up -d          # dev mode with hot-reload
# or
docker compose --profile fullstack up -d    # includes Actual Budget server on :5006

Option C: npm (HTTP server)

# Quick start via npx (no clone needed):
ACTUAL_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:5006 \
ACTUAL_PASSWORD=your_password \
ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID=your-sync-id \
MCP_SSE_AUTHORIZATION=your_token \
npx actual-mcp-server --http

# Or clone for development / custom config:
git clone https://github.com/agigante80/actual-mcp-server.git
cd actual-mcp-server
npm install
cp .env.example .env        # fill in required values
npm run build
npm run dev -- --http

Server starts at http://localhost:3000/http (dev) or http://localhost:3600/http (Docker).

Option D: stdio (Claude Desktop native, no Docker or HTTP server needed)

The stdio transport runs the MCP server as a child process. Claude Desktop spawns it directly and communicates over stdin/stdout. No network port, no auth token, no Docker required. No cloning needed: npx downloads and caches the package automatically.

Add to claude_desktop_config.json (see docs/guides/MCP_CLIENTS_SETUP.md for config file location and all client options):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "actual-budget": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "actual-mcp-server", "--stdio"],
      "env": {
        "ACTUAL_SERVER_URL": "http://localhost:5006",
        "ACTUAL_PASSWORD": "your_actual_password",
        "ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID": "your-sync-id-here",
        "MCP_BRIDGE_DATA_DIR": "/absolute/path/to/data-dir"
      }
    }
  }
}

No token needed. stdio runs as a local process owned by your user. The transport itself is the security boundary. All 63 tools are available.

MCP_BRIDGE_DATA_DIR should be an absolute path. Without one, the data directory resolves relative to wherever the client spawns the process, which can be unpredictable. The directory is created automatically on first run.

Connect an AI client

LibreChat / LobeChat: add to librechat.yaml (or LobeChat MCP plugin settings):

mcpServers:
  actual-mcp:
    type: "streamable-http"
    url: "http://actual-mcp-server-backend:3600/http"
    headers:
      Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"
    serverInstructions: true
    timeout: 600000

See docs/guides/AI_CLIENT_SETUP.md for full LibreChat, LobeChat, network, and HTTPS/TLS proxy setup.

Claude Desktop via HTTP (when the server is already running as a Docker container):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "actual-budget": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "http://localhost:3600/http",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop via stdio (native, no HTTP server needed; see Option D above):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "actual-budget": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/actual-mcp-server/dist/src/index.js", "--stdio"],
      "env": {
        "ACTUAL_SERVER_URL": "http://localhost:5006",
        "ACTUAL_PASSWORD": "your_password",
        "ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID": "your-sync-id",
        "MCP_BRIDGE_DATA_DIR": "/absolute/path/to/actual-mcp-server/actual-data"
      }
    }
  }
}

See docs/guides/MCP_CLIENTS_SETUP.md for all options (including Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI), Linux/NVM path fixes, and troubleshooting.

Upgrading

Docker (Option A)

docker pull ghcr.io/agigante80/actual-mcp-server:latest
docker stop actual-mcp-server-backend
docker rm actual-mcp-server-backend
# Re-run the original docker run command with the same flags and volumes

Also available on Docker Hub: docker pull agigante80/actual-mcp-server:latest

Docker Compose (Option B)

docker compose pull
docker compose --profile production up -d

npm / cloned repo (Option C)

git pull
npm install
npm run build
# Then restart the server

npx / stdio (Options C & D)

If you run npx actual-mcp-server without a globally installed version, npx fetches the latest from the registry automatically. But if you previously installed it globally (npm install -g actual-mcp-server), the global install takes precedence, so you must upgrade it explicitly:

# Upgrade the global install
npm install -g actual-mcp-server

# Or force the registry version without touching your global install
npx actual-mcp-server@latest --http

For Claude Desktop (stdio), restart Claude after upgrading.

Available Tools

63 tools across 12 categories. All tools use the actual_<category>_<action> naming convention.

Accounts (7)

Transactions (13)

Standard (6)

Utility (1)

Exclusive ActualQL-powered (6), unique to this MCP server

Transfers (1)

Note: Use actual_transfers_create for any account-to-account movement, not actual_transactions_create. The dedicated tool creates both sides (debit and credit) atomically so the books stay balanced. Limitations: both accounts must exist and be open, and from_account must differ from to_account.

Categories (4)

actual_categories_get · actual_categories_create · actual_categories_update · actual_categories_delete

Category Groups (4)

actual_category_groups_get · actual_category_groups_create · actual_category_groups_update · actual_category_groups_delete

Payees (6)

actual_payees_get · actual_payees_create · actual_payees_update · actual_payees_delete · actual_payees_merge · actual_payee_rules_get

Budgets (10)

Rules (4)

actual_rules_get · actual_rules_create · actual_rules_update · actual_rules_delete

Advanced Query & Sync (2)

Batch Operations (1)

actual_budget_updates_batch: batch multiple budget updates in one call

Server Information & Lookup (3)

Session Management (2)

actual_session_list · actual_session_close

Not Yet Implemented

• Scheduled/recurring transactions (getSchedules, createSchedule, updateSchedule, deleteSchedule)

Configuration

All configuration is via environment variables. Copy .env.example to .env to get started.

Complete Environment Variables Reference

Multi-Budget Switching

Configure multiple Actual Budget files so the AI can switch between them at runtime using actual_budgets_list_available and actual_budgets_switch.

BUDGET_N_SERVER_URL and BUDGET_N_PASSWORD fall back to ACTUAL_SERVER_URL / ACTUAL_PASSWORD when omitted.

# Default budget
ACTUAL_SERVER_URL=http://actual:5006
ACTUAL_PASSWORD=my-password
ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID=aaaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaa
BUDGET_DEFAULT_NAME=Personal

# Budget 1 (same server, same password)
BUDGET_1_NAME=Family
BUDGET_1_SYNC_ID=bbbbbbbb-bbbb-bbbb-bbbb-bbbbbbbbbbbb

# Budget 2 (different server)
BUDGET_2_NAME=Business
BUDGET_2_SERVER_URL=https://actual-office.example.com
BUDGET_2_PASSWORD=office-password
BUDGET_2_SYNC_ID=cccccccc-cccc-cccc-cccc-cccccccccccc

Transport & Authentication

The server supports two transport modes:

The two modes are mutually exclusive. Pass exactly one flag when starting the server.

stdio transport

stdio is the simplest way to connect Claude Desktop directly to Actual Budget. The MCP server runs as a child process; Claude Desktop spawns it, communicates over stdin/stdout using NDJSON (the MCP wire format), and the process exits cleanly when Claude Desktop closes.

Key properties of stdio mode:

• No network port. The transport is a pipe, not a socket.

• No auth token. Process ownership is the security boundary.

• All logs go to stderr so they never corrupt the JSON-RPC framing on stdout

• The process exits when stdin closes (Claude Desktop shutting down)

• All 63 tools are available, identical to HTTP mode

Start manually to verify:

cd /path/to/actual-mcp-server
ACTUAL_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:5006 \
ACTUAL_PASSWORD=your_password \
ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID=your-sync-id \
node dist/src/index.js --stdio

Send a test request (keep stdin open with sleep):

{ echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"test","version":"1.0"}}}'; sleep 5; } \
| ACTUAL_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:5006 ACTUAL_PASSWORD=your_password ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID=your-sync-id \
  node dist/src/index.js --stdio 2>/dev/null

Claude Desktop config (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "actual-budget": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/actual-mcp-server/dist/src/index.js", "--stdio"],
      "env": {
        "ACTUAL_SERVER_URL": "http://localhost:5006",
        "ACTUAL_PASSWORD": "your_actual_password",
        "ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID": "your-sync-id-here",
        "MCP_BRIDGE_DATA_DIR": "/absolute/path/to/actual-mcp-server/actual-data"
      }
    }
  }
}

Path must be absolute. Claude Desktop does not inherit shell PATH, so node must also be absolute if you use NVM or a non-standard install: /home/youruser/.nvm/versions/node/v22.x.x/bin/node.

See docs/guides/MCP_CLIENTS_SETUP.md for all connection options (stdio native, mcp-remote via HTTP/HTTPS), other clients (Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI, Claude Code), Linux path fixes, and troubleshooting.

HTTP transport

HTTP transport uses the /http endpoint (StreamableHTTP) with optional Bearer token or OIDC authentication.

Static Bearer token (single-user)

# Generate a token
openssl rand -hex 32

# Add to .env
MCP_SSE_AUTHORIZATION=your_token_here

Clients send: Authorization: Bearer your_token_here

OIDC (multi-user)

AUTH_PROVIDER=oidc
OIDC_ISSUER=https://sso.yourdomain.com
OIDC_RESOURCE=your-client-id    # must match 'aud' JWT claim
OIDC_SCOPES=                    # leave empty for Casdoor

See AI Client Setup, OIDC for AUTH_BUDGET_ACL format and Casdoor notes.

Testing

Integration test levels (tests/manual/): sanity → smoke → normal → extended → full → cleanup

See tests/manual/README.md and tests/e2e/README.md for details.

Documentation

Comparison with Similar Projects

Several MCP servers exist for personal finance management. Here's how this project compares with the closest alternatives.

Snapshot date: 2026-03-20. Versions and features reflect each project's latest release at that date.

Feature Comparison

When to choose which project

• This project: best for production deployments, multi-user environments (OIDC), LibreChat/LobeChat, Docker-native setup, or for Claude Desktop users who want a native stdio connection without any HTTP server overhead.

• s-stefanov/actual-mcp: the original implementation; good for Claude Desktop with STDIO transport, AI-generated prompt templates, and built-in read-only mode.

• henfrydls/actual-budget-mcp: best for Spanish-speaking users, Cursor/VS Code integration, or when you want natural-language dates, automatic name resolution, and spending forecasts without any server setup.

• WGDevelopment/ynab-mcp-server: only option if you're a YNAB user; privacy-first design with OS keyring token storage and local-LLM focus.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup, code standards, and the PR process.

Quick flow:

1. Fork → git checkout -b feature/my-feature

2. Make changes + add tests

3. npm run build && npm run test:unit-js must pass

4. Open a Pull Request

Architecture

• Runtime: Node.js 22 (Alpine Linux in Docker)

• Language: TypeScript 5.9 (ESM, NodeNext module resolution)

• MCP SDK: @modelcontextprotocol/sdk ^1.25.2

• Actual API: @actual-app/api ^26.3.0

• Validation: Zod (runtime types + JSON Schema for tool inputs)

• Transports: Express + StreamableHTTP (--http) · StdioServerTransport (--stdio)

• Logging: Winston with daily rotation (all output routed to stderr in stdio mode)

Every Actual API call goes through the withActualApi() wrapper in src/lib/actual-adapter.ts, which handles init/shutdown lifecycle, retry (3 attempts, exponential backoff), and concurrency limiting. See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for full design documentation.

License

MIT. See LICENSE for details.

Acknowledgments

• Actual Budget: open-source budgeting software

• Model Context Protocol: standardised AI-app integration

• LibreChat: open-source ChatGPT alternative

• s-stefanov/actual-mcp: original adapter pattern

Disclaimer

This project started as a personal learning exercise to explore the Model Context Protocol technology. It is an independent open-source project, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by Actual Budget or any other organisation.

The software is provided as-is, without warranty of any kind. The author accepts no responsibility for how it is used, for any data loss, financial errors, or other consequences arising from its use. If you connect it to real financial data, you do so entirely at your own risk.

Support

• GitHub Issues: bug reports and feature requests

• GitHub Discussions: questions and ideas

Version: 0.6.14 | Tool Count: 63 (verified LibreChat-compatible)