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ynab-mcp-server

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ynab-mcp-server

Add to Claude

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

Related MCP server: YNAB MCP Server

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:

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.

This server cannot be deployed

One endpoint for every MCP toolRayrun runs every MCP server behind one URL and holds the credentials. Each call is decided per client, tool, and argument, then recorded.ray.runAd

Maintenance

ActivityMaintained
ResponsivenessUnresponsive

Resources

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