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YNAB MCP Server

Connect YNAB to MCP clients to manage budgets with natural language prompts and automated reconciliation.

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dizzlkheinz-ynab-mcpb": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@dizzlkheinz/ynab-mcpb@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "YNAB_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

You run a local MCP server that lets you talk to YNAB in plain English. This setup lets Claude Desktop or any MCP client access YNAB features like creating transactions, itemizing receipts, and reconciling accounts, all through natural language prompts. Install, configure, and use the server to perform common budgeting tasks with ease.

How to use

You connect to the MCP server from your MCP client (such as Claude Desktop or your preferred MCP integration) using the provided config. Once the server is running, you can ask questions or give commands in plain English, for example: asking for budget overviews, listing recent transactions, creating a transaction, itemizing a receipt with tax allocations, or reconciling your accounts from a CSV.

How to install

Prerequisites: you need Node.js and npm installed on your machine.

Step 1: Obtain a YNAB access token

Step 2: Add this MCP server to your client of choice. Use one of the following options. Each option uses the same underlying MCP server package and requires your YNAB access token.

Claude Desktop (recommended) options:

Option A. Claude Desktop .mcpb package

Download the latest .mcpb package from the releases page, then drag it into Claude Desktop. Paste your YNAB access token when prompted, and restart Claude Desktop.

Option B. Claude Desktop using npx

Use this MCP server configuration via npx to start the server for Claude Desktop.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ynab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@dizzlkheinz/ynab-mcpb@latest"],
      "env": {
        "YNAB_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cline (VS Code)

Configure in the same way as Claude Desktop using npx.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ynab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@dizzlkheinz/ynab-mcpb@latest"],
      "env": {
        "YNAB_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Codex

Configure Codex to run the same MCP server using npx.

[mcp_servers.ynab-mcpb]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@dizzlkheinz/ynab-mcpb@latest"]
env = {"YNAB_ACCESS_TOKEN" = "your-token-here"}
startup_timeout_sec = 120

Any MCP client

If you are using any MCP client, you can start with the following generic configuration.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ynab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@dizzlkheinz/ynab-mcpb@latest"],
      "env": {
        "YNAB_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Try these prompts

Once the MCP server is running, you can try prompts like: List my budgets and set the default to my main budget, Show recent transactions in my checking account, How much did I spend on groceries in the last 30 days, or Create a transaction of $42.18 at Trader Joe’s yesterday.