Provides an MCP server to control and analyze YNAB budgets through AI assistants, enabling automated budgeting actions.
Configuration
View docs{
"mcpServers": {
"jtewen-ynab-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"ynab-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"YNAB_PAT": "your_token_here",
"YNAB_READ_ONLY": "true",
"YNAB_DEFAULT_BUDGET_ID": "your_budget_id"
}
}
}
}You set up an MCP server to let AI assistants interact with your YNAB budgets. This server provides tools to view, analyze, and manage budgets, transactions, categories, and payees, all through a standardized MCP interface.
Start the server and connect through an MCP client. You will run a local process that exposes a consistent set of actions for YNAB data, such as getting overviews, listing accounts, reviewing transactions, and adjusting budgeted amounts. Use a client to invoke the available tools in a conversational or scripted flow, then review results and refine prompts based on the responses you receive.
Prerequisites: you need a runtime capable of executing the MCP server command. The setup uses a local runtime that executes a simple command and loads your YNAB access token.
{
"mcpServers": {
"ynab_mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["ynab-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"YNAB_PAT": "your_token_here",
}
}
}
}You can run the MCP server in a local (stdio) mode, which starts the server directly on your machine using the uvx runner.
{
"YNAB_PAT": "your_token_here",
"YNAB_DEFAULT_BUDGET_ID": "your_budget_id",
"YNAB_READ_ONLY": "true"
}Configure environment variables in a .env file at the project root or export them in your shell before starting the server.
Keep your YNAB Personal Access Token private. Do not share the token or commit it to version control. If you enable read-only mode, all mutating tools will be disabled to prevent changes to your budgets.
Get, update, or refresh a high-level financial overview including balances, goals, and context notes.
List all accounts for a budget to retrieve IDs and assess available funds.
Fetch detailed monthly budget information, including age of money and totals budgeted, spent, and available.
List categories and budgeting details to understand allocation status before changes.
List transactions for an account or month to analyze spending patterns.
List upcoming recurring transactions for forecasting bills and transfers.
Allocate funds by assigning budgeted amounts or moving money between categories.
Create, update, or delete multiple transactions efficiently.
Create, update, or delete a single recurring transaction.
List payees to find IDs and clean up data.
Merge and clean up payee names to improve data quality.
Retrieve the name and details of an account, category, or payee by ID.
Look up geographic information related to a payee.
List all budgets available in the connected YNAB account (not in single-budget mode).