Looking for a YNAB MCP server?
YNAB has no official MCP server, so it can't live inside Claude or ChatGPT. MyFinance MCP does the same tracking by conversation: no envelope homework, no subscription, free and open source.
No, YNAB has no hosted MCP server.
No official one. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT use outside tools. Community-built YNAB bridges exist on GitHub, but they need your YNAB API token, a server you run yourself and some configuration; there is no hosted, sign-in-and-go option from YNAB. MyFinance MCP is MCP-native: paste one URL into your AI client, sign in, done.
The same tracking, just by talking
Plain-language logging
"Spent 24.50 eur on groceries at Lidl" is the whole workflow. Category, currency and date extracted for you.
Receipt photos
Snap a receipt; your AI parses it in the chat and saves the line items. Images never reach the server.
Statement import
Drop a CSV or PDF export: hundreds of rows in one call, duplicates detected, totals reconciled.
Budgets
Monthly caps per category or overall, with live progress. Alerts only when you actually exceed one.
150+ currencies
Log in the currency you paid in, from EUR and USD to RUB, KZT, GEL or TRY (ECB and National Bank of Ukraine rates, plus a daily snapshot for every other ISO currency since March 2024); summaries answer in your base currency with the rate frozen at transaction date.
Open source and yours
MIT-licensed. Transactions as CSV and the full profile as one file, anytime; instant account deletion; self-hosting supported.
How they stack up
YNAB
- No official MCP server; community bridges need your API token and a server you run
- The envelope method works only if you keep working it
- About $109/year at the time of writing
- Bank import centered on US and Canada
MyFinance MCP
- Hosted MCP server: paste the URL, sign in, done
- Zero method: say what you spent, budgets are optional caps
- Free while in beta, open source (MIT)
- 150+ currencies, any bank via statement import
YNAB's envelope method genuinely works for people who work the method. This page is for everyone who stopped.
Leaving the envelopes behind
YNAB's power comes from a discipline: give every dollar a job, reconcile, repeat. When life gets busy the envelopes drift, and the app turns into a chore backlog. Conversational tracking removes the ceremony: you log by saying what happened, and budgets are simple monthly caps that alert only when exceeded.
Moving is quick. Export your register as CSV from YNAB, drop it into the chat, and the importer deduplicates and reconciles it. Your history survives; the homework does not.
Connect in under a minute
Works with any MCP client that supports OAuth 2.0 with PKCE. On first connect you sign in with Google or with a one-time code sent to your email.
- Open Claude and go to Customize, then Connectors
- Click + Add, then Add custom connector
- Name it "MyFinance", paste https://myfinance-mcp.com/mcp as the remote MCP server URL and click Continue
- Choose Sign in now; if the form asks for an OAuth client, keep Use Claude's published identity (Recommended) (Register automatically works too)
- Click Add, then sign in with Google or an email code
On ChatGPT, Cursor or Codex? Follow the install guide for your client. The Claude guide explains each step above.
Switching from something else?
The same question, answered for the other trackers people move from.
Mint →
Shut down in 2024. Your exported CSV imports here in one message.
switching fromMonarch Money →
No MCP server. Same tracking, no subscription.
switching fromLunch Money →
Indie and API-first, but no official MCP. This one lives in your AI.
switching fromCopilot Money →
Apple-only, no MCP server. This works wherever your AI does.
switching fromActual Budget →
Open source like us, but you host it. This one is connect-and-go.
switching fromFirefly III →
Powerful self-hosted OSS. This is the zero-setup way.
switching fromPocketGuard →
Freemium walls, no MCP. Everything here is free.
overviewAll alternatives →
Bridges vs standalone servers, and every comparison on one page.
Questions, answered
Does YNAB have an MCP server?
No official hosted one. YNAB cannot run inside Claude or ChatGPT directly. MyFinance MCP is built as an MCP server, so it connects with one URL and an OAuth sign-in.
Can I import my YNAB data?
Yes. Export your register as CSV from YNAB and drop it into the chat. The importer handles deduplication and reconciles the total.
Is MyFinance MCP free?
Yes, free while in beta. No ads, no card required. It is open source under MIT, so self-hosting is always an option too.
Does it work with ChatGPT?
Yes, in ChatGPT on the web with Developer mode: logging works on Business, Enterprise and Edu, Pro gets read-only access, and on Free, Go and Plus you can use it through Codex instead. It also works with Claude, Cursor, Windsurf and any MCP client with OAuth.
Is my data private?
Your data is linked to your account and only you can access it: every query is scoped to your account. EU hosting, no amounts or merchants in server logs, sign-in tokens stored only as a one-way hash, and receipt photos never reach the server at all.
Last updated: October 14, 2026.
Mint, YNAB, Monarch Money, Lunch Money, Copilot Money, Actual Budget, Firefly III, PocketGuard and other product names are trademarks of their respective owners. MyFinance MCP is an independent, open-source project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Comparisons reflect publicly available information at the time of writing and may change.