Ynab MCP Server
Budget data access and transaction management for YNAB inside your AI assistant.
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Overview
This server integrates You Need A Budget (YNAB) with your AI assistant, allowing for automated budget monitoring and analysis. It facilitates tracking account balances, categorizing spending, and managing transactions directly through the Model Context Protocol. Users can configure the server to view multiple budgets or perform transaction updates, with optional support for a read-only mode to limit write access. The installation utilizes uvx for streamlined setup in environments like Claude Desktop.
Our verdict
The Ynab MCP Server is rated with a high-risk level due to a low security score of 28/100. This is primarily attributed to the project being community-maintained rather than official, and the lack of maintenance activity as evidenced by the last commit occurring over 404 days ago. Given these factors, particularly the inactivity and third-party nature, users should exercise caution before providing full access to sensitive financial credentials.
- Zero direct dependencies reduce the supply-chain surface
- Comprehensive feature set for YNAB budget and transaction management
- Provides optional read-only mode for constrained access
- High risk level due to inactivity for over 404 days
- Community-maintained without official YNAB vendor support
- Authentication and OAuth mechanisms have not been reviewed
Tools
| Tool | Description | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| manage-financial-overview | Get, update, or refresh a high-level financial overview. | medium |
| list-accounts | List all accounts for a given budget. | low |
| get-month-info | Get detailed budget information for a single month, including age of money and total amounts budgeted, spent, and available. | low |
| list-categories | List all categories, groups, and their budgeting details. | low |
| list-transactions | List transactions for a specific account or an entire month. | low |
| list-scheduled-transactions | List all upcoming scheduled transactions. | low |
| manage-budgeted-amount | Assign a budgeted amount to a category or move money between categories. | medium |
| bulk-manage-transactions | Create, update, or delete multiple transactions at once. | high |
| manage-scheduled-transaction | Create, update, or delete a single scheduled (recurring) transaction. | high |
| list-payees | List all payees for a given budget. | low |
Compatibility
| Client | Local | Docker | Remote | Read-only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | ||||
| Claude Desktop | ||||
| Cursor | ||||
| VS Code | ||||
| Windsurf |
Frequently asked questions
›What is the mandatory credential required to run the YNAB MCP server?
You must provide a YNAB Personal Access Token (PAT), which can be obtained via the YNAB Developer Settings page.
›Can I prevent the MCP server from making changes to my budget data?
Yes, you can set the YNAB_READ_ONLY environment variable to true to disable all tools that perform write operations.
›What happens if I set the YNAB_DEFAULT_BUDGET_ID environment variable?
Setting this variable puts the server into single-budget mode, where it will only operate on the specified budget and hide the list-budgets tool.
›Is it necessary to install the server manually?
No, you can run the server directly using uvx, which eliminates the need for manual installation.
Alternatives
Changelog
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