MCP server · Finance and crypto
YNAB MCP server (avenir-mcp)
by mathbeal
Ask your AI about your YNAB budget: spending, categories, forecasts and account checks.
This is a small helper that connects your AI assistant to your YNAB budget. Once it is set up, you can just ask questions in normal words, like where your money went this month or whether an account matches your bank. It is handy for anyone who uses YNAB and would rather chat about their plan than click through screens.
What is an MCP server? The 30-second version
On its own, your AI can only chat with you. An MCP server is a small helper program that gives your AI one new skill, in this case the ability to read your YNAB budget. This helper talks to YNAB for you, so when you ask a question about your plan, your AI can look up the real numbers and answer. You still decide what happens, because anything that changes your budget is shown to you first.
What this MCP server does
You ask your AI something about your budget, such as which category went over this month. Your AI passes that question to this helper, and the helper asks YNAB for the numbers. The helper tidies the answer into something short and readable, then your AI explains it back to you in the chat. If you ask for a change, the helper shows you exactly what would change and waits for your yes before doing it. If you do not like the result, you can ask it to undo the change.
What you can do with it
- See which categories are overspent this month
- Get categories suggested for transactions that do not have one yet
- Split one receipt across several categories
- Find a transaction by date, amount and account
- Check whether an account matches your bank statement
- Forecast your balance month by month
- See your net worth, savings rate and how long your money would last
- Move money between categories, and undo it if you change your mind
Try asking your AI
- “Which category is overspent this month?”
- “Categorise what is pending.”
- “My bank shows 3,440.80. Does YNAB agree?”
- “Will I go below zero before December?”
What it gives back to you
You get short, plain answers in the chat, not a wall of raw data. That can be a list of overspent categories, a summary of a month, a net worth trend, or a month by month forecast with the assumptions written out. When something is changed, you first see a preview of what will change, and after you say yes you get a short note saying what was done. You can then ask it to undo that change.
Before you start
What you need
- An MCP client, such as the Claude desktop app, Claude Code or Cursor
- A free YNAB account with your budget in it
- A YNAB personal access token (a kind of password for apps, made in YNAB under Account Settings, then Developer Settings, then New Token)
- uv, a free tool that runs the helper program on your computer
Install it with your AI
Add YNAB MCP server (avenir-mcp) to your AI, no technical skills needed
You don't install anything by hand. You copy one prompt, paste it into an AI that can work on your computer, and it checks, installs and connects the server for you, asking you when it needs something.
Sign in to get the install prompt
Members get a ready-made prompt that lets the Claude desktop app check YNAB MCP server (avenir-mcp), install it and connect it for them, step by step. You don't need any technical skills: you copy, paste and answer a few questions. Your connected AI can also find and install any of the 4,361 MCP servers here for you.
Who it's for
YNAB users who want to talk about their budget instead of clicking through it, and anyone who likes plain answers about spending, saving and what comes next.
