Connect your finances to AI
Use MCP to give your AI assistant live access to your bank transactions, balances, and spending data.
ChatGPTConnect manually
Follow the guide below
Step-by-step setup for claude.ai or Claude Desktop. Takes about 5 minutes.
Easiest way
Let Claude Cowork set it up
Copy instructions and paste into Cowork in the Claude Desktop app. It handles everything.
How to connect
Connect your bank accounts
Sign up for OpenBudget and securely link your bank accounts, credit cards, and brokerages through Plaid. This takes about 2 minutes.
Connect banksCopy your MCP server URL
This is your personal MCP server URL. Copy it — you'll paste it into Claude in the next step.
https://openbudget.sh
/mcpAdd the server to Claude
Choose your platform, then follow the steps to paste your MCP server URL into Claude.
Open Connectors settings
Go to claude.ai/settings/connectors or click your profile icon → Settings → Connectors.
Open settingsAdd a new MCP connector
Click "Add Connector" and paste your MCP server URL. Give it a name like "OpenBudget".
Confirm the connection
Claude will verify the server and show it as connected. You'll see "OpenBudget" listed in your active connectors.
Authorize Claude to access your data
The first time you ask Claude about your finances, it will request permission to connect to OpenBudget . Review and approve to grant read-only access to your transaction data.
Claude requests permission
When you first ask Claude about your finances, it will show a permission request to connect to the OpenBudget MCP server. Click "Allow" to proceed.
Sign in to authorize
You'll be redirected to OpenBudget to confirm authorization. Sign in with the same account you used to connect your banks, then click Authorize.
Authorization complete
Once authorized, you'll be redirected back to Claude. The connection is now active — Claude can access your financial data for this and all future conversations.
Start asking about your finances
You're all set. Copy any prompt below and paste it into Claude, or start a blank conversation.
Try these prompts
Works with Claude Desktop and Claude.ai
The OpenBudget MCP server works with Claude Desktop (macOS and Windows) and Claude.ai with MCP support enabled. Your data is accessed in real-time — Claude always sees your latest transactions and balances.
Privacy and security
Your bank credentials are never shared with Claude. OpenBudget uses Plaid to securely connect to your financial institutions, and the MCP server only exposes read-only transaction and balance data to Claude when you explicitly ask.
What you can ask
Real examples of what Claude can do with your financial data.
"I just got back from Barcelona — how much did the trip cost me?"
Here's everything I found from your Barcelona trip (March 12–18):
| Date | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 12 | Delta Airlines — JFK → BCN | $487.00 |
| Mar 12 | Hotel Casa Bonay | $892.00 |
| Mar 13 | La Boqueria Market | $34.50 |
| Mar 14 | Sagrada Familia tickets | $52.00 |
| Mar 14 | Uber rides (3) | $28.40 |
| Mar 15 | El Nacional restaurant | $78.90 |
| Mar 16 | Zara — Passeig de Gràcia | $124.00 |
| Mar 18 | Delta Airlines — BCN → JFK | $512.00 |
Total trip cost: $2,208.80
"I'm a freelance designer — pull all my business expenses for Q1 and sort them by category"
Here are your Q1 business expenses, categorized:
Software & Subscriptions
Figma, Adobe CC, Notion, Webflow, Slack
Hardware
Apple Studio Display
Coworking
WeWork hot desk (3 months)
Client meals
12 transactions across 8 restaurants
Travel
Flight + hotel for NYC client meeting
Professional development
Config 2025 ticket
Q1 total: $4,717.80 — want me to add this to your tax spreadsheet?
"How much am I spending on subscriptions I barely use?"
I found 14 recurring subscriptions. Here are the ones with the lowest usage signals (no associated transactions beyond the charge itself):
Potential savings: $47.97/mo ($575.64/year)