# How to connect Ynab to Claude ```json { "title": "How to connect Ynab to Claude", "toolkit": "Ynab", "toolkit_slug": "ynab", "framework": "Claude Cowork", "framework_slug": "claude-cowork", "url": "https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/claude-cowork", "markdown_url": "https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/claude-cowork.md", "updated_at": "2026-09-24T11:30:24.192Z" } ``` ## Introduction Claude is Anthropic's AI assistant, available on the web, in the desktop app, and on mobile. Cowork is its agent for knowledge work, and it runs on all of those surfaces too. Connected to your apps, Claude can work with your files and services to accomplish complex tasks on your behalf. This guide walks you through the easiest and most secure way to connect your Ynab account to Claude via Composio Connect, enabling it to show your spending by category this week, add a new expense to groceries, list upcoming scheduled transactions, and more such actions on your behalf without compromising your account security. Setup is the same on Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork, and you only need to do it once. The connector is tied to your account, so it's available in all three. ## Also integrate Ynab with - [Claude Code](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/claude-code) - [OpenAI Agents SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/open-ai-agents-sdk) - [Claude Agent SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/claude-agents-sdk) - [Codex](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/codex) - [OpenClaw](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/openclaw) - [Hermes](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/hermes-agent) - [Atomic Agent](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/atomic-agent) - [Google ADK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/google-adk) - [LangChain](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/langchain) - [Vercel AI SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/ai-sdk) - [Mastra AI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/mastra-ai) - [LlamaIndex](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/llama-index) - [CrewAI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/crew-ai) - [Pydantic AI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/pydantic-ai) - [AutoGen](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/autogen) ## Connect Ynab to Claude Cowork ### Connecting Ynab to Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork Two ways to add the Composio connector. Pick whichever you prefer. ### 1. Add with one click Click the button. Claude opens with the Composio connector filled in. Click Add, then go to step 2. [Add to Claude](https://claude.ai/customize/connectors?modal=add-custom-connector&connectorName=Composio&connectorUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fconnect.composio.dev%2Fmcp) ### Add manually In Claude Desktop, click Customize in the left sidebar, then select Connectors and click the + icon at the top. Click Add custom connector and paste in the Composio MCP server URL: ```bash https://connect.composio.dev/mcp ``` ## What is the Ynab MCP server, and what's possible with it? The Ynab MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Ynab account. It provides structured and secure access to your budgeting data, so your agent can perform actions like tracking expenses, creating and adjusting budgets, fetching transaction history, and analyzing spending patterns on your behalf. - Automated transaction tracking: Let your agent fetch, categorize, or summarize recent transactions to keep your spending up to date. - Budget creation and adjustment: Instruct your agent to set up new budgets, update existing categories, or reallocate funds between envelopes as your needs change. - Spending analysis and reporting: Have your agent analyze your expenses, highlight trends, or generate summaries to help you understand where your money goes. - Goal monitoring and progress updates: Ask your agent to track progress toward savings or debt payoff goals, and notify you of milestones or needed adjustments. - Account and balance synchronization: Enable your agent to pull up-to-date balances from multiple accounts, ensuring your budget always reflects the latest financial picture. ## Supported Tools | Tool slug | Name | Description | |---|---|---| | `YNAB_CREATE_ACCOUNT` | Create a new account in a budget | Tool to create a new account in a budget. Use when you need to add a manual (non-linked) account to a specific budget. | | `YNAB_CREATE_SCHEDULED_TRANSACTION` | Create Scheduled Transaction | Creates a scheduled (recurring) transaction in a YNAB budget. Use this to set up bills, recurring expenses, or income that repeats on a schedule. Requires an account_id (from YNAB_LIST_ACCOUNTS), a date, frequency, and amount in milliunits. | | `YNAB_DELETE_SCHEDULED_TRANSACTION` | Delete Scheduled Transaction | Permanently deletes a scheduled transaction from a YNAB budget. Use this when a recurring transaction is no longer needed. This action cannot be undone. Obtain the scheduled_transaction_id from list_scheduled_transactions or get_scheduled_transaction_by_id before calling this. | | `YNAB_GET_ACCOUNT_BY_ID` | Get Account by ID | Tool to retrieve a single account resource. Use when you need details of a specific account by its ID after determining the budget. | | `YNAB_GET_BUDGET_BY_ID` | Get Budget By ID | Retrieve a complete budget export by ID, including all accounts, categories, payees, and transactions. Use this tool when you need comprehensive budget data. The response includes: - Budget metadata (name, date/currency formats) - All accounts with balances - Category groups and categories with budgeted amounts and balances - All payees - All transactions and scheduled transactions (optional, may be large) For incremental syncing, use last_knowledge_of_server to only fetch changes since your last request. Note: Currency amounts are in 'milliunits' format (divide by 1000 for standard units). | | `YNAB_GET_BUDGET_MONTH` | Get Budget Month | Tool to retrieve a specific budget month. Use when you need detailed summary and category budgets for a given month after confirming the budget ID. Monetary amounts are returned in milliunits (divide by 1000 for standard currency). Response includes high-level aggregates and a nested category array within the month payload for per-category budget analysis. | | `YNAB_GET_BUDGET_SETTINGS` | Get Budget Settings | Tool to retrieve budget-level settings. Use when you need to fetch currency and date formatting preferences for a specific budget. | | `YNAB_GET_CATEGORY_BY_ID` | Get Category by ID | Retrieve a single YNAB budget category by its ID. Use this to get detailed category information including budgeted amounts, activity, balance, and goal settings. Amounts are returned for the current budget month (UTC). Requires both budget_id and category_id - use 'last-used' or 'default' for budget_id if you don't have a specific budget ID. | | `YNAB_GET_MONTH_CATEGORY_BY_ID` | Get Month Category By ID | Tool to retrieve a single category for a specific budget month. Use after selecting the budget and month when you need month-specific category details. | | `YNAB_GET_PAYEE_BY_ID` | Get Payee by ID | Tool to retrieve a single payee by its ID. Use when you need full details of a payee after confirming the budget and payee selection. | | `YNAB_GET_SCHEDULED_TRANSACTION_BY_ID` | Get Scheduled Transaction by ID | Tool to retrieve a single scheduled transaction. Use when you need details of a specific scheduled transaction by its ID after confirming the budget. | | `YNAB_GET_TRANSACTION_BY_ID` | Get Transaction by ID | Tool to retrieve a single transaction by its ID. Use when you need detailed information for a specific transaction after confirming the budget. | | `YNAB_GET_USER` | Get Authorized User | Tool to retrieve the authorized user's information. Use after authentication to get current user details. | | `YNAB_LIST_ACCOUNTS` | List Accounts | Retrieves all accounts for a specified YNAB budget. Use this tool to: - Get a complete list of accounts (checking, savings, credit cards, loans, etc.) in a budget - Retrieve account IDs for use with other YNAB account-related operations - Monitor account balances (current, cleared, and uncleared) - Perform efficient delta syncing by passing last_knowledge_of_server Returns account details including balances in milliunits (1000 milliunits = 1 currency unit). For example, a balance of 150000 milliunits equals $150.00. Note: Use 'default' or 'last-used' as budget_id for convenience, or obtain specific budget UUIDs from the List Budgets endpoint. | | `YNAB_LIST_BUDGETS` | List Budgets | Retrieves all budgets accessible to the authenticated YNAB user. Use this tool to: - Get a list of all budgets in the user's YNAB account - Retrieve budget IDs for use with other YNAB operations - Optionally include account details for each budget Returns budget summaries including name, last modification time, date range, and formatting preferences. Budget IDs from this response are required for most other YNAB API operations. | | `YNAB_LIST_CATEGORIES` | List Categories | Tool to list all category groups and their categories for a budget. Use when you need the full set of budget categories or only those changed since last sync. Category names may include emojis or near-identical labels; always use category_id from the response in downstream requests. | | `YNAB_LIST_MONTHS` | List Budget Months | Tool to list months for a budget with summary information. Use when you need an overview of all months or only changed months since a given knowledge value (delta requests). | | `YNAB_LIST_PAYEE_LOCATIONS` | List Payee Locations | Retrieves all GPS locations associated with payees in a budget. Payee locations are recorded when transactions are saved using the YNAB mobile apps, storing GPS coordinates to help pre-populate nearby payees. Use this tool when you need to find all recorded locations for payees in a budget. Note: Not all payees will have locations recorded. | | `YNAB_LIST_PAYEE_LOCATIONS_BY_PAYEE` | List Payee Locations by Payee | Retrieves all GPS locations associated with a specific payee in a budget. Payee locations are recorded when transactions are saved using the YNAB mobile apps, storing GPS coordinates to help pre-populate nearby payees. Use this tool when you need to find where a payee's transactions typically occur. Note: Not all payees will have locations recorded. | | `YNAB_LIST_PAYEES` | List payees in a budget | Tool to list payees in a budget. Use when you need all payees or only those changed since a known server knowledge value. | | `YNAB_LIST_SCHEDULED_TRANSACTIONS` | List Scheduled Transactions | List all scheduled (recurring) transactions for a YNAB budget. Returns future-dated transactions that repeat on a schedule (e.g., rent, subscriptions, paychecks). Supports delta sync to fetch only changes since a previous request using the server_knowledge value. | | `YNAB_LIST_TRANSACTIONS` | List Transactions | Tool to list transactions in a budget. Use when you need all or delta-filtered transactions after confirming the budget. Omitting all filters returns the full transaction history, which may produce large payloads; prefer since_date, type, or last_knowledge_of_server to scope results. | | `YNAB_LIST_TRANSACTIONS_BY_ACCOUNT` | List Transactions by Account | Tool to list transactions for a specific account. Use when you need all or delta-filtered transactions for a given account after confirming the budget and account ID. | | `YNAB_LIST_TRANSACTIONS_BY_CATEGORY` | List Transactions by Category | Tool to list transactions for a specific category (excludes pending). Use when you need completed transactions for a given category after obtaining budget_id and category_id. Response includes deleted transactions; filter client-side using the deleted boolean field. | | `YNAB_LIST_TRANSACTIONS_BY_PAYEE` | List Transactions by Payee | Tool to list transactions for a specific payee in a budget. Use when you need to fetch all non-pending transactions for a payee after confirming budget and payee IDs. | | `YNAB_UPDATE_PAYEE` | Update Payee | Tool to update a payee. Use when you need to rename an existing payee. | | `YNAB_UPDATE_SCHEDULED_TRANSACTION` | Update Scheduled Transaction | Update an existing scheduled transaction in YNAB. Allows modifying the date, frequency, amount, payee, category, memo, or account of a scheduled transaction. Use YNAB_LIST_SCHEDULED_TRANSACTIONS first to get the scheduled_transaction_id. Amounts should be in milliunits (negative for expenses, positive for income). | ## Supported Triggers None listed. ## Troubleshooting ### 1. Why does Claude not use the Composio connector for Ynab? The connector can show as connected, but Claude must use it in each Ynab conversation. - Click + at the lower left of the chat, or type /. - Hover Connectors. - Turn on Composio. - Ask Claude to connect to Ynab again. ### 2. Why does Claude show an MCP server error before Ynab connects? Claude can show Couldn't reach the MCP server or Authorization with the MCP server failed when you add the connector for Ynab. - Check that the connector URL is https://connect.composio.dev/mcp. - Connectors run from Anthropic's cloud, so your device network is usually not the problem. - Add the connector again from Customize > Connectors, then ask Claude to connect Ynab. - If it fails again, send the error and the ofid_ reference id to support@composio.dev. ### 3. Why does the Ynab authorization link not work? The Composio connector is one server. Your Ynab account connects separately when Claude asks for it. - If the browser does not open, or the link expires, ask Claude to retry the Ynab connection. - Composio creates a fresh Ynab authorization link. - Open that link in your browser and finish the Ynab sign-in. ### 4. Why do Ynab actions fail after they worked before? The Ynab connection can expire or lose permission. - Ask Claude to inspect the Ynab connection. - If the connection is unhealthy, disconnect it when Claude prompts you. - Reconnect the Ynab account and retry the action. - If Claude shows a permission prompt, approve it before Claude changes data in Ynab. - If the action still fails with a permission error, check that the connected account has that permission in Ynab itself. ### 5. How do I switch to a different Ynab account? Claude can manage the Ynab connection for you. - Ask Claude to disconnect or delete the current Ynab account. - Ask Claude to connect Ynab again. - Open the new Composio authorization link for Ynab. - Sign in with the other Ynab account in the browser. - After the account connects, ask Claude to retry the Ynab task. ### 6. Why is my Ynab connection missing in Claude Desktop or on a Team plan? The connector belongs to your Claude account, so your Ynab connection works in Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork. - In Claude Desktop, open Customize > Connectors. - Next to Composio, click ⋮ and click Clear cache. - If Ynab tools still do not appear, click ⋮, disconnect, remove the connector, and add it again. - On Team or Enterprise, an Owner or Primary Owner must enable the connector before you can connect Ynab. ## Creating MCP Server - Stand-alone vs Composio SDK The Ynab MCP server connects Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork to your Ynab account through Composio. Once connected, Claude can use the available Ynab tools and triggers to complete tasks on your behalf. ## Complete Code None listed. ## How to build Ynab MCP Agent with another framework - [Claude Code](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/claude-code) - [OpenAI Agents SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/open-ai-agents-sdk) - [Claude Agent SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/claude-agents-sdk) - [Codex](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/codex) - [OpenClaw](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/openclaw) - [Hermes](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/hermes-agent) - [Atomic Agent](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/atomic-agent) - [Google ADK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/google-adk) - [LangChain](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/langchain) - [Vercel AI SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/ai-sdk) - [Mastra AI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/mastra-ai) - [LlamaIndex](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/llama-index) - [CrewAI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/crew-ai) - [Pydantic AI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/pydantic-ai) - [AutoGen](https://composio.dev/toolkits/ynab/framework/autogen) ## Related Toolkits - [Stripe](https://composio.dev/toolkits/stripe) - Stripe is a global online payments platform offering APIs for managing payments, customers, and subscriptions. 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Get accurate, up-to-date stats for thousands of digital assets in one place. - [Coupa](https://composio.dev/toolkits/coupa) - Coupa is a business spend management platform for procurement, invoicing, and expenses. It helps organizations streamline purchasing, control costs, and gain complete visibility over financial operations. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What are the differences in Tool Router MCP and Ynab MCP? With a standalone Ynab MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Ynab tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Ynab and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint. ### Can I use Tool Router MCP with Claude Cowork? Yes, you can. Claude Cowork fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Ynab tools. ### Can I manage the permissions and scopes for Ynab while using Tool Router? Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Ynab scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do. ### How safe is my data with Composio Tool Router? All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Ynab data and credentials are handled as safely as possible. --- [See all toolkits](https://composio.dev/toolkits) · [Composio docs](https://docs.composio.dev/llms.txt)