Connect your AI

Connect to Claude

Set up the OpenBudget MCP server to give Claude live access to your bank transactions, balances, and spending data.

Claude, by Anthropic, supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which lets it connect directly to your bank accounts through OpenBudget. It works the same on claude.ai and Claude Desktop. Here's how to set it up in a couple of minutes.

How to connect

Connect your bank accounts

Connect banks

Currently available for United States banking institutions.

Add the server to Claude

Follow the steps below to paste your MCP server URL into Claude. It works the same on Claude web and desktop.

Open Connectors

Click the "Customize" button in the top left of Claude, then select "Connectors".

Open settings

Click "Add custom connector"

Click the "+" button in the top right of the Connectors panel, then select "Add custom connector".

Paste your URL and name it

In the "Add custom connector" dialog, enter "openbudget.sh" as the name and paste your MCP server URL. Then click "Add".

https://api.openbudget.sh/mcp

Click "Connect" and sign in

Find OpenBudget in the list and click Connect. Sign in with the account you used to link your banks, then authorize read-only access.

Now just ask.

Open a chat and ask about your money — Claude answers with real numbers from your accounts, not guesses.

Start a chat

Try asking

Works with Claude Desktop and Claude.ai

Same steps on Claude Desktop and Claude.ai with MCP enabled. Data is read live, so Claude always sees the latest.

Read-only by design

Your bank credentials stay with Plaid, never Claude. The MCP server is read-only — it can't move money or change any account.

Troubleshooting

My AI doesn't see OpenBudget's tools

Make sure the connector is added andenabled, and that you finished the OAuth sign-in. If it still won't use them, ask it directly to “use the OpenBudgetMCP server.” In ChatGPT, start the message with @OpenBudget.

It can't find my transactions

The MCP server only sees accounts you've linked. Open your transactions, confirm your banks are connected and finished their initial sync, then ask again. Make sure you signed in to OpenBudget with the same account you used to link your banks.

The sign-in window didn't open

Authorization happens in your browser. If it didn't open automatically, allow pop-ups and try again, or copy the URL your client shows and open it manually. In Claude Code, run /mcp and choose Authenticate; in the Codex CLI, run codex mcp login openbudget.

It says “needs login” or stopped working

Sign-in tokens can expire. Re-authorize from your client's connector settings, or remove and re-add the OpenBudget server and sign in again — that resolves most connection issues.

Connection failed or the server is unreachable

Confirm the URL is exactly https://api.openbudget.sh/mcp and that you chose the Streamable HTTP transport (not stdio). Make sure your client is up to date — the older SSE transport is deprecated in favor of HTTP.

Still stuck?

Email support@openbudget.sh and we'll help you get connected.

Disclosures

Informational only — not financial advice

OpenBudget surfaces your own financial data, not recommendations. Nothing here is investment, legal, or tax advice — do your own research.

How your data is accessed

OpenBudget connects through Plaid; your bank credentials are never stored by OpenBudget. Data may contain errors or delays and is provided “as is” — verify against your bank.

Read-only access

The OpenBudget MCP server is read-only — it cannot move money, place trades, or modify any account.

Third-party AI clients

Your prompts and the data returned are processed by your AI client (Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor) under its own terms. AI can be wrong — verify before acting.

Authorization

Connecting grants read access via OAuth; revoke it anytime from your client's settings. Use is governed by our Terms and Privacy Policy.