Actual Budget MCP Server
Talk to your budget. An MCP server that connects Actual Budget to Claude. Ask where the money went, get real analysis back, and let it write without holding your breath. Its 37 documented tools cover category, transaction, budget, group. It runs locally over stdio via the published package.
People who work with category, transaction and budget and want it reachable from Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or another MCP client. The project is written in TypeScript.
VERIFIED ACTIVE
LAST COMMIT 2026-09-17 · ★ 6 · #41 OF 318 MAINTAINED FINANCE · VERIFIED 2026-09-18
MIT · TypeScript servers · how we verify → /methodology
01 · Install Actual Budget
before you install - you'll need
Set ACTUAL_SERVER_URL, ACTUAL_PASSWORD, ACTUAL_BUDGET_ID before connecting.
Claude Code
claude mcp add henfrydls-actual-budget-mcp -- npx -y actual-budget-mcp Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config
{
"mcpServers": {
"henfrydls-actual-budget-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"actual-budget-mcp"
]
}
}
} Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.
Using another client? Same JSON, different key
Claude Desktop · mcpServers
Cursor · mcpServers
VS Code · servers
Windsurf · mcpServers
Zed · context_servers
Cline · mcpServers
Roo Code · mcpServers
Continue · mcpServers
LibreChat · mcpServers
Gemini CLI · mcpServers
Codex CLI · mcp_servers
Full setup guides: every client.
02 · Evidence
Security posture
What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.
runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions · container (OCI image) - can be sandboxed away from your filesystem
license MIT - declared in the repository
npm package actual-budget-mcp - unscoped; check the name against the project README before installing
registry namespace io.github.henfrydls is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner
03 · What Actual Budget can do
Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.
What you can build
With this server connected, an agent can add a new transaction, edit an existing transaction, remove a transaction (previews first, see Safety), and move to another category.
Capability map
Tools grouped from the project's README - what Actual Budget lets an agent do.
Category
9 tools - e.g. Category history across months; Spending trends over time; Spending breakdown by category
get_category_balance · category_trends · spending_by_category · create_category · update_category · delete_category…
read & search
5 tools - e.g. All accounts with balances; Transactions with filters; All category groups and categories
list_accounts · get_transactions · get_categories · get_payees · get_rules
Transaction
5 tools - e.g. Add a new transaction; One charge across several categories; Edit an existing transaction
create_transaction · create_split_transaction · update_transaction · delete_transaction · recategorize_transaction
Budget
4 tools - e.g. Budget for a specific month; Executive budget overview; Budgeted vs spent per category
get_budget_month · get_budget_summary · budget_vs_actual · update_budget_amount
Payee
3 tools - e.g. Create a new payee; Rename a payee; Delete a payee (previews first, see Safety)
create_payee · update_payee · delete_payee
Rule
2 tools - e.g. Create a transaction rule; Delete a rule (previews first, see Safety)
create_rule · delete_rule
Account
2 tools - e.g. Create an on- or off-budget account; Delete an account and its history
create_account · delete_account
Balance
1 tool - e.g. Account balance over time
balance_history
Latest releases
v0.9.2 · 2026-09-17
The Claude Desktop extension now carries everything it needs. Install it, fill in three fields, and ask. Patch release: still 37 tools, none of them changed. · The extension · Nothing is compiled and nothing is…
v0.9.1 · 2026-09-15
If you installed the Claude Desktop extension from 0.9.0, update it: it could not connect even with the right password. Patch release, still 37 tools, no tool changes behaviour. · Fixed · The Claude Desktop extension…
v0.9.0 · 2026-09-13
Minor release. Still 37 tools, unchanged. Two things that were not possible before, and one that was fragile. · Added · Servers behind OIDC work now. An Actual server that signs you in through OIDC has no password to…
04 · Who maintains Actual Budget
Actual Budget is maintained by henfrydls. It's the only MCP server we track from this author; the repo dates to Mar 2026.
05 · Facts
- repository
- github.com/henfrydls/actual-budget-mcp
- category
- finance - ranked #41 of 318 actively-maintained finance servers as of 2026-09-18.
- release cadence
- 9 releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-09-17)
- registry
- io.github.henfrydls/actual-budget-mcp (active, first published 2026-09-01 · 4 versions)
- packages
- npm:actual-budget-mcp · oci:ghcr.io/henfrydls/actual-budget-mcp:0.9.2
06 · Actual Budget FAQ
Is Actual Budget still maintained?
Yes - as of 2026-09-18, its last commit was 2026-09-17 and it shipped 9 releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.
What can Actual Budget do?
With this server connected, an agent can add a new transaction, edit an existing transaction, remove a transaction (previews first, see Safety), and move to another category.
How do I install Actual Budget?
Run `npx -y actual-budget-mcp`. The README documents 3 environment variables (ACTUAL_SERVER_URL, ACTUAL_PASSWORD, ACTUAL_BUDGET_ID) to set first. Set ACTUAL_SERVER_URL, ACTUAL_PASSWORD, ACTUAL_BUDGET_ID before connecting. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.
Does Actual Budget run locally?
Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via npx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.
07 · Alternatives to Actual Budget
Alternatives to Actual Budget
Maintained finance servers if Actual Budget isn't the fit.
- CCXT Official CCXT MCP server - Market data and trading across 100+ exchanges and prediction markets ★ 44,030 · 2026-09-18
- Tradingview MCP Real-time market data, screeners, technical analysis & backtesting for stocks, crypto and forex. ★ 4,567 · 2026-09-01
- Edgar Tools Open-source SEC EDGAR toolkit - 11 tools, 7 prompts, every filing type. No API key required. ★ 2,726 · 2026-09-17
- TickDB Market Data Real-time & historical market data: forex, stocks, crypto, indices, metals, K-line, quotes ★ 801 · 2026-06-20
- xbbg MCP Local Bloomberg tools for xbbg users. ★ 715 · 2026-09-16
- Emilia Protocol Exact-action approval for consequential agent actions: request, track, and verify signed receipts. ★ 650 · 2026-09-17
Pairs well with
Servers that cover what Actual Budget doesn't - only shown when the pairing reason fits the companion.
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