Content
[](https://mseep.ai/app/robcerda-monarch-mcp-server)
# Monarch Money MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for integrating with the Monarch Money personal finance platform. This server provides seamless access to your financial accounts, transactions, budgets, and analytics through Claude Desktop and Claude Code.
My MonarchMoney referral: https://www.monarchmoney.com/referral/ufmn0r83yf?r_source=share
**Built with the [MonarchMoneyCommunity Python library](https://github.com/bradleyseanf/monarchmoneycommunity)** - An actively maintained community fork of the Monarch Money API with full MFA support.
<a href="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/@robcerda/monarch-mcp-server">
<img width="380" height="200" src="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/@robcerda/monarch-mcp-server/badge" alt="monarch-mcp-server MCP server" />
</a>
## 🚀 Quick Start
### 1. Installation
1. **Clone this repository**:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/robcerda/monarch-mcp-server.git
cd monarch-mcp-server
```
2. **Install dependencies**:
**Using `pip`**:
```bash
pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install -e .
```
**Using `uv`** (alternative):
```bash
uv sync
```
3. **Configure Claude Desktop**:
Add this to your Claude Desktop configuration file:
**macOS**: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
**Windows**: `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"Monarch Money": {
"command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/uv",
"args": [
"run",
"--with",
"mcp[cli]",
"--with-editable",
"/path/to/your/monarch-mcp-server",
"mcp",
"run",
"/path/to/your/monarch-mcp-server/src/monarch_mcp_server/server.py"
]
}
}
}
```
**Important**: Replace `/path/to/your/monarch-mcp-server` with your actual path!
4. **Restart Claude Desktop**
**OR**
3. **Configure Claude Code** (CLI):
Add this to your Claude Code configuration file:
**Global** (all projects):
**macOS/Linux**: `~/.claude.json`
**Windows**: `%USERPROFILE%\.claude.json`
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"Monarch Money": {
"command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/uv",
"args": [
"run",
"--with",
"mcp[cli]",
"--with-editable",
"/path/to/your/monarch-mcp-server",
"mcp",
"run",
"/path/to/your/monarch-mcp-server/src/monarch_mcp_server/server.py"
]
}
}
}
```
**Project-level** (specific directory):
Create `.mcp.json` in your project directory:
```json
{
"Monarch Money": {
"command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/uv",
"args": [
"run",
"--with",
"mcp[cli]",
"--with-editable",
"/path/to/your/monarch-mcp-server",
"mcp",
"run",
"/path/to/your/monarch-mcp-server/src/monarch_mcp_server/server.py"
]
}
}
```
**If installed via `pip`** instead of `uv`, use:
```json
{
"command": "python",
"args": ["/path/to/your/monarch-mcp-server/src/monarch_mcp_server/server.py"]
}
```
**Important**: Replace `/path/to/your/monarch-mcp-server` with your actual path!
4. **Restart Claude Code**
### 2. One-Time Authentication Setup
**Important**: For security and MFA support, authentication is done outside of Claude.
Open a terminal and run:
```bash
cd /path/to/your/monarch-mcp-server
uv run python login_setup.py # or: python login_setup.py
```
The script offers three login paths:
#### Option 1 (recommended): Session cookies from your browser
Long-lived sessions, supports SSO accounts, and sidesteps Cloudflare CAPTCHA gates on programmatic login. Steps:
1. Log in to https://app.monarch.com in Chrome or Firefox.
2. Open DevTools (F12) → Network tab.
3. Click any request whose Name starts with `graphql` (or any request to `api.monarch.com`).
4. Scroll to Request Headers, find the `cookie:` header, and copy the full value.
5. Paste it into the prompt.
The script verifies the cookies against the live API before saving them to your system keyring.
#### Option 2: Email and password
Standard interactive login. The script handles:
- Email verification codes (Monarch may send one for a new device session even when MFA is off).
- TOTP MFA codes if you have MFA enabled.
- Cloudflare CAPTCHA detection: if Monarch blocks programmatic login, the script tells you to switch to option 1.
The resulting long-lived session token is saved to your system keyring.
#### Option 3: Legacy session token paste
Kept for users with an existing token captured before the May 2026 API change. Monarch may no longer accept token-only auth on the GraphQL endpoint; if the verification call returns 401, fall back to option 1.
### 3. Start Using
Once authenticated, use these tools directly in Claude Desktop or Claude Code:
- `get_accounts` - View all your financial accounts
- `get_transactions` - Recent transactions with filtering
- `get_budgets` - Budget information and spending
- `get_cashflow` - Income/expense analysis
## ✨ Features
### 📊 Account Management
- **Get Accounts**: View all linked financial accounts with balances and institution info
- **Get Account Holdings**: See securities and investments in investment accounts
- **Refresh Accounts**: Request real-time data updates from financial institutions
### 💰 Transaction Access
- **Get Transactions**: Fetch transaction data with filtering by date, account, and pagination
- **Create Transaction**: Add new transactions to accounts
- **Update Transaction**: Modify existing transactions (amount, description, category, date)
### 🏷️ Category Management
- **Get Categories**: List all transaction categories with groups, icons, and metadata
- **Get Category Groups**: View category groups with their associated categories
### 📋 Transaction Review
- **Get Transactions Needing Review**: Find transactions that need attention (uncategorized, no notes, flagged)
- **Set Transaction Category**: Assign a category to a transaction
- **Update Transaction Notes**: Add or update notes on transactions (great for receipt links)
- **Mark Transaction Reviewed**: Clear the needs_review flag on transactions
### 📦 Bulk Operations
- **Bulk Categorize Transactions**: Apply a category to multiple transactions at once
### 🔖 Tag Management
- **Get Tags**: List all available tags with colors and usage counts
- **Set Transaction Tags**: Apply tags to a transaction
- **Create Tag**: Create a new tag with custom name and color
### 🔍 Advanced Search
- **Search Transactions**: Comprehensive search with filters for merchant, category, account, tags, date ranges, and amounts
- **Get Transaction Details**: Retrieve complete details for a single transaction
- **Delete Transaction**: Remove a transaction
- **Get Recurring Transactions**: View upcoming recurring transactions
### 🤖 Transaction Rules (Auto-Categorization)
- **Get Transaction Rules**: List all auto-categorization rules
- **Create Transaction Rule**: Create rules with merchant/amount conditions to auto-categorize
- **Update Transaction Rule**: Modify existing rules
- **Delete Transaction Rule**: Remove a rule
### 🔄 Merchant & Recurring Stream Management
- **Get Merchant**: View a merchant's details including recurring transaction stream configuration
- **Update Merchant**: Modify a merchant's name and/or recurring stream settings (frequency, amount, base date)
- **Review Recurring Stream**: Accept, ignore, or reset recurring transaction streams detected by Monarch
### ✂️ Transaction Splits
- **Get Transaction Splits**: View how a transaction has been split into parts
- **Split Transaction**: Divide a single transaction into multiple parts with different categories or merchants
### 💵 Budget Management
- **Get Budgets**: Access budget information including spent amounts and remaining balances by category
- **Set Budget Amount**: Create or modify budget amounts for any category or category group
### 📈 Net Worth Tracking
- **Get Net Worth**: Track total net worth over time with daily snapshots and trend analysis
- **Get Account Balance History**: View historical balance data for any account
- **Get Net Worth by Account Type**: See net worth breakdown across account types (checking, savings, investments, etc.)
### 📊 Financial Analysis
- **Get Cashflow**: Analyze financial cashflow over specified date ranges with income/expense breakdowns
- **Get Transactions Summary**: Quick high-level statistics about your transactions
- **Get Spending Summary**: Spending breakdown by category with totals
### 🔐 Secure Authentication
- **One-Time Setup**: Authenticate once, use for weeks/months
- **Email OTP Support**: Handles Monarch's email verification flow for new devices/sessions
- **MFA Support**: Full support for two-factor authentication
- **SSO/Google sign-in**: Use `monarch_login_with_token` to paste a session token from your browser
- **Session Persistence**: No need to re-authenticate frequently
- **Secure**: Credentials never pass through Claude
## 🛠️ Available Tools
| Tool | Description | Parameters |
|------|-------------|------------|
| `setup_authentication` | Get setup instructions | None |
| `check_auth_status` | Check authentication status | None |
| `get_accounts` | Get all financial accounts | None |
| `get_transactions` | Get transactions with filtering and reconciliation fields | `limit`, `offset`, `start_date`, `end_date`, `account_id`, `account_ids`, `category_ids`, `category_group_ids`, `tag_ids`, `search`, `wide_search`, `search_scan_limit`, `has_notes`, `is_split`, `is_recurring` |
| `get_budgets` | Get budget information | `start_date`, `end_date` |
| `set_budget_amount` | Set budget for a category | `amount`, `category_id`, `category_group_id`, `start_date`, `apply_to_future` |
| `get_cashflow` | Get cashflow analysis | `start_date`, `end_date` |
| `get_net_worth` | Get net worth history | `start_date`, `end_date`, `account_type` |
| `get_account_balance_history` | Get account balance history | `account_id` |
| `get_net_worth_by_account_type` | Get net worth by account type | `start_date`, `timeframe` |
| `get_account_holdings` | Get investment holdings | `account_id` |
| `create_transaction` | Create new transaction | `account_id`, `amount`, `description`, `date`, `category_id`, `merchant_name` |
| `update_transaction` | Update existing transaction | `transaction_id`, `amount`, `description`, `category_id`, `date` |
| `refresh_accounts` | Request account data refresh | `account_ids` (optional — defaults to all active, visible accounts) |
| `get_categories` | List all transaction categories | None |
| `get_category_groups` | List category groups with categories | None |
| `get_transactions_needing_review` | Get transactions needing review | `needs_review`, `days`, `uncategorized`, `no_notes` |
| `set_transaction_category` | Set category on a transaction | `transaction_id`, `category_id`, `mark_reviewed` |
| `update_transaction_notes` | Update notes on a transaction | `transaction_id`, `notes` |
| `mark_transaction_reviewed` | Mark transaction as reviewed | `transaction_id` |
| `bulk_categorize_transactions` | Categorize multiple transactions | `transaction_ids`, `category_id` |
| `get_tags` | List all tags | None |
| `set_transaction_tags` | Set tags on a transaction | `transaction_id`, `tag_ids` |
| `create_tag` | Create a new tag | `name`, `color` |
| `search_transactions` | Search transactions with filters | `search`, `category_ids`, `account_ids`, `tag_ids`, `start_date`, `end_date`, `min_amount`, `max_amount` |
| `get_transaction_details` | Get details of a transaction | `transaction_id` |
| `delete_transaction` | Delete a transaction | `transaction_id` |
| `get_recurring_transactions` | Get recurring transactions | None |
| `get_transaction_rules` | List auto-categorization rules | None |
| `create_transaction_rule` | Create an auto-categorization rule | `merchant_criteria_operator`, `merchant_criteria_value`, `set_category_id`, `add_tag_ids`, `amount_operator`, `amount_value` |
| `update_transaction_rule` | Update an existing rule | `rule_id`, `merchant_criteria_operator`, `merchant_criteria_value`, `set_category_id` |
| `delete_transaction_rule` | Delete a rule | `rule_id` |
| `get_merchant` | Get merchant details with recurring stream | `merchant_id` |
| `update_merchant` | Update merchant name/recurring stream | `merchant_id`, `name`, `is_recurring`, `frequency`, `base_date`, `amount`, `is_active` |
| `review_recurring_stream` | Set recurring stream review status | `stream_id`, `review_status` |
| `get_transaction_splits` | Get splits for a transaction | `transaction_id` |
| `split_transaction` | Split a transaction into parts | `transaction_id`, `splits` (JSON array) |
| `get_transactions_summary` | Get high-level transaction statistics | None |
| `get_spending_summary` | Get spending breakdown by category | `start_date`, `end_date`, `limit` |
## 📝 Usage Examples
### View Your Accounts
```
Use get_accounts to show me all my financial accounts
```
### Get Recent Transactions
```
Show me my last 50 transactions using get_transactions with limit 50
```
`get_transactions` returns a JSON object with `tool`, `args`, `count`, `total_count`, `truncated`, `search`, and `data` so large `agent-tools/<uuid>.txt` responses are self-describing. Transaction rows live in `data` and include `original_statement` / `plaid_description` when Monarch provides the underlying Plaid statement text, plus `currency`, `direction`, `direction_source`, `transaction_type`, `category_group`, and `category_group_id` when those values can be derived from Monarch response data. When Monarch's server-side `search` errors or returns no rows, `wide_search` scans recent transactions locally across merchant, original statement, description, notes, category, account, and tags.
### Check Spending vs Budget
```
Use get_budgets to show my current budget status
```
### Set a Budget Amount
```
Set my grocery budget to $600 for this month using set_budget_amount
```
### Apply Budget to All Future Months
```
Set my entertainment budget to $150 and apply it to all future months using set_budget_amount with apply_to_future=true
```
### Track Net Worth Over Time
```
Show my net worth trend for the past year using get_net_worth
```
### View Account Balance History
```
Show me how my savings account balance has changed over time using get_account_balance_history
```
### Net Worth Breakdown by Account Type
```
Show my net worth breakdown by account type using get_net_worth_by_account_type
```
### Analyze Cash Flow
```
Get my cashflow for the last 3 months using get_cashflow
```
### List Available Categories
```
Show me all available categories using get_categories
```
### Review Uncategorized Transactions
```
Show me transactions from the last 7 days that need review using get_transactions_needing_review
```
### Bulk Categorize Transactions
```
Categorize these three transactions as "Groceries" using bulk_categorize_transactions
```
### Tag a Transaction
```
Add the "Tax Deductible" tag to this transaction using set_transaction_tags
```
### Search for Transactions
```
Find all Amazon transactions over $50 from the last month using search_transactions
```
### View Recurring Bills
```
Show me my upcoming recurring transactions using get_recurring_transactions
```
### Create Auto-Categorization Rule
```
Create a rule to automatically categorize Amazon transactions as "Shopping" using create_transaction_rule
```
### Split a Transaction
```
Split this $100 Costco transaction into $60 for Groceries and $40 for Household using split_transaction
```
### Get Transaction Statistics
```
Give me a quick summary of my transactions using get_transactions_summary
```
### View Spending by Category
```
Show my spending breakdown by category for last month using get_spending_summary
```
### Update a Recurring Bill Amount
```
Update PennyMac's recurring stream to $1,460.93 monthly using update_merchant
```
### Review Recurring Streams
```
Approve the Netflix recurring stream using review_recurring_stream
```
## 📅 Date Formats
- All dates should be in `YYYY-MM-DD` format (e.g., "2024-01-15")
- Transaction amounts: **positive** for income, **negative** for expenses
## 🔧 Troubleshooting
### Authentication Issues
If you see "Authentication needed" errors:
1. Run the setup command: `cd /path/to/your/monarch-mcp-server && python login_setup.py` (or `uv run python login_setup.py`)
2. Restart Claude Desktop or Claude Code
3. Try using a tool like `get_accounts`
### Email Verification Required
Monarch may require an email one-time code for a new device or session, even if MFA is not enabled. If you see an email-code prompt:
1. Check the email address on your Monarch account
2. Enter the one-time code in `login_setup.py`
3. Let the script finish so it can save the reusable token to your system keyring
### Session Expired or 401 within an hour
If your session dies quickly (under a couple of hours), the most common cause is that Monarch returned a short-lived token. The login script now requests `trusted_device=True` and rejects any short-lived token, so a fresh login produces a long-lived session. If you re-run `login_setup.py` and the issue persists, switch to option 1 (browser cookies); cookie sessions track the lifetime of the underlying browser login.
### Cloudflare CAPTCHA on login
If `login_setup.py` reports "Programmatic login is blocked by Cloudflare CAPTCHA", choose option 1 (browser cookies) instead. Email/password POSTs to Monarch's login endpoint are sometimes gated by Cloudflare for unfamiliar IPs or rapid retries; cookie-based auth bypasses that endpoint entirely.
### `'Context' object has no attribute 'elicit'`
The `monarch_login` and `monarch_login_with_token` tools require the MCP Python SDK 1.10.0 or newer (released June 2025). If your environment cached an older `mcp` install, refresh it:
```bash
uv cache clean mcp
```
Then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop or Claude Code so it relaunches the server with a fresh resolution. As a fallback while you upgrade, run `python login_setup.py` from the repo to authenticate via the terminal.
### Common Error Messages
- **"No valid session found"**: Run `python login_setup.py` (or `uv run python login_setup.py`)
- **"Monarch sent a one-time code to your email"**: Run `python login_setup.py` and complete email verification
- **"Invalid account ID"**: Use `get_accounts` to see valid account IDs
- **"Date format error"**: Use YYYY-MM-DD format for dates
## 🏗️ Technical Details
### Project Structure
```
monarch-mcp-server/
├── src/monarch_mcp_server/
│ ├── __init__.py
│ ├── app.py # FastMCP app instance and entry point
│ ├── client.py # Cached MonarchMoney client factory
│ ├── monarch_auth.py # Current Monarch auth compatibility (host, email OTP, device-uuid)
│ ├── secure_session.py # Keyring-backed token storage (file fallback)
│ ├── server.py # Backward-compatibility shim re-exporting the tools
│ └── tools/ # MCP tools grouped by domain (accounts, transactions, budgets, …)
├── login_setup.py # Terminal authentication script
├── pyproject.toml # Project configuration
├── requirements.txt # Dependencies
└── README.md # This documentation
```
### Session Management
- Session tokens are stored securely in the system keyring (with an automatic file fallback for environments without a keyring backend)
- The `device-uuid` captured at login is stored alongside the token so it reloads cleanly
- Sessions persist across Claude Desktop and Claude Code restarts
- No need for frequent re-authentication
### Security Features
- Credentials never transmitted through Claude Desktop or Claude Code
- MFA/2FA fully supported
- Email verification codes are handled only in the terminal setup script
- Session tokens are stored in the system keyring
- Authentication handled in secure terminal environment
### Recommended: require approval for mutating tools
Several tools mutate your Monarch ledger (`create_transaction`, `update_transaction`, `delete_transaction`, `bulk_categorize_transactions`, `upload_account_balance_history`, `set_transaction_tags`, `create_transaction_rule`, `update_transaction_rule`, `delete_transaction_rule`, `split_transaction`, `set_budget_amount`, `update_merchant`, `review_recurring_stream`).
Because the LLM can be influenced by data it reads back (a malicious-looking memo or merchant name in a transaction), the safest setup is to configure your MCP client to require manual approval before any mutating tool runs. In Claude Desktop and Claude Code this is the default behavior for unknown tools; keep it that way for the tools listed above rather than allow-listing them.
`bulk_categorize_transactions` and `upload_account_balance_history` also accept a `dry_run=True` argument that returns the planned changes without executing them, useful for previewing a bulk action before approving it.
## 🙏 Acknowledgments
This MCP server is built on top of the [MonarchMoneyCommunity Python library](https://github.com/bradleyseanf/monarchmoneycommunity), an actively maintained community fork of the original [MonarchMoney library](https://github.com/hammem/monarchmoney) by [@hammem](https://github.com/hammem). The community fork provides:
- Updated API endpoints for Monarch Money's current domain
- Secure authentication with MFA support
- Comprehensive API coverage for Monarch Money
- Session management and persistence
Thank you to [@hammem](https://github.com/hammem) for creating and maintaining this essential library!
## 📄 License
MIT License
## 🆘 Support
For issues:
1. Check authentication with `check_auth_status`
2. Run the setup command again: `cd /path/to/your/monarch-mcp-server && python login_setup.py`
3. Check error logs for detailed messages
4. Ensure Monarch Money service is accessible
## 🔄 Updates
To update the server:
1. Pull latest changes from repository
2. Restart Claude Desktop or Claude Code
3. Re-run authentication if needed: `python login_setup.py`
