Lunch Money MCP Server

MCP server for managing LunchMoney personal finances: transactions, budgets, categories, and more.

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What is the Lunch Money MCP server?

Most developer tooling work still happens through a UI a human drives. Lunch Money MCP server moves it into the conversation instead. MCP server for managing LunchMoney personal finances: transactions, budgets, categories, and more.

The short version

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation for LunchMoney, providing programmatic access to personal finance management through LunchMoney's API. Also available as an MCP Bundle (.mcpb) for easy installation in Claude Desktop.

This MCP server enables AI assistants and other MCP clients to interact with LunchMoney data, allowing for automated financial insights, transaction management, budgeting, and more.

Getting it running

Because this one is hosted, setup is mostly authentication — you point your client at the endpoint and approve access. Nothing runs on your machine, so there is no runtime to keep patched.

The tools it exposes

The server publishes 14 tools. What each one is for:

  • get_user — Retrieve current user details
  • get_all_categories — List all categories (supports format and is_group filters)
  • get_single_category — Get details for a specific category or category group
  • create_category — Create a category or category group (set is_group=true plus children)
  • update_category — Update properties; replaces the children list on category groups
  • delete_category — Delete a category; pass force=true to override dependency check
  • get_all_tags — List all tags
  • get_single_tag — Get a tag by ID
  • create_tag — Create a new tag
  • update_tag — Update tag properties
  • delete_tag — Delete a tag (with force to override dependents)
  • get_transactions — List transactions with extensive filtering options (date range, account, category, tag, status, pending, metadata, files, etc)

What it needs from you

Configuration is passed through the environment: LUNCHMONEY_API_TOKEN, LUNCHMONEY_DEBUG. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.

Things to watch

  • Your data travels to the provider's service, so the usual questions apply about what you send and what they retain.
  • With 14 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch Lunch Money.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

How it compares

Among the developer tooling options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Lunch Money's toolset — get_user, get_all_categories, get_single_category and 11 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by akutishevsky; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

This entry was verified against Lunch Money's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
get_userRetrieve current user details
get_all_categoriesList all categories (supports format and is_group filters)
get_single_categoryGet details for a specific category or category group
create_categoryCreate a category or category group (set is_group=true plus children)
update_categoryUpdate properties; replaces the children list on category groups
delete_categoryDelete a category; pass force=true to override dependency check
get_all_tagsList all tags
get_single_tagGet a tag by ID
create_tagCreate a new tag
update_tagUpdate tag properties
delete_tagDelete a tag (with force to override dependents)
get_transactionsList transactions with extensive filtering options (date range, account, category, tag, status, pending, metadata, files, etc)
get_single_transactionGet full transaction details (always includes plaid_metadata, custom_metadata, files, and children for split/group parents)
create_transactionsInsert 1–500 transactions in one call

How to install the Lunch Money MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lunchmoney": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@akutishevsky/lunchmoney-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LUNCHMONEY_API_TOKEN": "your-value",
        "LUNCHMONEY_DEBUG": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
LUNCHMONEY_API_TOKENCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
LUNCHMONEY_DEBUGConfiguration value read at startup.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • Use Lunch Money to get user.
  • Use Lunch Money to get all categories.
  • Use Lunch Money to get single category.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Lunch Money to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 14 tools (get_user, get_all_categories, get_single_category, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Lunch Money directly.