actual-mcp-server

Actual MCP Server

Talk to your budget. Run it anywhere. Trust it in production.

Actual MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol server that connects any MCP-compatible AI assistant (such as LibreChat, LobeChat, Claude Desktop, and more) directly to your self-hosted Actual Budget instance. Ask natural language questions, create transactions, analyse spending, and manage your entire budget without ever opening the Actual Budget UI.

┌─────────────┐   MCP/HTTP    ┌──────────────────┐   Actual API   ┌──────────────┐
│  LibreChat  │ ◄───────────► │  Actual MCP      │ ◄───────────► │   Actual     │
│  LobeChat   │               │  Server          │               │   Budget     │
│  (remote)   │               │  (77 tools)      │               │   Server     │
└─────────────┘               └──────────────────┘               └──────────────┘

┌─────────────┐   MCP/stdio   ┌──────────────────┐   Actual API   ┌──────────────┐
│  Claude     │ ◄───────────► │  Actual MCP      │ ◄───────────► │   Actual     │
│  Desktop    │               │  Server          │               │   Budget     │
│  (local)    │               │  (77 tools)      │               │   Server     │
└─────────────┘               └──────────────────┘               └──────────────┘

Why this project?

Most Actual Budget MCP implementations are simple stdio bridges designed for single-user, local use with Claude Desktop. This project goes further:

• 77 tools, the most comprehensive coverage available. Accounts, transactions, categories, payees, tags, notes, rules, budgets, batch operations, bank sync, and more. Covers the reachable Actual Budget API with no genuine gaps.
• HTTP and stdio transport. Runs as a real remote server for LibreChat/LobeChat (`--http`), or as a direct local process for Claude Desktop (`--stdio`). No Docker or HTTP server is needed for local use.
• 6 exclusive ActualQL-powered tools. Search and summarise transactions by month, amount, category, or payee using Actual Budget's native query engine. Aggregated results, no raw data dumped into the AI context window.
• Multi-budget switching at runtime. Configure multiple budget files and let the AI switch between them mid-conversation with `actual_budgets_switch`. Works on both transports: HTTP keys the active budget to the MCP session, and stdio (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor) gets a synthetic per-process session so a switch is scoped to that process rather than shared globally (#348).
• Multi-user ready with OIDC. Secure every session with JWKS-validated JWTs and per-user budget ACLs. No shared tokens required.
• Production-grade reliability on both transports. HTTP connection pooling (up to 15 concurrent sessions), and a long-lived stdio process that logs in ONCE and reuses that connection for every tool call instead of re-authenticating per call, so Claude Desktop and Claude Code stay fast and a burst of calls no longer risks a per-call login storm against the upstream limiter. Automatic retry with exponential backoff, and a full test suite (unit + E2E + integration).

> Verified working with LibreChat, LobeChat, and Claude Desktop. All 77 tools tested end-to-end. Any MCP-compatible client should work.

Table of Contents

• Quick Start
• Upgrading
• Available Tools
• Configuration
• Multi-Budget Switching
• Transport & Authentication
• Testing
• Documentation
• Contributing
• License
• Disclaimer

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Actual Budget server running (local or remote)
• Your Budget Sync ID: Actual → Settings → Show Advanced Settings → Sync ID
• Node.js 22+ (npm method) or Docker

Option A: Docker (recommended)

docker run -d \
  --name actual-mcp-server-backend \
  -p 3600:3600 \
  # Use the same URL you type in your browser to open Actual Budget:
  #   http://localhost:5006          (if Actual Budget runs on the same machine)
  #   http://192.168.1.50:5006       (if it runs on another machine on your network)
  #   https://actual.yourdomain.com  (if you use a domain name)
  #   http://actual:5006             (if both containers share a Docker network; use container name)
  -e ACTUAL_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:5006 \
  -e ACTUAL_PASSWORD=your_password \
  -e ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID=your_sync_id \
  -e MCP_SSE_AUTHORIZATION=your_secret_token \
  -v actual-mcp-data:/app/data \        # required, see note below
  -v actual-mcp-logs:/app/logs \
  ghcr.io/agigante80/actual-mcp-server:latest

> Why the `/app/data` volume is required: Actual Budget does not expose a REST API. The official `@actual-app/api` library (used internally by this server) works by downloading a local copy of your budget data, running all queries on that local copy, then syncing changes back. The `/app/data` volume gives the container a persistent, writable place to store that local copy (it is the directory the image creates and owns as the runtime user). Without it the container has nowhere to write and will fail on startup. See the Actual API docs for details.

>

> actual-mcp does not need to run on the same machine as Actual Budget. You can have Actual Budget on one server and actual-mcp on another - as long as `ACTUAL_SERVER_URL` points to your Actual Budget instance, everything works.

Verify it's running:

# Quick health check
curl http://localhost:3600/health
# Expected: {"status":"ok","transport":"http","version":"..."}

# Full MCP handshake (also verifies your token)
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:3600/http \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_secret_token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"cli-test","version":"1.0"}}}' \
  | python3 -m json.tool
# Success: JSON response with "protocolVersion" and "serverInfo"
# Wrong token: {"error": "Unauthorized"}
# Server not running: curl: (7) Failed to connect

Also available on Docker Hub: `agigante80/actual-mcp-server:latest`

Option B: Docker Compose

git clone https://github.com/agigante80/actual-mcp-server.git
cd actual-mcp-server
cp .env.example .env        # fill in ACTUAL_SERVER_URL, ACTUAL_PASSWORD, ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID

docker compose --profile production up -d   # production: MCP server listens on :3600
# or
docker compose --profile dev up -d          # dev mode with hot-reload

> The compose file defines only the `dev` and `production` profiles. The MCP server listens on `:3600` directly: there is no bundled reverse proxy and no bundled Actual Budget server, so point `ACTUAL_SERVER_URL` at your own Actual instance. For TLS, enable native HTTPS with `MCP_ENABLE_HTTPS=true` (plus `MCP_HTTPS_CERT` and `MCP_HTTPS_KEY`), or front the server with your own reverse proxy.

Option C: npm (HTTP server)

> Requires Node.js 22+. npm and npx do not enforce this, so check with `node --version` first. On an older Node the server refuses to start and tells you so. Note that `npx` runs whichever `node` is first on your `PATH`, which is not always the one you installed most recently.

# Quick start via npx (no clone needed):
ACTUAL_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:5006 \
ACTUAL_PASSWORD=your_password \
ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID=your-sync-id \
MCP_SSE_AUTHORIZATION=your_token \
npx actual-mcp-server --http

# Or clone for development / custom config:
git clone https://github.com/agigante80/actual-mcp-server.git
cd actual-mcp-server
npm install
cp .env.example .env        # fill in required values
npm run build
npm run dev -- --http

Server starts at `http://localhost:3600/http` by default (the listen port is `MCP_BRIDGE_PORT`, default `3600`).

Option D: stdio (Claude Desktop native, no Docker or HTTP server needed)

The stdio transport runs the MCP server as a child process. Claude Desktop spawns it directly and communicates over stdin/stdout. No network port, no auth token, no Docker required. No cloning needed: `npx` downloads and caches the package automatically.

Add to `claude_desktop_config.json` (see docs/guides/MCP_CLIENTS_SETUP.md for config file location and all client options):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "actual-budget": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "actual-mcp-server", "--stdio"],
      "env": {
        "ACTUAL_SERVER_URL": "http://localhost:5006",
        "ACTUAL_PASSWORD": "your_actual_password",
        "ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID": "your-sync-id-here",
        "MCP_BRIDGE_DATA_DIR": "/absolute/path/to/data-dir"
      }
    }
  }
}

> No token needed. stdio runs as a local process owned by your user. The transport itself is the security boundary. All 77 tools are available.

>

> `MCP_BRIDGE_DATA_DIR` should be an absolute path. Without one, the data directory resolves relative to wherever the client spawns the process, which can be unpredictable. The directory is created automatically on first run.

Option E: Unraid (Community Applications)

Actual MCP Server is published in the Unraid Community Applications store: **ca.unraid.net/apps/actual-mcp-server**. This runs the HTTP transport, the right choice for LibreChat, LobeChat, and other remote MCP clients.

Install it from the Apps tab (Community Applications):

1. Open the Apps tab and search for `actual-mcp-server`, then click Install.

2. Fill in Actual server URL, Actual server password, and Actual server Sync ID (the Sync ID is in Actual Budget: open the budget, Settings, Show advanced settings, Sync ID).

3. Set a strong MCP auth token. Generate one with `openssl rand -hex 32`. A blank token disables all HTTP authentication and exposes your financial data unauthenticated on the LAN, so this is required (see Transport & Authentication).

4. Leave PUID=99 and PGID=100 (`nobody:users`) so the container can write the appdata Data and Logs directories, then start it.

5. Reach the health endpoint via the container's WebUI link (port `3600`); point your MCP client at `http://[server-ip]:3600/http` with the Bearer token.

The Unraid template lives in `unraid/actual-mcp-server.xml`. For the publishing workflow see docs/UNRAID_CA_PUBLISHING.md.

Connect an AI client

LibreChat / LobeChat: add to `librechat.yaml` (or LobeChat MCP plugin settings):

mcpServers:
  actual-mcp:
    type: "streamable-http"
    url: "http://actual-mcp-server-backend:3600/http"
    headers:
      Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"
    serverInstructions: true
    timeout: 600000

See docs/guides/AI_CLIENT_SETUP.md for full LibreChat, LobeChat, network, and HTTPS/TLS proxy setup.

Claude Desktop via HTTP (when the server is already running as a Docker container):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "actual-budget": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "http://localhost:3600/http",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop via stdio (native, no HTTP server needed; see Option D above):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "actual-budget": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/actual-mcp-server/dist/src/index.js", "--stdio"],
      "env": {
        "ACTUAL_SERVER_URL": "http://localhost:5006",
        "ACTUAL_PASSWORD": "your_password",
        "ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID": "your-sync-id",
        "MCP_BRIDGE_DATA_DIR": "/absolute/path/to/actual-mcp-server/actual-data"
      }
    }
  }
}

See docs/guides/MCP_CLIENTS_SETUP.md for all options (including Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI), Linux/NVM path fixes, and troubleshooting.

Upgrading

Docker (Option A)

docker pull ghcr.io/agigante80/actual-mcp-server:latest
docker stop actual-mcp-server-backend
docker rm actual-mcp-server-backend
# Re-run the original docker run command with the same flags and volumes

Also available on Docker Hub: `docker pull agigante80/actual-mcp-server:latest`

Docker Compose (Option B)

docker compose pull
docker compose --profile production up -d

npm / cloned repo (Option C)

git pull
npm install
npm run build
# Then restart the server

npx / stdio (Options C & D)

If you run `npx actual-mcp-server` without a globally installed version, npx fetches the latest from the registry automatically. But if you previously installed it globally (`npm install -g actual-mcp-server`), the global install takes precedence, so you must upgrade it explicitly:

# Upgrade the global install
npm install -g actual-mcp-server

# Or force the registry version without touching your global install
npx actual-mcp-server@latest --http

For Claude Desktop (stdio), restart Claude after upgrading.

Available Tools

77 tools across all categories. All tools use the `actual__` naming convention.

Accounts (8)

Transactions (16)

Standard (6)

> Split transactions: pass a `subtransactions` array (each child needs an `amount` in integer cents; `category` and `notes` are optional). The child amounts must sum to the parent `amount` (the server does not enforce this, so the tool does). A split parent carries no category of its own: put categories on the children. `actual_transactions_update` can edit the children of a transaction that is ALREADY a split; converting a plain transaction into a split via update is not supported (create it as a split instead). Note: `actual_transactions_import` forwards a `subtransactions` array to the API but does NOT apply the sum check, so use `actual_transactions_create` for guaranteed-balanced splits.

Utility (2)

Exclusive ActualQL-powered (8), unique to this MCP server

Transfers (1)

> Note: Use `actual_transfers_create` for any account-to-account movement, not `actual_transactions_create`. The dedicated tool creates both sides (debit and credit) atomically so the books stay balanced. Limitations: both accounts must exist and be open, and `from_account` must differ from `to_account`.

Categories (4)

`actual_categories_get` · `actual_categories_create` · `actual_categories_update` · `actual_categories_delete`

Category Groups (4)

`actual_category_groups_get` · `actual_category_groups_create` · `actual_category_groups_update` · `actual_category_groups_delete`

Payees (7)

`actual_payees_get` · `actual_payees_common_list` · `actual_payees_create` · `actual_payees_update` · `actual_payees_delete` · `actual_payees_merge` · `actual_payee_rules_get`

Tags (4)

`actual_tags_list` · `actual_tags_create` · `actual_tags_update` · `actual_tags_delete`

Notes (2)

`actual_notes_get` · `actual_notes_update`

Preferences (1)

Budgets (12)

Rules (5)

`actual_rules_get` · `actual_rules_create` · `actual_rules_update` · `actual_rules_delete`

Schedules (4)

Advanced Query & Sync (2)

Batch Operations (1)

`actual_budget_updates_batch`: batch multiple budget updates in one call

Server Information & Lookup (4)

Session Management (2)

`actual_session_list` · `actual_session_close`

Not Yet Implemented

• Scheduled/recurring transactions (`getSchedules`, `createSchedule`, `updateSchedule`, `deleteSchedule`)

Configuration

All configuration is via environment variables. Copy `.env.example` to `.env` to get started.

Complete Environment Variables Reference

Multi-Budget Switching

Configure multiple Actual Budget files so the AI can switch between them at runtime using `actual_budgets_list_available` and `actual_budgets_switch`.

`BUDGET_N_SERVER_URL` and `BUDGET_N_PASSWORD` fall back to `ACTUAL_SERVER_URL` / `ACTUAL_PASSWORD` when omitted.

# Default budget
ACTUAL_SERVER_URL=http://actual:5006
ACTUAL_PASSWORD=my-password
ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID=aaaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaa
BUDGET_DEFAULT_NAME=Personal

# Budget 1 (same server, same password)
BUDGET_1_NAME=Family
BUDGET_1_SYNC_ID=bbbbbbbb-bbbb-bbbb-bbbb-bbbbbbbbbbbb

# Budget 2 (different server)
BUDGET_2_NAME=Business
BUDGET_2_SERVER_URL=https://actual-office.example.com
BUDGET_2_PASSWORD=office-password
BUDGET_2_SYNC_ID=cccccccc-cccc-cccc-cccc-cccccccccccc

Transport & Authentication

The server supports two transport modes:

The two modes are mutually exclusive. Pass exactly one flag when starting the server.

stdio transport

stdio is the simplest way to connect Claude Desktop directly to Actual Budget. The MCP server runs as a child process; Claude Desktop spawns it, communicates over stdin/stdout using NDJSON (the MCP wire format), and the process exits cleanly when Claude Desktop closes.

Key properties of stdio mode:

• No network port. The transport is a pipe, not a socket.
• No auth token. Process ownership is the security boundary.
• All logs go to stderr so they never corrupt the JSON-RPC framing on stdout
• The process exits when stdin closes (Claude Desktop shutting down)
• All 77 tools are available, identical to HTTP mode

Start manually to verify:

cd /path/to/actual-mcp-server
ACTUAL_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:5006 \
ACTUAL_PASSWORD=your_password \
ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID=your-sync-id \
node dist/src/index.js --stdio

Send a test request (keep stdin open with `sleep`):

{ echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"test","version":"1.0"}}}'; sleep 5; } \
| ACTUAL_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:5006 ACTUAL_PASSWORD=your_password ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID=your-sync-id \
  node dist/src/index.js --stdio 2>/dev/null

Claude Desktop config (`claude_desktop_config.json`):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "actual-budget": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/actual-mcp-server/dist/src/index.js", "--stdio"],
      "env": {
        "ACTUAL_SERVER_URL": "http://localhost:5006",
        "ACTUAL_PASSWORD": "your_actual_password",
        "ACTUAL_BUDGET_SYNC_ID": "your-sync-id-here",
        "MCP_BRIDGE_DATA_DIR": "/absolute/path/to/actual-mcp-server/actual-data"
      }
    }
  }
}

> Path must be absolute. Claude Desktop does not inherit shell `PATH`, so `node` must also be absolute if you use NVM or a non-standard install: `/home/youruser/.nvm/versions/node/v22.x.x/bin/node`.

See docs/guides/MCP_CLIENTS_SETUP.md for all connection options (stdio native, mcp-remote via HTTP/HTTPS), other clients (Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI, Claude Code), Linux path fixes, and troubleshooting.

HTTP transport

HTTP transport uses the `/http` endpoint (StreamableHTTP) with optional Bearer token or OIDC authentication.

Static Bearer token (single-user)

# Generate a token
openssl rand -hex 32

# Add to .env
MCP_SSE_AUTHORIZATION=your_token_here

Clients send: `Authorization: Bearer your_token_here`

OIDC (multi-user)

AUTH_PROVIDER=oidc
OIDC_ISSUER=https://sso.yourdomain.com
OIDC_RESOURCE=your-client-id    # must match 'aud' JWT claim
OIDC_SCOPES=                    # leave empty for Casdoor

OAuth discovery endpoints (automatic in OIDC mode). When `AUTH_PROVIDER=oidc`, the server publishes the two metadata documents an OAuth client needs to bootstrap a login, so `mcp-remote` and Claude.ai's native connector can discover the flow without manual endpoint configuration:

• `GET /.well-known/oauth-protected-resource` (RFC 9728): identifies this server as a protected resource and points at your `OIDC_ISSUER` as the authorization server.
• `GET /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server` (RFC 8414, #285): the authorization server metadata (its `authorization_endpoint` / `token_endpoint` / `registration_endpoint`), re-served from your IdP's own OpenID discovery document. This is here because several clients look for it on the resource-server origin, and some IdPs (e.g. Authentik) do not expose it where those clients look. It is fetched once at startup and served verbatim, exposes only endpoints your IdP already publishes publicly, and requires no authentication (a client reads it before it has a token). No extra configuration is needed; it is absent when `AUTH_PROVIDER` is not `oidc`.

Where the per-user budget ACL comes from. By default the ACL is the `AUTH_BUDGET_ACL` map you maintain by hand. Since v0.10.x it can instead be derived from the Actual server's own per-file access list, so granting or revoking someone in Actual takes effect here without a config edit and a restart:

AUTH_BUDGET_ACL_SOURCE=actual   # default: static (the AUTH_BUDGET_ACL map)
AUTH_BUDGET_ACL_CLAIM=auto      # default: mirrors Actual's own claim precedence

How the match works. Actual does not store your IdP's `sub`. When a user logs in, Actual resolves their identity as the first non-empty of `preferred_username`, `login`, `email`, `id`, `sub`, saves that string as the user's `userName`, and generates its own unrelated UUID as `userId`. The ACL therefore matches your token against `userName`, using that same precedence. `AUTH_BUDGET_ACL_CLAIM=auto` (the default) does exactly this; set it to a single claim name to pin one instead.

Three things to know before enabling it:

• It requires a multi-user Actual server, meaning one configured with `ACTUAL_OPENID_*`. On a password-only server no named users exist and every principal resolves to nothing.
• Your Actual server must have been bootstrapped with a PASSWORD before OpenID was added. This is a hard prerequisite of this MCP server generally, not just of this feature: `@actual-app/api` authenticates with a password, and an Actual server set up with OpenID from scratch refuses password login, so this server cannot connect to it at all. A password cannot be added afterwards.
• The identity is only as trustworthy as the claim behind it. OIDC guarantees that `sub` is unique and never reassigned; `preferred_username` and `email` carry no such guarantee and are often editable by the user. This exposure is inherited from Actual, which keys its own accounts the same way, not introduced here: anyone who can set their `preferred_username` to yours can impersonate you in Actual's login too. If that matters to you, pin `AUTH_BUDGET_ACL_CLAIM` to a claim your IdP does not let users edit, and make sure that is the claim your IdP uses to populate Actual's `user_name`.

It is opt-in and fails closed: if the budget list cannot be read, or the principal matches no file, access is denied rather than granted.

See AI Client Setup, OIDC for `AUTH_BUDGET_ACL` format and Casdoor notes.

Testing

Integration test levels (`tests/manual/`): `sanity` → `smoke` → `normal` → `extended` → `full` → `cleanup`

See `tests/manual/README.md` and `tests/e2e/README.md` for details.

Documentation

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup, code standards, and the PR process.

Quick flow:

1. Fork → `git checkout -b feature/my-feature`

2. Make changes + add tests

3. `npm run build && npm run test:unit-js` must pass

4. Open a Pull Request

Architecture

• Runtime: Node.js 22 (Alpine Linux in Docker)
• Language: TypeScript (ESM, NodeNext module resolution)
• MCP SDK: `@modelcontextprotocol/sdk`
• Actual API: `@actual-app/api`
• Validation: Zod (runtime types + JSON Schema for tool inputs)
• Transports: Express + StreamableHTTP (`--http`) · `StdioServerTransport` (`--stdio`)
• Logging: Winston with daily rotation (all output routed to stderr in stdio mode)

Every Actual API call goes through the `withActualApi()` wrapper in `src/lib/actual-adapter.ts`, which handles init/shutdown lifecycle, retry (3 attempts, exponential backoff), and concurrency limiting. See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for full design documentation.

License

MIT. See LICENSE for details.

Acknowledgments

• **Actual Budget**: open-source budgeting software
• **Model Context Protocol**: standardised AI-app integration
• **LibreChat**: open-source ChatGPT alternative
• **s-stefanov/actual-mcp**: original adapter pattern

Disclaimer

This project started as a personal learning exercise to explore the Model Context Protocol technology. It is an independent open-source project, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by Actual Budget or any other organisation.

The software is provided as-is, without warranty of any kind. The author accepts no responsibility for how it is used, for any data loss, financial errors, or other consequences arising from its use. If you connect it to real financial data, you do so entirely at your own risk.

Support

• **GitHub Issues**: bug reports and feature requests
• **GitHub Discussions**: questions and ideas

Version: 0.19.3 | Tool Count: 77 (verified LibreChat-compatible)

Sponsor

I build and maintain this in my own time. It is free, it stays free, and it gets maintained either way.

If it saved you some time and you feel like saying thanks, you can do that at github.com/sponsors/agigante80. Entirely optional, and nothing about the project changes either way.