Connect Your AI Tools to Your Finances

The Monarch MCP (Model Context Protocol) connector lets you connect AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and Gemini CLI directly to your Monarch data. Once connected, you can ask natural-language questions about your finances, like "what did I spend on restaurants last month?", "how's my net worth trending?", "which transactions need review?", or — with write access — "re-categorize my Uber rides to 'Rideshare' and add tag 'Work'."  The AI tool can read (and, with permission, modify) the Monarch data available through the connector in real time. Note: Data provided by Finicity isn’t currently available through MCP.

Visit Monarch Settings > MCP Connector for more.

Table of Contents

• Quick start guide
• Supported clients & setup
• Authentication & permissions
• What you can do with the connector
• Finicity data and the MCP connector
• Managing connected tools
• Troubleshooting
• Privacy & data handling
• Frequently asked questions

Quick start guide

1. Copy the server URL: https://api.monarch.com/mcp
2. Add it as a custom MCP connector in your AI client.
3. When prompted, sign in to Monarch in your browser to authorize access.

Supported clients & setup

Other clients

Other AI tools such as Grok, Muse, or Perplexity may also be able to connect to Monarch using the same server URL. These clients aren’t officially supported, but you may be able to integrate with them independently.

Authentication & permissions

The connector uses secure OAuth authorization. When you connect a tool, you’ll complete a two-step flow in your browser: first, review and approve the required reporting to your data providers; then, choose whether to grant read-only access or both read and write access. You never share your Monarch password with the AI tool.

When your AI tool accesses data provided by Plaid, we’re required to share limited access information with Plaid. This applies only to Plaid-related data access, and you’ll see this disclosure on the consent screen the first time you connect. The only thing we share with Plaid is the app’s name, when it accessed Plaid-provided data, and a user ID. These reports never include your transactions, balances, or other account data.

There are two permission scopes:

By default, connections are granted read-only access. Write access is only granted if requested by the client and approved by you.

Important: Monarch can't undo changes made by your AI tool. If you enable write, review changes carefully (especially bulk updates) before confirming them.

Usage

The MCP is available for both Plus and Core. Weekly usage rates are reset every week, and you can check your current usage in Settings > MCP Connector. Monarch Plus members get significantly more usage than Core members and have no weekly cap on writes, except for safeguards put in place to prevent misuse.

What you can do with the connector

Need inspiration? Here are some of the creative ways our members have been using the MCP:

• Getting more from credit card perks. One member with 20 credit cards compared each card’s benefits with their actual transactions to see which perks they’d used and which they’d missed.
• Thinking through a big purchase. One member used their real savings and cash to settle on a car budget they felt good about. A month later, they bought the truck.
• Planning ahead for open enrollment. One family combined their benefits guide with last year’s childcare costs to decide how much to put in their dependent care FSA each paycheck.
• Tracking down reimbursements. One member matched reimbursements to the expenses they covered so nothing slipped through the cracks.
• Running a household money meeting. One couple built a routine that gathers their latest Monarch data and turns it into an agenda for their regular money check-in.
• Splitting shared costs. Partners totaled up shared expenses and worked out who owed what, without a separate spreadsheet.
• Getting organized for tax season. Members gathered HSA-eligible expenses and other records their accountant would ask for, straight from their transaction history.

Finicity data and the MCP connector

Finicity-provided data isn’t currently available through MCP, as the terms for access with AI tools are still being worked through with Finicity. As a result, MCP won’t return data from accounts connected through Finicity. 

This means that if an account is connected through Finicity, its data won’t be available to your AI tool through MCP, so MCP answers may not include information from that account. This may particularly affect brokerage accounts through Fidelity. You can see the list of incompatible institutions at the top of the MCP integrations page. 

If Plaid or MX is available for your institution, compare data providers and learn how to switch. Note that switching providers can change an account’s connection experience and the data available. Finicity may still be the best option for some institutions or accounts, so switching just to use MCP may not be the right choice for everyone.

We're working with Finicity and hope to have these accounts available through the MCP soon.

Managing connected tools

Go to Settings → MCP Connector in the Monarch web app to see all connected tools. Each entry shows:

• The tool name (e.g., "Claude Desktop")
• When it was authorized
• When it was last active
• Its granted scopes

You can revoke any connected tool at any time. Revoking immediately invalidates the tool's access — it will no longer be able to read or modify your data.

Troubleshooting

Privacy & data handling

• Your financial data is accessed through Monarch on your behalf. The AI client/provider you choose only receives the data returned by the specific requests it makes (for example: the transactions, categories, balances, or other results needed to answer your question). 
• Because you are connecting your own third-party AI provider to Monarch via MCP (and Monarch does not control that provider relationship), your AI provider may use data returned through the connector in accordance with its own policies and your settings with that provider.
• All communication uses HTTPS and secure authorization.
• You can revoke access at any time from Settings → MCP Connector.

Frequently asked questions

• Is my data secure if I connect an AI tool like Claude?
• What security reviews or audits has MCP gone through?
• Does Monarch retain my prompts or the AI's responses when I use MCP?
• Are there usage limits? How can I increase my usage?
• What Monarch data is accessible through the MCP connector?
• Can I restrict MCP access to specific accounts, account types, categories, or date ranges? Will you add more granular permissions in the future?
• Can I grant only read access?
• Will my AI tool always ask for explicit approval before writing/changing data in Monarch?
• Is there an audit log of MCP access and actions?
• What other tools does the MCP integrate with?
• What are the ID numbers I see associated with my accounts?
• Can I share my access with someone else?

Is my data secure if I connect an AI tool like Claude?

The connector uses secure OAuth authorization and all communication is sent over HTTPS. Your AI provider only receives the data returned by Monarch in response to the specific requests it makes. Once data is returned to the AI provider, it's handled according to that provider's policies and your settings with that provider.

What security reviews or audits has MCP gone through?

The integration has undergone internal security review and uses industry-standard OAuth authorization patterns and secure communication (HTTPS).

Does Monarch retain my prompts or the AI's responses when I use MCP?

Monarch does not retain your AI prompts or the AI's responses through the MCP connector.

Are there usage limits? How can I increase my usage?

Yes. Connected tools have weekly usage limits that reset every week. Monarch Plus members get significantly more usage than Core members. You can check your current usage in Settings > Integrations. If you regularly reach your limit, upgrading to Monarch Plus may give you more usage.

What Monarch data is accessible through the MCP connector?

Your AI tool only receives data returned by the specific requests it makes, such as transactions, categories, or balances. The connector can’t currently surface data provided by Finicity, so MCP results may not include information from accounts connected through Finicity.

Can I restrict MCP access to specific accounts, account types, categories, or date ranges? Will you add more granular permissions in the future?

Not at this time. Today, access is controlled via permission scopes (read vs. write). We may add more granular scopes/controls as the integration evolves, but we don't have timing to share yet.

Can I grant only read access?

Yes. On the consent screen, uncheck Write and leave only Read ticked. The assistant can still answer questions about your finances but won't be able to modify anything.

Will my AI tool always ask for explicit approval before writing/changing data in Monarch?

It depends on the client and your settings. Most clients will prompt for explicit confirmation before running write actions, but some clients can be configured to run without confirmations. Remember: Monarch can't undo changes made by your AI tool. If you enable Write, review changes carefully (especially bulk updates) before confirming them.

Is there an audit log of MCP access and actions?

Monarch does not currently provide a customer-facing audit log that lists each MCP request and the data returned. You can view and manage connected tools in Settings → MCP Connector, including the tool name, when it was authorized, last active time, and granted scopes.

What other tools does the MCP integrate with?

The MCP server can be added to many AI tools and MCP-compatible clients. However, the clients listed above are the ones we officially support and can help troubleshoot. Other clients may work, but are not officially supported.

What are the ID numbers I see associated with my accounts?

When you use the Monarch MCP connector, you may see long alphanumeric strings displayed alongside your accounts. These are internal Monarch identifiers — unique codes our system uses to reference your accounts behind the scenes. They are not your actual bank account numbers and contain no sensitive financial information.

Please Note: Monarch does not ever store your full bank account number; we only receive the last four digits from our data providers.

Can I share my access with someone else?

No — each authorization is tied to your Monarch account. If a teammate or family member wants the integration, have them connect from their own Monarch account.