How to integrate Ynab MCP with Pydantic AI

This guide walks you through connecting Ynab to Pydantic AI using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Ynab agent that can show your spending by category this week, add a new expense to groceries, list upcoming scheduled transactions through natural language commands. This guide will help you understand how to give your Pydantic AI agent real control over a Ynab account through Composio's Ynab MCP server. Before we dive in, let's take a quick look at the key ideas and tools involved.

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YNAB (You Need A Budget) is a personal finance and budgeting platform that helps users track spending, plan budgets, and reach savings goals. It's designed to give you more control over your money and reduce financial stress.

27 Tools

Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Ynab to Pydantic AI using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Ynab agent that can show your spending by category this week, add a new expense to groceries, list upcoming scheduled transactions through natural language commands.

This guide will help you understand how to give your Pydantic AI agent real control over a Ynab account through Composio's Ynab MCP server.

Before we dive in, let's take a quick look at the key ideas and tools involved.

Also integrate Ynab with

OpenAI Agents SDKClaude Agent SDKClaude CodeClaude CoworkCodexOpenClawHermesCLIGoogle ADKLangChainVercel AI SDKMastra AILlamaIndexCrewAI

TL;DR

Here's what you'll learn:
  • How to set up your Composio API key and User ID
  • How to create a Composio Tool Router session for Ynab
  • How to attach an MCP Server to a Pydantic AI agent
  • How to stream responses and maintain chat history
  • How to build a simple REPL-style chat interface to test your Ynab workflows

What is Pydantic AI?

Pydantic AI is a Python framework for building AI agents with strong typing and validation. It leverages Pydantic's data validation capabilities to create robust, type-safe AI applications.

Key features include:

  • Type Safety: Built on Pydantic for automatic data validation
  • MCP Support: Native support for Model Context Protocol servers
  • Streaming: Built-in support for streaming responses
  • Async First: Designed for async/await patterns

What is the Ynab MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Ynab MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Ynab account. It provides structured and secure access to your budgeting data, so your agent can perform actions like tracking expenses, creating and adjusting budgets, fetching transaction history, and analyzing spending patterns on your behalf.

  • Automated transaction tracking: Let your agent fetch, categorize, or summarize recent transactions to keep your spending up to date.
  • Budget creation and adjustment: Instruct your agent to set up new budgets, update existing categories, or reallocate funds between envelopes as your needs change.
  • Spending analysis and reporting: Have your agent analyze your expenses, highlight trends, or generate summaries to help you understand where your money goes.
  • Goal monitoring and progress updates: Ask your agent to track progress toward savings or debt payoff goals, and notify you of milestones or needed adjustments.
  • Account and balance synchronization: Enable your agent to pull up-to-date balances from multiple accounts, ensuring your budget always reflects the latest financial picture.

What is the Composio tool router, and how does it fit here?

What is Composio SDK?

Composio's Composio SDK helps agents find the right tools for a task at runtime. You can plug in multiple toolkits (like Gmail, HubSpot, and GitHub), and the agent will identify the relevant app and action to complete multi-step workflows. This can reduce token usage and improve the reliability of tool calls. Read more here: Getting started with Composio SDK

The tool router generates a secure MCP URL that your agents can access to perform actions.

How the Composio SDK works

The Composio SDK follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Discovery: Searches for tools matching your task and returns relevant toolkits with their details.
  2. Authentication: Checks for active connections. If missing, creates an auth config and returns a connection URL via Auth Link.
  3. Execution: Executes the action using the authenticated connection.

Step-by-step Guide

Step by step09 STEPS
1

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • Python 3.9 or higher
  • A Composio account with an active API key
  • Basic familiarity with Python and async programming
2

Getting API Keys for OpenAI and Composio

OpenAI API Key
  • Go to the OpenAI dashboard and create an API key. You'll need credits to use the models, or you can connect to another model provider.
  • Keep the API key safe.
Composio API Key
  • Log in to the Composio dashboard.
  • Navigate to your API settings and generate a new API key.
  • Store this key securely as you'll need it for authentication.
3

Install dependencies

bash
pip install composio pydantic-ai python-dotenv

Install the required libraries.

What's happening:

  • composio connects your agent to external SaaS tools like Ynab
  • pydantic-ai lets you create structured AI agents with tool support
  • python-dotenv loads your environment variables securely from a .env file
4

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key

Create a .env file in your project root.

What's happening:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates your agent to Composio's API
  • USER_ID associates your session with your account for secure tool access
  • OPENAI_API_KEY to access OpenAI LLMs
5

Import dependencies

python
import asyncio
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from composio import Composio
from pydantic_ai import Agent
from pydantic_ai.mcp import MCPServerStreamableHTTP

load_dotenv()
What's happening:
  • We load environment variables and import required modules
  • Composio manages connections to Ynab
  • MCPServerStreamableHTTP connects to the Ynab MCP server endpoint
  • Agent from Pydantic AI lets you define and run the AI assistant
6

Create a Tool Router Session

python
async def main():
    api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
    user_id = os.getenv("USER_ID")
    if not api_key or not user_id:
        raise RuntimeError("Set COMPOSIO_API_KEY and USER_ID in your environment")

    # Create a Composio Tool Router session for Ynab
    composio = Composio(api_key=api_key)
    session = composio.create(
        user_id=user_id,
        toolkits=["ynab"],
    )
    url = session.mcp.url
    if not url:
        raise ValueError("Composio session did not return an MCP URL")
What's happening:
  • We're creating a Tool Router session that gives your agent access to Ynab tools
  • The create method takes the user ID and specifies which toolkits should be available
  • The returned session.mcp.url is the MCP server URL that your agent will use
7

Initialize the Pydantic AI Agent

python
# Attach the MCP server to a Pydantic AI Agent
ynab_mcp = MCPServerStreamableHTTP(url, headers={"x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY})
agent = Agent(
    "openai:gpt-5",
    toolsets=[ynab_mcp],
    instructions=(
        "You are a Ynab assistant. Use Ynab tools to help users "
        "with their requests. Ask clarifying questions when needed."
    ),
)
What's happening:
  • The MCP client connects to the Ynab endpoint
  • The agent uses GPT-5 to interpret user commands and perform Ynab operations
  • The instructions field defines the agent's role and behavior
8

Build the chat interface

python
# Simple REPL with message history
history = []
print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")
print("Try asking the agent to help you with Ynab.\n")

while True:
    user_input = input("You: ").strip()
    if user_input.lower() in {"exit", "quit", "bye"}:
        print("\nGoodbye!")
        break
    if not user_input:
        continue

    print("\nAgent is thinking...\n", flush=True)

    async with agent.run_stream(user_input, message_history=history) as stream_result:
        collected_text = ""
        async for chunk in stream_result.stream_output():
            text_piece = None
            if isinstance(chunk, str):
                text_piece = chunk
            elif hasattr(chunk, "delta") and isinstance(chunk.delta, str):
                text_piece = chunk.delta
            elif hasattr(chunk, "text"):
                text_piece = chunk.text
            if text_piece:
                collected_text += text_piece
        result = stream_result

    print(f"Agent: {collected_text}\n")
    history = result.all_messages()
What's happening:
  • The agent reads input from the terminal and streams its response
  • Ynab API calls happen automatically under the hood
  • The model keeps conversation history to maintain context across turns
9

Run the application

python
if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())
What's happening:
  • The asyncio loop launches the agent and keeps it running until you exit

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Ynab and Pydantic AI:

python
import asyncio
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from composio import Composio
from pydantic_ai import Agent
from pydantic_ai.mcp import MCPServerStreamableHTTP

load_dotenv()

async def main():
    api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
    user_id = os.getenv("USER_ID")
    if not api_key or not user_id:
        raise RuntimeError("Set COMPOSIO_API_KEY and USER_ID in your environment")

    # Create a Composio Tool Router session for Ynab
    composio = Composio(api_key=api_key)
    session = composio.create(
        user_id=user_id,
        toolkits=["ynab"],
    )
    url = session.mcp.url
    if not url:
        raise ValueError("Composio session did not return an MCP URL")

    # Attach the MCP server to a Pydantic AI Agent
    ynab_mcp = MCPServerStreamableHTTP(url, headers={"x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY})
    agent = Agent(
        "openai:gpt-5",
        toolsets=[ynab_mcp],
        instructions=(
            "You are a Ynab assistant. Use Ynab tools to help users "
            "with their requests. Ask clarifying questions when needed."
        ),
    )

    # Simple REPL with message history
    history = []
    print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")
    print("Try asking the agent to help you with Ynab.\n")

    while True:
        user_input = input("You: ").strip()
        if user_input.lower() in {"exit", "quit", "bye"}:
            print("\nGoodbye!")
            break
        if not user_input:
            continue

        print("\nAgent is thinking...\n", flush=True)

        async with agent.run_stream(user_input, message_history=history) as stream_result:
            collected_text = ""
            async for chunk in stream_result.stream_output():
                text_piece = None
                if isinstance(chunk, str):
                    text_piece = chunk
                elif hasattr(chunk, "delta") and isinstance(chunk.delta, str):
                    text_piece = chunk.delta
                elif hasattr(chunk, "text"):
                    text_piece = chunk.text
                if text_piece:
                    collected_text += text_piece
            result = stream_result

        print(f"Agent: {collected_text}\n")
        history = result.all_messages()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())

Conclusion

You've built a Pydantic AI agent that can interact with Ynab through Composio's Tool Router. With this setup, your agent can perform real Ynab actions through natural language. You can extend this further by:
  • Adding other toolkits like Gmail, HubSpot, or Salesforce
  • Building a web-based chat interface around this agent
  • Using multiple MCP endpoints to enable cross-app workflows (for example, Gmail + Ynab for workflow automation)
This architecture makes your AI agent "agent-native", able to securely use APIs in a unified, composable way without custom integrations.
TOOLS

Supported Tools

Every Ynab action and event your agent gets out of the box.

Create a new account in a budget

Tool to create a new account in a budget.

Create Scheduled Transaction

Creates a scheduled (recurring) transaction in a YNAB budget.

Delete Scheduled Transaction

Permanently deletes a scheduled transaction from a YNAB budget.

Get Account by ID

Tool to retrieve a single account resource.

Get Budget By ID

Retrieve a complete budget export by ID, including all accounts, categories, payees, and transactions.

Get Budget Month

Tool to retrieve a specific budget month.

Get Budget Settings

Tool to retrieve budget-level settings.

Get Category by ID

Retrieve a single YNAB budget category by its ID.

Get Month Category By ID

Tool to retrieve a single category for a specific budget month.

Get Payee by ID

Tool to retrieve a single payee by its ID.

Get Scheduled Transaction by ID

Tool to retrieve a single scheduled transaction.

Get Transaction by ID

Tool to retrieve a single transaction by its ID.

Get Authorized User

Tool to retrieve the authorized user's information.

List Accounts

Retrieves all accounts for a specified YNAB budget.

List Budgets

Retrieves all budgets accessible to the authenticated YNAB user.

List Categories

Tool to list all category groups and their categories for a budget.

List Budget Months

Tool to list months for a budget with summary information.

List Payee Locations

Retrieves all GPS locations associated with payees in a budget.

List Payee Locations by Payee

Retrieves all GPS locations associated with a specific payee in a budget.

List payees in a budget

Tool to list payees in a budget.

List Scheduled Transactions

List all scheduled (recurring) transactions for a YNAB budget.

List Transactions

Tool to list transactions in a budget.

List Transactions by Account

Tool to list transactions for a specific account.

List Transactions by Category

Tool to list transactions for a specific category (excludes pending).

List Transactions by Payee

Tool to list transactions for a specific payee in a budget.

Update Payee

Tool to update a payee.

Update Scheduled Transaction

Update an existing scheduled transaction in YNAB.

FRAMEWORKS

How to build Ynab MCP Agent with another framework

OpenAI Agents SDK logo

OpenAI Agents SDK

Use Ynab MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK

Claude Agent SDK logo

Claude Agent SDK

Use Ynab MCP with Claude Agent SDK

Claude Code logo

Claude Code

Use Ynab MCP with Claude Code

Claude Cowork logo

Claude Cowork

Use Ynab MCP with Claude Cowork

Codex logo

Codex

Use Ynab MCP with Codex

OpenClaw logo

OpenClaw

Use Ynab MCP with OpenClaw

Hermes logo

Hermes

Use Ynab MCP with Hermes

CLI logo

CLI

Use Ynab MCP with CLI

Google ADK logo

Google ADK

Use Ynab MCP with Google ADK

LangChain logo

LangChain

Use Ynab MCP with LangChain

Vercel AI SDK logo

Vercel AI SDK

Use Ynab MCP with Vercel AI SDK

Mastra AI logo

Mastra AI

Use Ynab MCP with Mastra AI

LlamaIndex logo

LlamaIndex

Use Ynab MCP with LlamaIndex

CrewAI logo

CrewAI

Use Ynab MCP with CrewAI

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

With a standalone Ynab MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Ynab tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Ynab and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Yes, you can. Pydantic AI fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Ynab tools.

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Ynab scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Ynab data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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