How to connect YNAB to OpenClaw
Connect YNAB to OpenClaw with ClawLink in one click — 27 tools your AI agent can call from chat via hosted OAuth. No API keys, no manual setup.
YNABOAUTH2MCPBudget tracking, expense management, and financial planning. Once connected, OpenClaw can read and act on YNAB from chat — pairing, token refresh, and tool wiring handled for you.
The usual route to YNAB access for OpenClaw is an MCP server you configure and keep running, plus your own OAuth app or API keys. ClawLink gives OpenClaw a more practical YNAB setup: install one ClawHub skill, connect YNAB in the browser, and OpenClaw can call real YNAB actions from any chat surface with no auth, token refresh, or tool wiring to build yourself.
Copy this prompt into OpenClaw, or open the YNAB skill on ClawHub.
Before installing anything, inspect the ClawHub skill metadata and setup requirements.
If the skill asks you to install a third-party package or CLI, verify its source, maintainer, and package contents before running the install command.
Install the skill "YNAB" (hith3sh/ynab) from ClawHub only after those checks pass.
Skill page: https://clawhub.ai/hith3sh/ynab
Keep the work scoped to this skill only.
After install, help me finish setup from verified skill metadata.
Use only the metadata you can verify from ClawHub; do not invent missing requirements.
Ask before making any broader environment changes.Setup
It takes three steps to connect OpenClaw to YNAB.
1Install the plugin
Paste the setup prompt into OpenClaw, or install from the terminal and ask OpenClaw to pair:
openclaw plugins install clawhub:clawlink-plugin- 2
Connect YNAB
One-click OAuth in the dashboard.
- 3
Use it from chat
Ask OpenClaw: "What can you do with YNAB?"
Install by command
The setup prompt above does all of this in one paste. By hand, it is one install command plus a browser approval:
openclaw plugins install clawhub:clawlink-pluginThen ask OpenClaw to set up ClawLink. It starts browser pairing and prints an approval link — open it, approve the device, return to the chat, and say done. Finally, connect YNAB in the ClawLink dashboard — a one-click OAuth approval, no API keys.
Verify the connection by asking OpenClaw:
Pull the relevant data from YNAB, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention.
Using a different agent?
The OpenClaw plugin is one client of ClawLink's MCP server. Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, or any agent that can run a shell command pairs with the same ClawLink account through the CLI:
npx -y @useclawlink/cli loginlogin opens the same browser approval and stores a credential locally. Once YNAB is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 27 YNAB tools over MCP. Full setup for MCP clients and shell agents: connect apps to any AI agent.
YNAB MCP for OpenClaw
Looking for a YNAB MCP server for OpenClaw? ClawLink connects YNAB to OpenClaw and exposes 27 YNAB tools your agent can call over MCP, with hosted auth and nothing to run or maintain yourself. Using Hermes instead? The Hermes YNAB integration works the same way.
What the OpenClaw YNAB integration can do
27 YNAB tools are ready for OpenClaw once the account is connected. The 26 below are the ones people reach for most; your agent can call all 27.
26 of 27 YNAB tools for OpenClaw
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
Get account by ID ynab_get_account_by_id | Retrieve a single account resource |
Get budget by ID ynab_get_budget_by_id | Retrieve a complete budget export by ID, including all accounts, categories, payees, and |
Get budget month ynab_get_budget_month | Retrieve a specific budget month |
Get budget settings ynab_get_budget_settings | Retrieve budget-level settings |
Get category by ID ynab_get_category_by_id | Retrieve a single YNAB budget category by its ID |
Get month category by ID ynab_get_month_category_by_id | Retrieve a single category for a specific budget month |
Get payee by ID ynab_get_payee_by_id | Retrieve a single payee by its ID |
Get scheduled transaction by ID ynab_get_scheduled_transaction_by_id | Retrieve a single scheduled transaction |
Get transaction by ID ynab_get_transaction_by_id | Retrieve a single transaction by its ID |
Get user ynab_get_user | Retrieve the authorized user's information |
List accounts ynab_list_accounts | Retrieves all accounts for a specified YNAB budget |
List budgets ynab_list_budgets | Retrieves all budgets accessible to the authenticated YNAB user |
List categories ynab_list_categories | List all category groups and their categories for a budget |
List months ynab_list_months | List months for a budget with summary information |
List payee locations ynab_list_payee_locations | Retrieves all GPS locations associated with payees in a budget |
List payee locations by payee ynab_list_payee_locations_by_payee | Retrieves all GPS locations associated with a specific payee in a budget |
List payees ynab_list_payees | List payees in a budget |
List scheduled transactions ynab_list_scheduled_transactions | List all scheduled (recurring) transactions for a YNAB budget |
List transactions ynab_list_transactions | List transactions in a budget |
List transactions by account ynab_list_transactions_by_account | List transactions for a specific account |
List transactions by category ynab_list_transactions_by_category | List transactions for a specific category (excludes pending) |
List transactions by payee ynab_list_transactions_by_payee | List transactions for a specific payee in a budget |
Create account ynab_create_account | Create a new account in a budget |
Create scheduled transaction ynab_create_scheduled_transaction | Creates a scheduled (recurring) transaction in a YNAB budget |
Update payee ynab_update_payee | Update a payee |
Update scheduled transaction ynab_update_scheduled_transaction | Update an existing scheduled transaction in YNAB |
Try it: find the YNAB tool you need
Browse the 26 YNAB tools
Click any tool to see exactly what OpenClaw can do and copy a ready-to-use prompt.
Example prompts
Pull the relevant data from YNAB, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention.
Pull the relevant data from YNAB, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention.
Pull the relevant data from YNAB, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention.
Pull the relevant data from YNAB, summarize it in plain English, and point out anything that needs attention.
ClawLink vs. building it yourself
The alternative to ClawLink is usually manual OAuth app setup plus your own token handling, permission troubleshooting, and tool plumbing for OpenClaw. That is fine if you want to build and maintain the integration yourself. Most teams just want YNAB working from chat.
| Manual | ClawLink | |
|---|---|---|
| Connection flow | Register a YNAB app, configure redirect URLs, manage consent details, and reconnect users when auth settings drift. | Users connect YNAB through the hosted browser flow and ClawLink keeps the token lifecycle out of your app code. |
| Ongoing maintenance | You own refresh logic, permission debugging, environment config, and every provider-specific edge case for YNAB. | ClawLink handles the repetitive integration plumbing so your team can focus on the workflow instead of the infrastructure. |
| Agent usability | You still need to expose the right YNAB actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 27 tools for YNAB are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. |
ClawLink vs. Composio
Composio also exposes YNAB to AI agents. It is developer infrastructure: Python and TypeScript SDKs, an MCP server, and a catalog past 1,000 apps, aimed at teams shipping agent products. ClawLink is built for OpenClaw users instead. You install the plugin once, connect YNAB in the browser, and the 27 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK, no config file, and no API key handling. Choosing between them? Read the full Composio alternatives comparison.
Troubleshooting
OpenClaw installed the YNAB skill but can't call the tools
The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about YNAB, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure YNAB is connected in the dashboard, then start a fresh chat so OpenClaw reloads the tool catalog. If OpenClaw runs as a persistent gateway, restart it so the new tools register.
Connection succeeds but no tools appear
Reconnect YNAB from the dashboard, then start a fresh chat if the runtime still has the old tool catalog loaded.
"Tool schema not loaded yet" error when calling YNAB tools
YNAB tool schemas load on demand the first time a tool runs and are cached after that, so this error usually clears on its own: wait a few seconds and retry the same request. If every YNAB call keeps failing with it in a fresh chat, reconnect from the dashboard, and contact support if it still persists — that pattern points to a configuration problem on our side, not something you can fix by reconnecting again.
YNAB returns 403 or "permission denied" on one action while others work
Two usual causes. The connected account may not have access to the specific workspace, inbox, store, or project in the request — check that first. If access looks right, the agent may have sent a placeholder value (like "YOUR_ID" or an example id from documentation) instead of a real one: ask it to run a list or search tool first, then retry the action with a real id from those results. Most failures at this stage are one of these two, not ClawLink bugs.
OAuth finished in the browser but the account is still missing
Try reconnecting YNAB and complete the consent flow in the same browser session. Partial OAuth approvals or switching accounts mid-flow can leave the connection incomplete.
FAQ
Is there a OpenClaw YNAB integration?
Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect OpenClaw to YNAB: link your YNAB account once in the browser and OpenClaw can call the YNAB API through 27 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling.
How do I add YNAB to OpenClaw with ClawLink?
Paste the setup prompt from this page into OpenClaw. It installs the ClawLink YNAB skill from ClawHub, then you click Connect in the dashboard to authorize YNAB. OpenClaw calls the tools from the next message — no config files or API keys to manage.
How long does it take to connect YNAB to OpenClaw?
About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to YNAB in the dashboard, authenticate, and OpenClaw can use it from the next chat message.
Why use ClawLink instead of wiring YNAB up myself?
The alternative to ClawLink is usually manual OAuth app setup plus your own token handling, permission troubleshooting, and tool plumbing for OpenClaw. That is fine if you want to build and maintain the integration yourself. Most teams just want YNAB working from chat.
OpenClaw installed the YNAB skill but can't call the tools
The ClawHub skill teaches OpenClaw about YNAB, but the calls run through the ClawLink plugin and your connected account. Make sure YNAB is connected in the dashboard, then start a fresh chat so OpenClaw reloads the tool catalog. If OpenClaw runs as a persistent gateway, restart it so the new tools register.
