Smart Expense Tracker MCP

Overview

An MCP server that lets an AI app like Claude Desktop add expenses and answer questions about them. Data is stored in SQLite.

MCP Parts

• Tools: add_expense, monthly_total, top_categories
• Resource: expense://monthly_report
• Prompt: budget_summary

Setup

1. Install Python 3.10+ and Node.js 18+
2. Create a virtual environment:

python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install packages:

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Test with MCP Inspector:

mcp dev server.py

Connect to Claude Desktop

Open Settings > Developer > Edit Config and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "expense-tracker": {
      "command": "C:/full/path/to/venv/Scripts/python.exe",
      "args": ["C:/full/path/to/server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop.

Example Questions

• I spent 250 on food today, add it
• What is my total expense this month?
• Which category did I spend the most on?

Run Tests

pytest

Error Handling

Wrong input returns a clear message. For example: negative amount, empty title, wrong date format (use YYYY-MM-DD) or wrong month format (use YYYY-MM).

Future Enhancements

• Monthly charts
• Export reports to PDF and Excel
• Edit and delete expenses