TL;DR
Connect the Plaid API to Claude via MCP. Analyze bank transactions, account balances, and financial data with AI using AnythingMCP.
Analyze Financial Data with Claude
Plaid has no MCP connector. With AnythingMCP, you can convert Plaid's REST API into an MCP server and let Claude query linked bank accounts, transactions, and financial insights.
What You Need
- A Plaid developer account (
https://dashboard.plaid.com) - Docker installed
- Claude Desktop, Claude.ai, or any MCP-compatible AI client
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Deploy AnythingMCP
git clone https://github.com/HelpCode-ai/anythingmcp.git
cd anythingmcp && docker compose up -d
Step 2: Get Plaid API Keys
Sign up at https://dashboard.plaid.com. Get your client_id and sandbox/development secret. Use sandbox first for testing with test credentials.
Step 3: Create a REST Connector
Create a REST connector with base URL https://sandbox.plaid.com (or https://development.plaid.com for real data). Add PLAID-CLIENT-ID and PLAID-SECRET headers.
Step 4: Expose Key Endpoints
POST /accounts/balance/get— Account balancesPOST /transactions/get— Transaction historyPOST /institutions/get_by_id— Bank detailsPOST /categories/get— Transaction categoriesPOST /investments/holdings/get— Investment holdings
Step 5: Connect to Claude
{
"mcpServers": {
"plaid": {
"url": "http://localhost:4000/mcp"
}
}
}
You can also add your MCP server directly in Claude.ai under Settings → Connectors, without needing Claude Desktop.
Step 6: Ask Claude About Your Finances
- "What's my total balance across all linked accounts?"
- "How much did I spend on dining this month?"
- "Show me my largest transactions from the last week"
- "What's my spending trend by category?"
- "Summarize my investment holdings"
Security Best Practices
- Start with Plaid Sandbox for testing
- Only expose read endpoints
- Encrypt access tokens at rest
- Enable AnythingMCP audit logging
Next Steps
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