Use Forward with your AI assistant

Forward works with AI assistants that support connectors, such as Claude. Your assistant can then answer questions about your budget from Forward’s own numbers: what’s left in a category, whether you can afford something, what bills and paychecks are coming, and where your money went.

Connect it

  1. In your assistant, add a connector with this address: https://mcp.forwardbudget.app/mcp In Claude, that’s Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
  2. Sign in to Forward when it asks.
  3. Choose which budgets the assistant can see, then press Allow.
  4. Ask it something, like “How much is left in groceries?” or “Can I afford this?”

The same address is in Forward under Connected apps, in the account menu, with a button to copy it.

Using Claude? Add the Forward plugin

The plugin teaches Claude how Forward works, Assigned and Funded, Left to assign, needs and pace, and five guided conversations: a paycheck just landed, a weekly Inbox review, can I afford this, why is this category short, and where did my money go. It includes the Forward connector, so it replaces the custom-connector step above.

  1. Download the Forward plugin. Keep it as a .zip; don’t unzip it.
  2. In Claude, go to Customize → Plugins (not Skills), choose Add → Upload plugin, and pick the file.
  3. Open the plugin’s Connectors tab and connect Forward, then sign in and choose your budgets as above.
  4. Ask something like “A paycheck just landed” or “Why is Car insurance short?”

Already added Forward as a custom connector? You can add just the skill instead: download the Forward skill, then in Claude go to Customize → Skills, upload it and turn it on.

Skills need a paid Claude plan and Code execution and file creation turned on under Settings → Capabilities. Download the file again when we update it, and upload it the same way.

What it can see

It works only with the budgets you pick, and you can disconnect it any time. The one exception: payee names are shared across your household’s budgets, so it can see those from any of them. It never sees your bank sign-in or your account numbers, and Forward never moves real money. Once it has your data, its maker’s terms and privacy policy apply, not Forward’s. See AI assistants you connect in our privacy policy.

Disconnect it

Open Connected apps in Forward’s account menu and press Disconnect. The assistant’s next request is refused. Each person in a household connects and disconnects only their own assistants.

Who can use it

Connecting an assistant is part of the founding membership. Questions? Email support@forwardbudget.app.