## What & why
Adds a **read-only MCP server** so a paid ("Pro") user can connect
Whisper Money to their own AI assistant (Claude web/desktop, Claude
Code, ChatGPT) and analyse their own finances — spending, cashflow, net
worth, transactions.
This is **Phase 1 (PR1): read-only**. Write tools (create/edit/delete
transactions, categories, labels, rules, balances) are a deliberate
follow-up (PR2); the token plumbing already reserves an `mcp:write`
ability for them.
## How it works
- **Transport:** remote streamable HTTP server via `laravel/mcp`,
mounted at `/mcp` (`routes/ai.php`).
- **Auth:** Sanctum personal access tokens with **MCP-only abilities**
(`mcp:read`). The route is gated by `auth:sanctum` +
`abilities:mcp:read` + `throttle:60,1`, so a future public-API token
(different ability) can't reach it and vice versa.
- **Pro gating** is enforced **per request inside the tools**
(`User::canUseFeature(PlanFeature::McpAccess)`), so a lapsed
subscription stops working on its own without the user revoking the
token. Free users can still create tokens (marked **PRO** in the UI) but
every call returns a "paid plan required" error with an upgrade URL.
- **Consent:** connecting is the consent — a clearly-weighted
data-egress disclaimer + per-client connection instructions on the
settings page. No separate checkbox (by design).
## Tools (all read-only)
| Tool | Scope |
|------|-------|
| `search_transactions` | space-scoped (optional `space`, defaults to
personal) |
| `list_accounts`, `list_categories`, `list_spaces` | space-scoped |
| `spending_by_category`, `get_cashflow`, `get_net_worth` | user's whole
account (reuse existing analytics services/controllers) |
Recurring-charge detection is left to the agent over
`search_transactions` results (no dedicated tool).
## Settings → MCP access
New page to create / rotate / revoke tokens (name + one-time secret
reveal), with `last_used_at`, a PRO badge, the egress disclaimer, and
copy-paste connection instructions for Claude (web/desktop), Claude Code
and ChatGPT.
## Tests
- Tool behaviour + Pro gating + **cross-user / cross-space isolation**
(`tests/Feature/Mcp/McpToolsTest.php`).
- HTTP auth boundary: 401 without a token, 403 without `mcp:read`, 200
with it (`tests/Feature/Mcp/McpEndpointAuthTest.php`).
- Token CRUD + ownership + free-tier creation
(`tests/Feature/Settings/McpTokenTest.php`).
## Reviewed & adjusted
Ran technical + product reviews and applied the fixes: kept PR1 strictly
read-only (dropped a UI scope selector that promised non-existent
write), routed gating through the `PlanFeature` convention, put token
rotation behind a confirmation, removed a silent on-load clipboard copy,
weighted the egress disclaimer, and fixed a `list_spaces` N+1.
### Known, deliberate tradeoffs
- `get_cashflow` / `get_net_worth` / `spending_by_category` reuse the
existing **user-scoped** analytics controllers/services, so they cover
the whole account rather than a single space (documented in the server
instructions). Per-space analytics is a follow-up.
- Space tools scope by `space_id` gated by membership
(`accessibleSpaces`) — the intended shared-tenant model — rather than a
per-row `user_id` filter.
## Not runnable in this environment
Browser QA of the settings page wasn't run here (no local
`node_modules`); that surface relies on CI build/typecheck/lint and
follows existing settings-page conventions.
---
## Updates since opening
- **Behind a feature flag.** New `App\Features\Mcp` (default off) hides
the whole settings screen — the nav item and every `settings/mcp*` route
(404 when off). Pro-plan gating still happens per request. Enable it
with `php artisan feature:enable "App\Features\Mcp" <email|all|25%>`.
- **Renamed** the user-facing page from "MCP access" to **"AI
Connector"** (nav, title, breadcrumb) so non-technical users understand
it. Route names, files and the feature stay internal.
- **Shared `ProBadge`** component (amber), now used on both the AI
Connector and billing pages instead of an inline badge.
- **Softer data-egress notice** (amber shield icon instead of a red
alert) and plainer copy throughout.
- **Accurate connection instructions (important).** Verified against the
official docs: a personal access token works with **Claude Code** today.
**Claude Desktop** and **ChatGPT** custom connectors authenticate over
**OAuth** and do not accept a static token, so they're now marked
**"coming soon"**. OAuth is the real unlock for those clients and is the
recommended follow-up (it also maps to the deferred write-tools work).
Sources: [Claude custom
connectors](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11175166-get-started-with-custom-connectors-using-remote-mcp),
[ChatGPT developer
mode](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/developer-mode).
- UI reviewed in a real browser; layout/alignment checked across states
(empty, new-token reveal, token list).
Suggests transaction categorization rules during onboarding.
After a sync or import, it groups the uncategorized transactions, asks
Gemini (via laravel/ai) to map the common merchants to categories, and
shows the results for review. The user edits or drops any and creates
the ones they want. During onboarding the accepted rules also categorize
existing transactions right away.
Off by default: it needs the `AiRuleSuggestions` Pennant flag and a
per-user AI consent. The model and thresholds are config-driven.
`ai:suggest-rules {user}` prints what a user would get.
The settings-page surface and monthly regeneration are a follow-up.
Víctor Falcón