Skip to main content
PricingCompanyArticlesSign inGet started free
Get started free

Back to articles

Guide

Connect any AI agent to your bank accounts

Era Team

Product

Era Context connects your bank accounts, credit cards, and investments to any AI agent that supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP). One account. One setup. Every agent — Claude, ChatGPT, OpenClaw, Manus, Cursor, Gemini, and dozens more.

You don't have to pick one AI and hope it's the right one. Era is agent-agnostic. Connect your bank once, and any MCP-compatible client can access your financial data with your explicit permission.

How it works

Era Context is a personal MCP server. MCP — the Model Context Protocol — is an open standard that lets AI agents connect to external data sources securely. Era implements this protocol for personal finance.

The setup follows the same pattern regardless of which AI client you use:

  1. Create an Era account at era.app. The Basic tier is free.
  2. Connect your bank through Era Context using MX, a regulated financial data provider. Your bank credentials are never stored by Era.
  3. Add the MCP server URL to your AI client: https://context.era.app
  4. Complete the OAuth consent — you explicitly authorize each AI agent to access your data.
  5. Ask your AI about your money — it responds with real data.

That's it. Five steps, five minutes, any agent.

Popular AI clients

Era works with any MCP-compatible client. Here are the popular ones and where to find their MCP settings:

Client Where to add MCP servers
Claude Desktop Settings → MCP Servers
Claude Code MCP configuration file
ChatGPT Settings → MCP servers
Cursor Settings → MCP
OpenClaw MCP server configuration
Manus Agent settings → MCP
Gemini MCP server settings
VS Code (Copilot) MCP configuration
Perplexity MCP settings
Cline MCP configuration
Hermes MCP settings

For every client, the MCP server URL is the same:

https://context.era.app

No trailing slash. No path. No /sse. Just that URL.

Configuration example

Most clients accept a JSON config like this:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "era-context": {
      "url": "https://context.era.app"
    }
  }
}

Some clients have a visual settings panel where you paste the URL directly. Either way, the URL is https://context.era.app.

What your AI can do once connected

Era Context exposes 33 MCP tools across 7 groups. Your AI client picks the right tools automatically — you just ask questions in natural language:

Account basics:

  • "What are my account balances?"
  • "Show me all my connected accounts"

Transaction search:

  • "How much did I spend at Whole Foods this month?"
  • "List all transactions over $200 in the last 30 days"
  • "Find my recurring charges"

Spending analysis:

  • "Break down my spending by category this month"
  • "Compare my spending this month to last month"
  • "What's my cash flow look like?"
  • "Forecast my spending for the rest of the month"

Financial context:

  • "Can I afford a $2,000 purchase right now?"
  • "What's my daily financial summary?"

These work in any connected agent. Ask Claude, ask ChatGPT, ask OpenClaw — the data is the same because it all flows through Era Context.

Cross-agent memory

This is the part that changes everything.

When you tell one AI agent something about your finances — a savings goal, a spending preference, context about a transaction — Era Context remembers it. And that memory is available to every connected agent.

Tell Claude you're saving for a down payment. Open ChatGPT later. It already knows. Switch to OpenClaw. Same context. Your financial memory follows you across agents.

This isn't just convenient. It means you can use whichever AI is best for the task at hand without losing context. Use Claude for deep analysis, ChatGPT for quick questions, Cursor while coding — they all share the same understanding of your financial life.

You control this memory completely:

  • Ask any agent to remember something, and every agent knows it
  • Ask any agent to forget something, and it's gone everywhere
  • Your memory is private to you — never shared with other users, never used to train models

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to connect my bank account to an AI?

Era doesn't give AI agents your bank credentials. Here's how the security works:

  • Bank authentication is handled entirely by MX, a regulated financial data provider. Your username and password are never stored by Era.
  • Data encryption: AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.3 in transit.
  • Explicit authorization: Every AI agent must go through OAuth consent before it can access anything. You approve each one individually.
  • Data policy: Your data is never sold, never used for advertising, never shared without your explicit permission.
  • SEC-registered: Era Financial Advisors LLC, CRD #334404. Built by a team from Stripe, Robinhood, CashApp, Apple, and Google.

What data can the AI see?

On the Basic (free) tier, your AI agents have read-only access to:

  • Account balances for up to two connected accounts
  • Transaction history
  • Basic financial metrics

On paid tiers, additional capabilities include automation rules, full categorization, tags, and more accounts. The Organize tier ($14.99/month) adds 15 accounts, a full rules engine, and read-write MCP access. The Automate tier ($29.99/month) adds money transfers. The Optimize tier ($49.99/month) adds brokerage and investment capabilities.

Can I revoke access?

Yes, instantly. You can disconnect any AI agent from Era Context at any time. The agent immediately loses access to your financial data. You can also reconnect later without losing your transaction history or financial memory.

Can the AI move my money?

On the Basic and Organize tiers, access is read-only or read-write for organization purposes — no money movement. The Automate tier ($29.99/month) enables transfers, but every transfer rule requires your explicit approval before it activates. The AI can never move money without your permission.

Do I need a separate Era account for each AI agent?

No. One Era account works with every MCP-compatible client. Connect your bank once, authorize each agent via OAuth, and they all access the same data through your single Era Context.

What happens if my bank connection drops?

Era preserves your full transaction history even if a bank connection is temporarily disconnected. You can reconnect at any time without losing data. Era Context will notify you if a connection needs attention.

Does Era work with my bank?

Era supports thousands of financial institutions through MX. Most major banks, credit unions, credit card issuers, and investment platforms are supported. The best way to check is to start the bank connection flow in Era Context — you'll see whether your institution is available.

Automation rules

On the Organize tier and above, you can describe automation rules in plain English through any connected AI agent:

  • "Tag all Uber transactions as commuting"
  • "Flag any charge over $500"
  • "Clean up merchant names for all Amazon purchases"
  • "Detect recurring charges I might have forgotten about"

Your AI agent creates the rule, and you review and approve it before it activates. Nothing runs without your sign-off. Every rule remembers the exact words you used to create it — a full audit trail of your intent.

There's also a library of pre-built rules you can browse and activate directly from Era Context.

Getting started

  1. Sign up at era.app — the Basic tier is free
  2. Connect your bank through Era Context
  3. Add https://context.era.app to your AI client's MCP settings
  4. Complete the OAuth consent
  5. Ask your AI about your money

One setup. Every agent. Your finances, your choice of AI.