Self Build Budget
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Can I talk to my build budget in ChatGPT or Claude?

Short answer

Yes. Self Build Budget has an MCP server, which lets you connect your budget to Claude, ChatGPT and other AI assistants that support MCP, and then ask questions about it in plain English. You can ask what’s left for second fix, which quotes are still pending or how much VAT you’ve paid so far. It’s included in the Professional plan (£20 a month, including VAT).

What MCP is, in plain English

MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It’s an open standard that lets AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT connect to other software and the information in it. The people behind it compare it to a USB-C port: one standard plug, so an assistant can connect to lots of different tools in the same way.

In practice it means the assistant you already use can look at your Self Build Budget project and answer questions about it, using your real figures rather than guesses.

What you can ask

Anything you’d normally have to click around or run a filter to find out. For example:

  • “How much is left in the budget for second fix?”
  • “Which quotes are still pending, and what do they add up to?”
  • “How much VAT have we paid so far?”
  • “Which stages are projected to go over budget?”
  • “How much contingency have we got left?”
  • “What did we pay the roofer, and does it match the quote?”

Because the assistant is working from your budget, stages, quotes and payments, the answers come from the same figures you see in Self Build Budget. It’s still worth checking anything important against the app before you act on it, especially VAT. The assistant isn’t giving tax advice, and neither are we.

Who it’s for

It’s useful if you already use an AI assistant day to day and would rather ask a question than open a dashboard. It’s handy on site, too: a quick question on your phone while you’re talking to a trade, rather than digging through stages and invoices.

If you’re happy looking at the dashboard, you don’t need it. Everything the assistant can tell you is already in Self Build Budget.

Your data and your control

Your budget is stored in Self Build Budget, encrypted, in the UK, and we never sell it. Nothing goes to an AI assistant unless you connect one. When you do, the assistant can see your project’s figures so it can answer your questions, which means that data is shared with that AI provider under their terms. You sign in and approve the connection yourself, and you can switch it off at any time.

The assistant can also make changes for you, such as recording a payment or adding a quote. It always shows you exactly what it’s about to change first, and nothing is applied until you approve it. Nothing can be deleted this way, and every change shows in your project history, labelled as made through an assistant.

Claude’s own guidance on connectors is sensible whichever tool you connect: only connect services you trust, and review the permissions you’re asked to grant.

How to set it up

You’ll need a Professional plan and an AI assistant that supports MCP connections. Both Claude and ChatGPT do, though which of their plans include it is up to them, so check their current terms. Setup takes a few minutes and is covered step by step on our help site at https://help.selfbuildbudget.com.

How Self Build Budget helps

The MCP server comes with the Professional plan, alongside the VAT claim tracker and claim pack, the 26-week cash-flow forecast, and charts and reports. Everything else, from stages and quotes to payments and AI document scanning, is on Standard. See pricing for what’s in each plan.

Questions people also ask

Does the AI assistant store my budget? Your budget data stays in Self Build Budget. What the assistant does with your conversations is governed by that assistant’s own settings and terms, so check those.

Which assistants work with it? Claude, ChatGPT and other assistants that support MCP. Setup varies a little between them, so follow the help article for the one you use.

Is it on the free or Standard plan? No, it’s part of the Professional plan.

Can the assistant give me VAT advice? No. It can tell you what VAT you’ve recorded, but it isn’t tax advice. For that, speak to a qualified VAT adviser.

Do my partners need their own connection? No. Only the project owner can connect an assistant, and one connection covers the whole project. Partners and viewers can’t connect their own, but they’ll see any changes made through the owner’s assistant in the project history.

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