Launch529

Connect AI

Run your 529 from Claude or ChatGPT, just by asking.

Connect your own AI to Launch529 with a private key. Add students, choose schools, record 529 accounts, invite people and log expenses without opening a single form. There is also a command line, an API and an MCP server for anything you want to build.

What you can ask

Say it the way you would to a person.

  • “Add Oliver to my plan. He starts college in 2030.”
  • “Choose San Diego State, then a transfer to UCLA, for Solomon.”
  • “Record our Vanguard 529 for Oliver with a $24,000 balance.”
  • “Invite my accountant with view-only access to Oliver’s account.”
  • “Add a $42 bookstore charge for Solomon from yesterday.”
  • “How is Oliver’s budget this month, and what is ready to reimburse?”

It works with the same actions as the assistant inside Launch529: students and their schools, 529 plans and balances, family and accountants, expenses, budgets and reimbursements. Anything that needs a paid plan, like expense tracking, follows your plan.

How it works

Three steps, about five minutes.

  1. Step 1

    Make a key

    In Launch529, open Settings, then Connect AI, and make an API key. Name it, choose read only or read and make changes, and copy it once.

  2. Step 2

    Connect your AI

    Paste one snippet into Claude Desktop, Claude Code or a custom GPT in ChatGPT. Each takes about a minute, and the app fills in your key.

  3. Step 3

    Just ask

    Talk to your AI the way you would to a person. It sees your real plan and does the clicking for you.

Ways to connect

Pick the one you already use.

Claude Desktop

Talk to Claude about your plan and let it set things up for you.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings, then Developer, then Edit Config. Add Launch529 to the file that opens (Node.js needs to be installed):

  2. 2Paste this inside the mcpServers section, save, and restart Claude Desktop.

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "launch529": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://launch529.com/api/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:${LAUNCH529_AUTH}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LAUNCH529_AUTH": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

  3. 3Start a new chat and try: “What does my Launch529 account look like?” or “Add a $42 bookstore charge for Oliver.”

Claude Code

Manage your plan from the terminal while you work.

  1. 1Run this once to add Launch529 to Claude Code:

    claude mcp add --transport http launch529 https://launch529.com/api/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

  2. 2Then ask Claude Code things like “List my students and their schools.”

ChatGPT

Build a custom GPT that knows your account.

  1. 1In ChatGPT, choose Explore GPTs, then Create. Open the Configure tab and pick Create new action.

  2. 2Choose Import from URL and paste this address:

    https://launch529.com/api/v1/openapi.json

  3. 3Under Authentication choose API key, set Auth type to Bearer, and paste your key:

    YOUR_API_KEY

  4. 4Save the GPT (keep it private, Only me) and ask it to manage your 529 plan. It will ask before it changes anything.

Command line

Script it, or use it from any terminal.

  1. 1Download the command line tool (Node.js 18 or newer):

    curl -fsSL https://launch529.com/connect/cli.mjs -o launch529 && chmod +x launch529

  2. 2Sign in with your key, then try a few commands:

    ./launch529 login YOUR_API_KEY
./launch529 overview
./launch529 expenses add 42 "Campus Bookstore" --student Oliver
./launch529 tools

API

Build your own integration with plain HTTPS.

  1. 1Every action is one request. Send your key as a bearer token:

    curl -X POST https://launch529.com/api/v1/tools/add_planned_child \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name":"Oliver","first_year":2030}'

  2. 2See every action and what it takes:

    curl https://launch529.com/api/v1/tools -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

  3. 3The full description is an OpenAPI file, and the MCP server speaks JSON over HTTPS:

    OpenAPI: https://launch529.com/api/v1/openapi.json
MCP:     https://launch529.com/api/mcp

Looking for Claude on the web or the ChatGPT app’s built-in connectors? Those need a sign-in flow we are still building. Today, use Claude Desktop, Claude Code or a custom GPT, which connect with a key.

Safe by design

You stay in charge of your family’s money.

  • It acts as you, never more

    A key can do what you can do in Launch529 and nothing beyond it. A guest’s key stays view-only, and limits to one student still apply.

  • Read-only keys

    Want an AI that only answers questions? Make a key that can look but not change a thing.

  • It asks first

    Sending an invitation, removing a person or deleting an expense needs an explicit yes before it happens.

  • Yours to turn off

    Revoke a key in one click and it stops working immediately. We store only a fingerprint of each key, never the key itself.

Your plan, one sentence away. Make a key and ask.

Connect Claude or ChatGPT in minutes. The Planner is free, and Pro adds expense tracking when the bills start.