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Connect an AI assistant (MCP)

Bookkeep has an MCP server at https://app.bookkeep.com/mcp. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the open standard AI assistants use to talk to other apps. Once connected, Claude (claude.ai, Claude Desktop or Claude Code), Cursor and other MCP clients can read your Bookkeep data and make a limited set of changes for you, in plain language, without leaving your assistant.

Everything the assistant does runs as you, with the same permissions you have when you sign in to app.bookkeep.com, and every action is logged.

Access requires approval​

MCP access is switched on per user by Bookkeep support. To request it, email support@bookkeep.com or open a ticket from the app and ask for external MCP access, listing the email address of each user who needs it.

Until access is switched on, the assistant's connection attempt fails with:

MCP access is not enabled for this account.

If you use Bookkeep Inventory and want the assistant to draft purchase orders, ask for inventory tools in the same request. They are a separate switch and are only useful if you use Bookkeep Inventory.

What you can do​

Once connected, you can ask your assistant to:

  • List your organizations and their connections, and check which connections have errors.
  • Show the chart of accounts of an accounting connection, and refresh it after you add accounts in QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite or Intacct.
  • View a connection's mapping as the Advanced mapping page shows it, change which account a line maps to, and request and apply mapping suggestions.
  • Look up journal entries and run logs: what synced, what failed and why.
  • Show reconciliation reports.
  • View your billing.
  • Search the Bookkeep help docs.
  • Open a support ticket, or reply to one that is already open.
  • Draft purchase orders (inventory tools only).

Before it makes a change (a mapping edit, an account refresh, a ticket or a reply), the assistant shows you what it is about to do and waits for your confirmation.

Connect your assistant​

The steps differ a little per client. In every case you will be sent to app.bookkeep.com in your browser to sign in and approve the connection.

Claude.ai and Claude Desktop​

  1. Open Settings → Connectors.
  2. Click Add custom connector.
  3. Enter the name Bookkeep and the URL https://app.bookkeep.com/mcp, then click Add.
  4. Click Connect next to the new connector. A browser tab opens on app.bookkeep.com.
  5. Sign in to Bookkeep if asked, review the approval screen and click Approve.

Custom connectors are available on claude.ai paid plans. If you do not see Connectors in Settings, check your plan or ask your Claude workspace administrator.

Claude Code​

Run this in a terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http bookkeep https://app.bookkeep.com/mcp

Then start Claude Code, type /mcp, choose bookkeep and pick Authenticate. Your browser opens on app.bookkeep.com; sign in and click Approve.

Cursor​

Add Bookkeep to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (create the file if it does not exist):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bookkeep": {
      "url": "https://app.bookkeep.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Then open Cursor Settings → MCP, find bookkeep and click Connect. Sign in on app.bookkeep.com and click Approve.

Other MCP clients​

Any client that supports remote MCP servers over HTTP with OAuth sign-in can connect. Give it the URL https://app.bookkeep.com/mcp; no API key or client ID is needed, the client registers itself when it connects.

What the approval screen shows​

The page is titled Authorize MCP Access? and names the app that is asking (for example Claude). Under Your organizations it lists the tools the assistant will be able to use, grouped as:

  • Read-only access to your organizations – listing and viewing tools.
  • Make changes in your organizations: mappings, account refreshes, support tickets – the tools that write.
  • Inventory – purchase-order tools, shown only if inventory tools were switched on for you.

Click Approve to finish, or Deny to cancel. You can come back and revoke the connection at any time (see Managing access).

Good first prompts​

  • "Which of my connections have errors this week?"
  • "Show me the mapping for my Shopify connection."
  • "What did the last sync for my Square connection post, and did anything fail?"
  • "I added a new account in QuickBooks. Refresh my chart of accounts."
  • "Suggest mappings for the unmapped lines on my Amazon connection."
  • "Open a support ticket about the missing payout from Tuesday."

Managing access​

  • Sign-in lasts 14 days. After that the assistant asks you to sign in to Bookkeep again. This is expected; approve again and carry on.
  • Revoke from Bookkeep. Sign in to app.bookkeep.com and open https://app.bookkeep.com/oauth/authorized_applications. Each connected assistant is listed there with a Revoke button. Revoking signs the assistant out immediately.
  • Ask support to switch access off. Email support@bookkeep.com. Switching access off also signs out every assistant connected to that user.
  • Bookkeep support can switch access off at any time.

Troubleshooting​

"MCP access is not enabled for this account." Access has not been switched on for the Bookkeep user you signed in as, or it has been switched off. Check that you signed in with the right email address, then contact support@bookkeep.com.

"Tool … requires the 'mcp_write' scope." Your assistant connected with read-only access and is now trying to make a change. Disconnect and reconnect (or re-authenticate) so it asks for the Make changes in your organizations permission, and approve it.

The assistant says the session expired or asks you to sign in again. Sign-in lasts 14 days. Use your client's authenticate or reconnect option and approve the connection again.

The approval screen does not show the tools you expected. Inventory tools appear only when they were switched on for your user. If nothing is listed under Your organizations, access has not been switched on yet.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact us at support@bookkeep.com.