QuickBooks MCP Server: Tools, Setup and Security

Intuit offers two official ways to connect QuickBooks to an AI app over MCP. The hosted Intuit QuickBooks connector lets Claude run reports, import transactions and create and send invoices. The open-source QuickBooks Online MCP server runs on your own computer and covers the full QuickBooks Online API.

Checked against: Intuit's QuickBooks connector help article and Intuit's GitHub repository on 28 October 2026. eSEOspace did not install or test this server.

At a glance

What it can do

Hosted QuickBooks connector

Claude's directory listing shows 74 tools and names some of them, including profit-loss-quickbooks-account, cash-flow-quickbooks-account, quickbooks-transaction-import, qbo_accounting_get_balance_sheet, qbo_accounting_get_ar_aging_summary, qbo_contact_create_customer, qbo_sales_create_invoice and qbo_sales_delete_invoice.

Intuit's help article lists these jobs:

• Profit and loss, cash flow and industry benchmarking reports
• Importing transactions and checking import status
• Viewing and updating your business profile
• Creating, updating, sending, duplicating and deleting invoices and estimates
• Sending payment reminders and payment links
• Adding customers and products

Intuit says you can also use the connector without a QuickBooks subscription by uploading or pasting transactions.

Open-source local server

The GitHub README lists create, get, update, delete and search tools for 29 entities, such as create_invoice, search_customers, create_bill and create_journal_entry. Report tools include get_balance_sheet, get_profit_and_loss, get_cash_flow, get_trial_balance and get_aged_receivables.

How to connect it

Hosted connector in Claude

Intuit's steps: open Claude.ai and go to Connectors. Find QuickBooks and select Connect. Sign in with your Intuit account when prompted. Intuit's video adds that you then pick the company and the permissions to grant.

Local server

The README's Claude Code config looks like this:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "quickbooks": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/mcp-quickbooks-online/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "QUICKBOOKS_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
        "QUICKBOOKS_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret",
        "QUICKBOOKS_REFRESH_TOKEN": "your_refresh_token",
        "QUICKBOOKS_REALM_ID": "your_realm_id",
        "QUICKBOOKS_ENVIRONMENT": "sandbox",
        "QUICKBOOKS_DISABLE_WRITE": "false",
        "QUICKBOOKS_DISABLE_UPDATE": "false",
        "QUICKBOOKS_DISABLE_DELETE": "false"
      }
    }
  }
}

You must register an app on the Intuit Developer Portal and complete a one-time browser sign-in. Sandbox accepts a localhost redirect. Production needs a public HTTPS callback, and the README suggests an ngrok tunnel for that step.

Security notes

• Confirmation for deletes. Intuit says destructive actions, such as deleting an invoice or estimate, require your confirmation before QuickBooks changes anything.
• Writes land right away. Intuit says every invoice Claude creates appears in QuickBooks immediately, and advises checking new invoices there.
• Training. Intuit says QuickBooks data is not used to train Claude.
• Local write switches. Set QUICKBOOKS_DISABLE_WRITE, QUICKBOOKS_DISABLE_UPDATE or QUICKBOOKS_DISABLE_DELETE to "true" to stop those tools from loading. Read tools stay available.
• Local credentials. The local server keeps your client secret and a rotating refresh token in a .env file. Protect that file like a password.
• License note. The README says MIT, while GitHub's repository metadata shows Apache-2.0. Check the LICENSE file before you redistribute it.

Accounting writes are hard to unwind. Start read-only where you can, and see our guides to excessive permissions and secret leakage, plus the MCP security center.

Alternatives

• Xero, which also offers a hosted connector and an open-source server.
• Zoho Books, for businesses on the Zoho suite.
• LedgerMCP, an MCP-native ledger (built by eSEOspace).

More options are in the MCP server directory.

Next step

Want an AI working in your QuickBooks file without the risk? Our MCP readiness audit checks access, approvals and logging first.

Frequently asked questions