Claude Desktop Setup

Connect AccountsOS to Claude via MCP

What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard developed by Anthropic that allows AI assistants to securely connect to external data sources. Once configured, you can ask Claude questions about your AccountsOS data directly in the chat.

Prerequisites

Claude Desktop installed (Download here)
Node.js installed (Download here)
An AccountsOS account with API access

Get your API key

First, you'll need an API key from AccountsOS to authenticate your connection.

Log in to your AccountsOS dashboard
Go to Settings in the sidebar
Click on the API tab
Click Generate API Key
Copy your API key and store it somewhere safe

Keep your API key secret. Anyone with this key can access your account data. If you think your key has been compromised, regenerate it immediately.

Open Claude Desktop settings

Open the Claude Desktop app and access settings:

Mac

Press Cmd + , or go to Claude > Settings

Windows

Press Ctrl + , or go to File > Settings

Navigate to MCP Servers

In the settings panel:

Click on Developer in the left sidebar
Select MCP Servers
Click Edit Config to open the configuration file

Install the MCP package

Install the AccountsOS MCP package globally (recommended):

npm install -g @thriveventurelabs/accountsos-mcp

This installs the MCP server that allows Claude Desktop to communicate with your AccountsOS account.

Add the AccountsOS server config

Add the following configuration to your MCP servers config. If you already have other servers configured, add the accountsos entry to the existing mcpServers object.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "accountsos": {
      "command": "accountsos-mcp",
      "args": [],
      "env": {
        "ACCOUNTSOS_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace your-api-key-here with the API key you copied in Step 1.

Restart Claude Desktop

After saving the configuration file, you need to restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect.

Completely quit Claude Desktop (not just close the window)
Reopen Claude Desktop
Look for the MCP icon or tools indicator to confirm the connection

Test the connection

Try asking Claude about your AccountsOS data. Here are some example prompts:

“What transactions do I have from this month?”

“When is my next VAT deadline?”

“How much have I spent on software subscriptions?”

“Show me my recent invoices”

“What's my current corporation tax estimate?”

Available Tools

Once connected, Claude can use these AccountsOS tools:

get_transactions

Query and filter your transactions

get_balance

Check bank account balances

get_deadlines

View upcoming filing deadlines

get_vat_summary

View VAT summary for any quarter

search_documents

Search receipts and invoices

create_transaction

Create transactions from chat

Troubleshooting

Claude doesn't recognize AccountsOS commands

Make sure you've restarted Claude Desktop after saving the config. Check that the config file is valid JSON with no syntax errors.

Authentication failed error

Verify your API key is correct and hasn't expired. Generate a new key from AccountsOS Settings if needed.

Connection timeout

Check your internet connection. The MCP server requires network access to reach accounts-os.com.

npx command not found

Make sure Node.js is installed on your system. Download it from nodejs.org if needed.

Need Help?

Having trouble setting up? We're here to help.

Contact Support View All Guides