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Xero MCP Server

Connect to accounting data: invoices, bills, contacts, and bank transactions. Analyze financial health and automate bookkeeping tasks.

Capabilities
Invoicing Bills Bank Reconciliation Financial Reports
Maintained by
Xero
Hosting
Runs locally on your machine
Authentication
API key or credentials (environment variables)
Last checked

Uses a Xero Custom Connection (client ID/secret), or XERO_CLIENT_BEARER_TOKEN instead.

How to connect the Xero MCP server

Pick your AI client and paste the snippet. Swap the YOUR_… placeholders for your own values. New to this? Our guide to how MCP clients and servers fit together explains what each piece does.

Claude Code

Terminal
claude mcp add --env XERO_CLIENT_ID=YOUR_CLIENT_ID --env XERO_CLIENT_SECRET=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET --transport stdio xero \
  -- npx -y @xeroapi/xero-mcp-server@latest
Full Claude Code setup guide →

Claude Desktop

claude_desktop_config.json (Settings → Developer → Edit Config)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xero": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@xeroapi/xero-mcp-server@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "XERO_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
        "XERO_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET"
      }
    }
  }
}

Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop after saving.

Full Claude Desktop setup guide →

Cursor

~/.cursor/mcp.json (or .cursor/mcp.json in a project)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xero": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@xeroapi/xero-mcp-server@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "XERO_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
        "XERO_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET"
      }
    }
  }
}
Full Cursor setup guide →

VS Code

.vscode/mcp.json
{
  "servers": {
    "xero": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@xeroapi/xero-mcp-server@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "XERO_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
        "XERO_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET"
      }
    }
  }
}
Full VS Code setup guide →

Frequently asked questions

What is the Xero MCP server?

It is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server — a small piece of software that gives AI assistants like Claude a secure, governed connection to Xero. Connect to accounting data: invoices, bills, contacts, and bank transactions. Analyze financial health and automate bookkeeping tasks.

Is there an official Xero MCP server?

Yes. The Xero MCP server is an official integration, maintained by the vendor or the Model Context Protocol project, which makes it the safest default for business use. It is maintained by Xero.

Is the Xero MCP server hosted, or do I run it myself?

It runs locally. Your AI client starts it on your own machine with npx, and it talks to the client over standard input and output rather than the network.

Do I need an API key for the Xero MCP server?

Yes. The local server reads XERO_CLIENT_ID, XERO_CLIENT_SECRET from its environment, so you create those credentials first and add them to your client's config.

What can an AI assistant actually do with Xero?

Through this server an assistant can work with invoicing, bills, bank reconciliation, financial reports — reading from and acting on Xero directly instead of you copy-pasting between windows. What you allow it to do is controlled by the permissions you grant.

How do I set this up for my business?

The setup section above has copy-paste config for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and VS Code. If you want it rolled out across a team with permissions, governance and support handled, that is what Crox's Build engagement covers.

New to MCP? Start with our plain-English guide to the Model Context Protocol or see how to connect AI to your business tools without writing code .

Done-for-you integration

Want this connected to your business — with governance handled?

Crox maps your processes, connects AI to the tools you already use, and keeps it working as models change. Start with a readiness assessment or talk to us about a build.