Xero MCP Server

Official

An MCP server that bridges Xero's accounting and business data to the MCP protocol.

How to install ↓ Compare GitHub source repository ↗

Category: Other
Stars: ★ 376 Popular
Transport: stdio (local process)
Runtime: Node.js 18+
Credentials: API key / credential required
License: MIT
Last commit: 4 months ago
Tools: 51

49FMRS · D

Xero MCP Server provides comprehensive access to accounting data via the MCP protocol. It is officially maintained, feature-rich, but requires careful configuration of permissions and security measures.

Strongest · Maintenance 14/20 Weakest · Security and permissions 6/20

Reliability

7/20

Security and permissions

6/20

Maintenance

14/20

Documentation

12/20

Setup experience

10/20

Why each score

Reliability 7/20: The source code shows the server defines a wide variety of tools covering accounting, contacts, invoices, etc., and follows the MCP protocol. However, there are no tests or CI workflows in the repository to verify the actual execution and error handling. Thus, the happy path seems plausible, but lack of test coverage and controlled error diagnostics lowers the score.
Security and permissions 6/20: The README suggests passing OAuth2 credentials via environment variables, and no hardcoded secrets were found. However, there is no explicit least-privilege guidance for the data access scopes, and the tool list includes many update and delete operations without any confirmation prompts mentioned. Furthermore, there is no disclosure of data flow or security best practices. Overall, main risks are visible but permission minimization and confirmation mechanisms are incomplete.
Maintenance 14/20: The repository is active with recent commits and releases, not archived, and has a clear MIT license. However, there are 159 open issues, which may indicate slower response times. Dependency update status is not evident from the source. Overall, maintenance is active but with minor gaps in governance and versioning.
Documentation 12/20: The README provides setup, authentication, and a list of tools, but lacks detailed parameter descriptions for each tool, troubleshooting guidance, and API limits. For instance, the input parameters for each tool are not individually described, and there are no example outputs or FAQs. Thus, documentation is usable but has hidden assumptions and troubleshooting gaps.
Setup experience 10/20: The README provides clear steps and configuration examples for running via npx and integrating with Claude Desktop. It specifies Node.js version requirements and environment variables. However, the Windows path escaping instructions may be slightly cumbersome, and there is no automated setup script. Overall, the setup is clear and few-step, but not fully automated. The score is capped due to lack of execution evidence.

Static review · not runListed 2026-08-07

Read the FMRS scoring method →

Fit and risk

What it can accessUses the networkChanges third-party account data

Best for

AI assistants that need to interact with Xero accounting data
Automation workflows for accounting and finance teams

Not for

Not suitable for high-frequency trading systems requiring real-time data sync
Not for non-Xero users

Required permissions

Requires authorization to access Xero accounting data, including invoices, contacts, bank transactions, payroll, etc.
Exact permissions depend on OAuth scopes, such as accounting.invoices, accounting.contacts, etc.

Risks and side effects

Sensitive financial data may be exposed or misused
Potential accidental modification or deletion of accounting records if misconfigured
Need to manage secure storage of OAuth tokens

Setup

Before you start

Runtime：Node.js 18+

XERO_CLIENT_SECRET optionalsecret Client secret of a Xero Custom Connection, obtained from the Xero developer portal; treat as a secret.

XERO_CLIENT_BEARER_TOKEN optionalsecret Bearer access token for multi-account runtime use; takes precedence over client id/secret if defined.

Other optional settings (2)

XERO_CLIENT_ID optional Client ID of a Xero Custom Connection, obtained from the Xero developer portal.

XERO_SCOPES optional Optional space-separated list of scopes overriding the defaults, e.g. accounting.invoices accounting.contacts.

Create a Xero developer account and set up a Custom Connection to get client ID and secret.
Ensure Node.js v18 or higher, and npm or pnpm installed.
Configure the mcpServers in Claude Desktop using npx command with environment variables.
Alternatively, use the Bearer Token method by setting XERO_CLIENT_BEARER_TOKEN.

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xero": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@xeroapi/xero-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "XERO_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id_here",
        "XERO_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret_here",
        "XERO_SCOPES": "accounting.invoices accounting.contacts accounting.settings"
      }
    }
  }
}

Shown for Claude Desktop. Other clients may use a different file or key (VS Code uses "servers") — the configurator below converts it.

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "xero": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@xeroapi/xero-mcp-server@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "XERO_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id_here",
        "XERO_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret_here",
        "XERO_SCOPES": "accounting.invoices accounting.contacts accounting.settings"
      }
    }
  }
}

Goes in your project's .vscode/mcp.json (VS Code uses a "servers" key).

Terminal

claude mcp add xero -e XERO_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id_here -e XERO_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret_here -e 'XERO_SCOPES=accounting.invoices accounting.contacts accounting.settings' -- npx -y @xeroapi/xero-mcp-server@latest

Run it in a terminal; replace any <…> placeholders with your own values first.

Generate and validate client config

Check that it works

After adding the config in Claude Desktop, check that tools like list-contacts appear in the client's tool list, or ask the client to call list-organisation-details and confirm it returns organisation details.

Troubleshooting

Ensure XERO_CLIENT_ID and XERO_CLIENT_SECRET are correctly set
Check network connectivity to Xero API
Verify OAuth scopes include required permissions
Check server logs for error messages

Things to try

Once connected, you can ask your AI assistant things like:

List all contacts in my Xero organisation
Create a draft invoice for an existing contact
Show me the profit and loss report for this month
Create a new payroll timesheet and add a line of hours

Tools 51

list-accounts read-only

Retrieve a list of accounts

list-contacts read-only

Retrieve a list of contacts

list-credit-notes read-only

Retrieve a list of credit notes

list-invoices read-only

Retrieve a list of invoices

list-items read-only

Retrieve a list of items

list-manual-journals read-only

Retrieve a list of manual journals

list-organisation-details read-only

Retrieve details about an organisation

list-profit-and-loss read-only

Retrieve a profit and loss report

Show 43 more tools

list-quotes read-only

Retrieve a list of quotes

list-tax-rates read-only

Retrieve a list of tax rates

list-payments read-only

Retrieve a list of payments

list-trial-balance read-only

Retrieve a trial balance report

list-bank-transactions read-only

Retrieve a list of bank transactions

list-payroll-employees read-only

Retrieve a list of payroll employees

list-report-balance-sheet read-only

Retrieve a balance sheet report

list-payroll-employee-leave read-only

Retrieve a payroll employee's leave records

list-payroll-employee-leave-balances read-only

Retrieve a payroll employee's leave balances

list-payroll-employee-leave-types read-only

Retrieve a list of payroll leave types

list-payroll-leave-periods read-only

Retrieve a list of a payroll employee's leave periods

list-payroll-leave-types read-only

Retrieve a list of all available leave types in payroll

list-timesheets read-only

Retrieve a list of payroll timesheets

list-aged-receivables-by-contact read-only

Retrieves aged receivables for a contact

list-aged-payables-by-contact read-only

Retrieves aged payables for a contact

list-contact-groups read-only

Retrieve a list of contact groups

list-tracking-categories read-only

Retrieve a list of tracking categories

create-bank-transaction writes

Create a new bank transaction

create-contact writes

Create a new contact

create-credit-note writes

Create a new credit note

create-invoice writes

Create a new invoice

create-item writes

Create a new item

create-manual-journal writes

Create a new manual journal

create-payment writes

Create a new payment

create-quote writes

Create a new quote

create-payroll-timesheet writes

Create a new payroll timesheet

create-tracking-category writes

Create a new tracking category

create-tracking-option writes

Create a new tracking option

update-bank-transaction writes

Update an existing bank transaction

update-contact writes

Update an existing contact

update-invoice writes

Update an existing draft invoice

update-item writes

Update an existing item

update-manual-journal writes

Update an existing manual journal

update-quote writes

Update an existing draft quote

update-credit-note writes

Update an existing draft credit note

update-tracking-category writes

Update an existing tracking category

update-tracking-options writes

Update tracking options

update-payroll-timesheet-line writes

Update a line on an existing payroll timesheet

approve-payroll-timesheet writes

Approve a payroll timesheet

revert-payroll-timesheet writes

Revert an approved payroll timesheet

add-payroll-timesheet-line writes

Add a new line on an existing payroll timesheet

delete-payroll-timesheet destructive

Delete an existing payroll timesheet

get-payroll-timesheet read-only

Retrieve an existing payroll timesheet

Use cases

Query Xero data like customers, invoices, and accounts using natural language

Automate creation of invoices, contacts, bank transactions, etc.

Generate financial reports such as profit & loss, balance sheet, trial balance

Manage payroll and timesheets

Supported clients

Claude Desktop

Listed from the project's documentation, not tested by this site.

Overview

The Xero MCP Server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for Xero. It provides a standardized way for MCP clients to access Xero's accounting and business features, including contact management, chart of accounts, invoices, and more. It supports OAuth2 authentication via custom connections or bearer tokens and offers a wide range of commands to query and create accounting data such as invoices, contacts, bank transactions, payroll, and financial reports.

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Source revision f24583c867df Data synced 2026-10-12 Read the FMRS scoring method