Xero MCP

How to Install and Use Xero MCP

If you want to connect your software to Xero's accounting features easily, the Xero MCP server helps you do that. It works as a bridge between the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Xero's API. Here is a simple guide to get you started with Xero MCP.

Step 1: Prepare Your System

Before you install Xero MCP, make sure your computer is ready:

• You should have Node.js installed, version 18 or higher.
• Also, have npm or pnpm (Node package managers) installed to add packages.
• A Xero developer account with API credentials is needed to connect to Xero.

Once these are ready, you can proceed with installation.

Step 2: Install Xero MCP

You first need to get the Xero MCP server code on your machine. To do that, open your terminal or command prompt, then type one of the following commands depending on your package manager:

If you use npm, run this:

npm install

Or if you prefer pnpm, run:

pnpm install

This will install all necessary parts of Xero MCP on your machine.

Step 3: Build the Project

After installing, you need to build the project so it can run properly. Building means preparing all the files in the right way. To do this, run the following command:

Using npm:

npm run build

Or using pnpm:

pnpm build

This step creates all the files ready for starting the Xero MCP server.

Step 4: Configure Authentication

Xero MCP needs to connect securely to your Xero account. There are two main ways to authenticate:

Option 1: Use Custom Connections

This is a good way if you have specific client id and secret for your Xero organisation. You can set this in your environment variables:

{
  "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"
      }
    }
  }
}

This method is recommended for testing or using with third-party MCP clients like Claude Desktop.

Option 2: Use Bearer Token

If you want to support many Xero accounts and let the MCP client handle the authentication flow, use a bearer token like this:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xero": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@xeroapi/xero-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "XERO_CLIENT_BEARER_TOKEN": "your_bearer_token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note that if XERO_CLIENT_BEARER_TOKEN is set, it will be used instead of your client ID.

Step 5: Run the Xero MCP Server

Once everything is set up, you can run the server. If you want to use it with Claude Desktop during development, add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xero": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["insert-your-file-path-here/xero-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "XERO_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id_here",
        "XERO_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Make sure to replace "insert-your-file-path-here" with the actual path to the built index.js file on your machine.

Step 6: Use Available MCP Commands

With the server running, you can use commands to access Xero features like accounts, contacts, invoices, and more. Here are some examples:

• list-accounts – get a list of accounts.
• list-contacts – get contacts from Xero.
• create-invoice – create a new invoice.
• update-contact – update a contact.

You can find the full list of commands on the Xero MCP GitHub page.

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By following these steps, you will have Xero MCP installed and ready to connect your applications to Xero’s accounting and business features with ease.