Set up MWS QuickBooks in Claude

About 5 minutes. No technical knowledge needed.

You'll need: Claude Desktop installed and signed in with your work account, your own QuickBooks Online login, and the two codes Brian sends you (a Client ID and a Client Secret).

0Sync the audit log folder (one time)

Every change made through Claude is logged in a shared SharePoint folder. Your computer needs a synced copy of it:

Open Claude QBO API Audit Log (Accounting Team site).
Click Sync in the toolbar (or Add shortcut to My files). Allow OneDrive to open if asked.

Can't open it? Ask Brian for access. You can still finish the setup; changes are logged on your computer and copied to SharePoint automatically once it's synced.

1Install the extension

Download mws-qbo-mcp-<version>.mcpb from the shared QuickBooks Connector folder.
Double-click the file. Claude Desktop opens an install window. Click Install.

Nothing happens when you double-click? In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Extensions, then drag the file onto that page (or use the install option there and choose the file).

2Fill in the settings

Your name	Your full name, e.g. Jane Smith. Every change you make through Claude is labeled with it.
LIVE Client ID	Paste the Client ID Brian sent you.
LIVE Client Secret	Paste the Client Secret. Claude stores it securely.
Sandbox Client ID / Secret	Leave blank unless Brian asks you to test in the sandbox.
Read-only mode	Leave off unless Brian tells you otherwise. When it's on, Claude can look things up but can't change anything in QuickBooks.
Sign-in relay address	Leave as is.

Click Save and make sure the extension is switched on.

3Connect your QuickBooks company (with an admin)

Intuit only lets QuickBooks admins connect apps. If you are an admin, sign in yourself, so QuickBooks' own audit trail shows your name. If you're not, an admin (usually Brian) does this step on your computer one time. QuickBooks' audit trail will then show the admin, but every change you make is still labeled with your name (an internal note on the transaction, plus the shared activity log).

If an admin is signing in for you, have them with you first. Then start a new chat in Claude and type: Connect a QuickBooks company
Your browser opens Intuit's sign-in page. The admin (you, or the admin helping you) signs in, chooses the company (entity), and clicks Connect.
When the page says "Connected to QuickBooks", close the tab. If someone else signed in for you, they sign out of Intuit in that browser first.
Back in Claude, say done.

Repeat for each company you work in. Claude remembers them all, and the connection renews itself, so this is a one-time step.

The sign-in has to be finished within 15 minutes. If the browser shows "localhost refused to connect", the time ran out. Nothing is broken; just ask Claude to connect a QuickBooks company again.

4Use it

Just ask in plain English. For example:

Show me September's P&L by class
Which invoices are overdue, and who owes the most?
What's in OFFICE expenses this month?
Find transactions with no class this month
Which companies are connected? · Switch to <company name> · Switch to sandbox

Before you click Allow: Claude asks your permission before every change it makes in QuickBooks (new invoices, bills, customers, imports). Check the company name and the details first. Every change says which company it went to, and whether that's the LIVE books or the SANDBOX test company.

5Updates

When Brian announces a new version, download the new .mcpb file and double-click it. Your connections and settings are kept, so there's nothing else to do. To check your version, ask Claude: Which QuickBooks connector version am I using?

Need help?

Email brian.miller@middlewestspirits.com. Mention what you asked Claude and what it said back.