IN THIS SECTION


What is MCP and why it's useful


MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI assistants — such as Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor — connect directly to external tools and data sources. Rather than copying data into a chat window or switching between applications, your AI client can query Joiin in real time and work with your actual financial data as part of a natural conversation. For finance teams already using AI tools day-to-day, it means Joiin becomes a native part of that workflow — ask a question, get an answer backed by live consolidated data, without leaving the tools you're already in.


Joiin's MCP Server


Joiin provides an MCP server that you can connect to your AI assistant of choice — including Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor. Once connected, you can ask natural language questions about your financial data: run consolidated reports, search transactions, check sales by customer, and more. You can also query Joiin's help guides directly from within your AI client. Because MCP works alongside whatever else your AI assistant has access to, your Joiin financial data becomes part of a broader, connected conversation — not a separate lookup.


Connecting to Joiin MCP


Joiin MCP Server follows the MCP open standard and so can be connected to by any tool that works with that standard. Below is an example of how to connect using Claude Desktop. Other apps such as ChatGPT will have similar settings.


Connect Claude Desktop


1. Open Claude Desktop

2. Go to Settings > MCP Servers

3. Click Add Server

4. Enter the Joiin MCP server URL:


https://app-api.joiin.co/mcp


5. Click Connect - you'll be redirected to Joiin to sign in

6. Sign in with your Joiin account (email or Google)

7. Once authorized, Claude Desktop will show Joiin tools as available


Your connection stays active for 30 days. Claude Desktop refreshes it automatically - you don't need to re-authorize.



What You Can Ask


Financial Reports


- "Show me last month's P&L"

- "What's our balance sheet?"

- "Run a KPI report - revenue, profit, margins"

- "Cash flow for the last 6 months"

- "Compare this year's P&L vs last year"

- "Show P&L by month for the last 12 months"

- "Revenue broken down by company"

- "Show budget vs actual for this quarter"


Sales & Purchases


- "Who are our top customers?"

- "Show supplier spending for last year"

- "How much did we buy from [supplier name]?"

- "Customer revenue breakdown for Q1"


Outstanding Invoices & Bills


- "Show overdue invoices"

- "What bills are unpaid?"

- "AR ageing by customer"

- "How much do we owe suppliers?"


Transactions


- "Find invoice INV-1234"

- "Search for payments to [contact name]"

- "Look up transactions for 5000"


Account Details


- "What accounts do we have related to depreciation?"

- "Break down marketing expenses for January"

- "Why is Other Expenses so high last month?"


Joiin Help


- "How do I set up eliminations?"

- "How to connect Xero?"

- "What is group consolidation?"

- "How do I set up multi-currency?"


Multiple Clients


If your Joiin account has access to multiple clients, the assistant will ask which one to use. If you only have one client, it's selected automatically. You can ask your assistant to switch clients at any time.


Disconnect


To disconnect Joiin from Claude Desktop:


1. Open Claude Desktop

2. Go to Settings > MCP Servers

3. Find the Joiin server and click Remove


This removes the connection immediately. Your Joiin data and account are not affected.


Troubleshooting


"Connection failed" when adding the server


  • Check the URL is exactly https://app-api.joiin.co/mcp
  • Make sure you can reach app.joiin.co in your browser


"Access denied" when running a tool


You may not have access to the requested client. Ask your Joiin admin to add you.


"Dynamic period not available"


The requested time period has no data. Try a different date range or check that your companies have synced data for that period.


Reports show no data


Your companies may be CSV-only uploads without transaction-level data. Connect via Xero or QuickBooks for full reporting (Sales by Customer, Purchases by Supplier, Ageing reports).


Session expired


Claude Desktop refreshes your session automatically. If it stops working, remove and re-add the Joiin server in Claude Desktop settings.