Ask an AI assistant about your Xero figures without copying them out by hand. Xero has official integrations for ChatGPT and Claude, and Xero publishes an open-source MCP server that connects Xero to AI tools such as Claude Desktop. This guide covers what each option does, how to set it up, what to keep out of a chat window and where a fixed set of scheduled reports still makes more sense. Checked 19 October 2026. These products change quickly, so follow the links for the latest.
Reportpost is independent and not affiliated with Xero, OpenAI or Anthropic. We make a tool that emails Xero reports on a schedule, and we cover it at the end.
The three ways to connect AI to Xero
| Option | Who it suits | Setup |
|---|---|---|
| Xero plugin in ChatGPT | Owners who already use ChatGPT | Connect Xero inside ChatGPT. Availability depends on your plan and workspace settings. |
| Xero connector for Claude | Owners and advisers who use Claude | Connect Xero inside Claude. Scheduled workflows need a paid Claude plan. |
| Xero MCP server | Technical users and developers | Install it, create a Xero Custom Connection (paid, except on the Demo Company), edit a config file. |
ChatGPT and Xero
In September 2026 Xero announced that its plugin is live in ChatGPT. Xero says it is "powered by JAX" (Xero's AI assistant) and brings "real-time Xero data across profit & loss, balance sheet, invoices and bills, and more" into ChatGPT, across Chat, Work and Codex (Xero's announcement). OpenAI describes the access as read-only, and says availability depends on the plugin, your plan and your workspace settings.
It suits questions such as "which customers owe us the most?" or "which bills are due this week?". Accountants and bookkeepers are limited to one client organisation at a time. Xero says switching between a practice's clients without reconnecting is coming.
To connect it, look for the Xero plugin inside ChatGPT. If ChatGPT sends you to Xero to sign in, choose the organisation you want it to read and allow access. If you can't find it, check whether your plan includes it. In a company workspace, ask whoever manages it.
Claude and Xero
Xero's connector for Claude launched in May 2026. The connector is free to add. You need an active Xero subscription and a Claude account, free or paid (Xero's Claude page). Xero says it is read-only: Claude can read your data but can't change it. Xero also says owners can switch between their businesses, and accountants and bookkeepers between clients.
To connect it, sign in to Claude and add Xero from the connectors directory. Sign in with your Xero login when asked, then choose the organisation you want Claude to read.
In September 2026 Anthropic added Claude for Small Business, which builds on the connector with ready-made workflows. Xero lists a business pulse, overdue invoice chasing, a cash flow snapshot, accounts payable preparation, month-end preparation and "recurring reports or briefs". Anthropic says each workflow can run on a schedule you choose, such as a weekly brief every Monday, and that Claude "waits for your approval before anything sends, posts, or pays". Anthropic says the workflows are available on every paid Claude plan (Anthropic's announcement).
The Xero MCP server
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard for connecting AI apps to other software. Xero publishes an official MCP server on GitHub under the MIT licence. You run it on your own computer (it needs Node.js 18 or later) and point an MCP client such as Claude Desktop at it.
It needs a way into your Xero organisation. The README recommends a Custom Connection for clients like Claude Desktop: you create it in the Xero developer portal and get a client ID and secret for one organisation. Custom Connections are paid: AUD 10 a month including GST, NZD 10 a month plus GST, GBP 5 a month plus VAT, or USD 5 a month plus tax. Each one covers a single organisation, and they're only available for organisations in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US. Connecting one to the Xero Demo Company is free, which is the place to try it (Xero's custom connection page). The other option is a bearer token, which the README suggests if you need to work with more than one Xero organisation.
In Claude Desktop you add the server to the config file (claude_desktop_config.json): the command npx with the arguments -y @xeroapi/xero-mcp-server@latest, and your XERO_CLIENT_ID and XERO_CLIENT_SECRET as environment variables. The README has the full example, including the scopes setting.
Claude Code takes the same server from the command line: claude mcp add xero -e XERO_CLIENT_ID=your-id -e XERO_CLIENT_SECRET=your-secret -- npx -y @xeroapi/xero-mcp-server@latest. The secret ends up in your shell history and Claude Code's config file, so keep both private. The README lists the scopes your Custom Connection needs.
For reports, the README lists the Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet, Trial Balance, and aged receivables and payables by contact. Unlike the chat integrations, it can also write: it has tools to create invoices, contacts, bank transactions, manual journals, payments, quotes, credit notes and more, and to update most of them. Invoices, quotes and credit notes can only be updated as drafts, and payments can't be updated at all. Payroll tools work for UK and New Zealand organisations only.
What to keep out of an AI chat
- Don't paste exports full of personal data. Contact lists, payroll reports and aged receivables by customer name can include personal data about customers and staff. If you use an export rather than a connector, remove names and contact details first, or summarise to totals.
- Never paste bank details, passwords or API secrets. Anyone with your Custom Connection's client ID and secret can read your organisation's data, and with the right scopes change it.
- Check your plan's data settings. Whether your chats can be used to train models depends on the provider, your plan and your settings. Look at the data controls before you connect business data.
- Treat answers as a draft. AI tools can misread a report or do sums wrong. Before a figure goes to a lender, a board or the tax office, check it against the report in Xero.
- Be careful with tools that write. The ChatGPT and Claude integrations are read-only for now, but the MCP server can create invoices, payments and journals. Try it on the Demo Company first, and read what the assistant is about to do before you approve a tool call.
Where scheduled reports still fit
Claude's scheduled workflows overlap with what we do. On a paid Claude plan, Claude can put together a brief from your Xero data on a schedule you set, and Xero lists "recurring reports or briefs" among the workflows. If you want a written summary for yourself every Monday, Claude's scheduled workflow might be enough.
A scheduled report is for figures that have to reach other people in the same layout every time. Think of a board that wants the monthly pack, or a credit controller who works from the aged receivables each week. None of them needs a Xero login or an AI account to open an email attachment. Reportpost sends those emails. You choose from 17 reports and lists, such as the Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet, Bank Summary and unpaid invoices, and pick who gets them. They arrive as PDF, Excel or CSV, weekly, every two weeks, monthly or quarterly. Xero says advisers can use the chat integrations with one client organisation at a time. On the Bookkeeper and Practice plans, one Reportpost email can carry reports for several companies. Like the chat integrations, Reportpost can only read your Xero data.
If you'd rather not connect an AI tool to Xero at all, give it the Excel file from one of these emails instead, after removing personal data as described above. You can try the demo with sample data, no signup needed. Plans start at US$12 a month for one organisation, excluding VAT. The first 14 days are free.
Related: exporting Xero reports to Excel automatically, which Xero reporting tools email reports on a schedule and what Xero has said about the most-voted reporting requests.