Superfast Xero MCP Server

A full-passthrough MCP server for the Xero Accounting API and Xero Payroll UK API. Every endpoint of both APIs is accessible — not a curated subset.

Forked from xero-accounting-mcp by Simon Smyth, with added Payroll (UK) support. Inspired by the ConnectWise RMM MCP pattern: load the official OpenAPI specs, expose schema discovery tools so the LLM can explore the APIs, and provide a generic xero_api_call tool that hits any endpoint.

What It Does

3 layers of access:

1. Schema Discovery — The server loads Xero's official OpenAPI specs (Accounting: 138 paths; Payroll UK: 47 paths). The LLM can browse available endpoints, search by keyword, and inspect parameters/schemas before making calls.
2. Generic Passthrough — xero_api_call lets you hit any Xero Accounting or Payroll endpoint with any method, body, and query params. Full API, no restrictions.
3. Convenience Tools — Pre-built tools for common operations (P&L, Balance Sheet, Invoices, Employees, Pay Runs, etc.) so the LLM doesn't have to look up the path every time.

27 tools total:

| Category | Tools | |---|---| | Schema Discovery | xero_get_schema_overview, xero_get_endpoint_details, xero_search_endpoints | | Generic Passthrough | xero_api_call (accounting + payroll) | | Reports | P&L, Balance Sheet, Budget Summary, Executive Summary, Trial Balance, Bank Summary, Aged Payables, Aged Receivables | | Data | Organisation, Accounts, Invoices, Contacts, Journals, Tracking Categories, Tax Rates, Budgets, Bank Transactions, Payments, Credit Notes | | Payroll (UK) | xero_payroll_get_employees, xero_payroll_get_pay_runs, xero_payroll_get_payslips, xero_payroll_get_leave |

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• A Xero app with client_credentials grant (Custom Connection in the Xero developer portal)
• Scopes: accounting.reports.read, accounting.transactions.read, accounting.contacts.read, accounting.settings.read, accounting.budgets.read, accounting.journals.read
• For payroll: payroll.employees.read, payroll.payruns.read, payroll.payslip.read, payroll.timesheets.read, payroll.settings.read — optional; if your Xero app hasn't been granted these, the server automatically falls back to accounting-only
• Your Xero tenant ID (found in the Xero developer portal under your connected tenant)

Note on payroll access: anyone with the Custom Connection credentials can read all payroll data (payslips, salaries, etc.). If you're sharing credentials across a team, consider a second Custom Connection without payroll scopes for general use.

Install

Option 1: npx (no clone needed)

npx superfast-xero-mcp

Option 2: Clone and build locally

git clone https://github.com/jamescash1976/xero-mcp.git
cd xero-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Configure

Set these environment variables:

XERO_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
XERO_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
XERO_TENANT_ID=your_tenant_id

You'll find the Client ID and Secret in the Xero Developer Portal under your Custom Connection app. The Tenant ID is shown when you connect a tenant to your app.

🤖 Ask Claude to Set It Up For You

Copy this prompt and paste it into Claude Code, Claude Desktop, or any Claude session:

Set up the Xero MCP server for me. The npm package is `superfast-xero-mcp`.

1. Ask me whether I want this for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, or Claude Cowork.
2. Help me get my Xero credentials:
   - Go to https://developer.xero.com/app/manage and create or open a Custom Connection app
   - Copy the Client ID and Client Secret
   - Connect a tenant and copy the Tenant ID
3. If Claude Desktop/Cowork: add the MCP server config to claude_desktop_config.json
   - macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   - Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
   - Use npx so no global install is needed
4. If Claude Code: add it as an MCP server in .claude/settings.json or .mcp.json
5. Tell me to restart Claude after the config is saved

Non-technical users can just say "set up the Xero MCP server" and Claude will walk them through it step by step — choosing where to install it, getting their Xero credentials, and writing the config.

Claude Desktop Setup

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

npx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xero": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "superfast-xero-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "XERO_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
        "XERO_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret",
        "XERO_TENANT_ID": "your_tenant_id"
      }
    }
  }
}

Local build:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xero": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/xero-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "XERO_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
        "XERO_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret",
        "XERO_TENANT_ID": "your_tenant_id"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop config file locations:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

After editing, restart Claude Desktop completely.

Claude Code Setup

Add to your project's .mcp.json or global ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xero": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "superfast-xero-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "XERO_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
        "XERO_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret",
        "XERO_TENANT_ID": "your_tenant_id"
      }
    }
  }
}

OpenClaw Setup

Add to your openclaw.yaml under mcpServers:

mcpServers:
  xero:
    command: npx
    args: [-y, superfast-xero-mcp]
    env:
      XERO_CLIENT_ID: your_client_id
      XERO_CLIENT_SECRET: your_client_secret
      XERO_TENANT_ID: your_tenant_id

Usage Examples

Once running, ask your LLM:

• "What Xero API endpoints are available for invoices?"
• "Get my P&L for this year so far"
• "Search Xero endpoints for bank reconciliation"
• "Call the Xero API to get invoice INV-01234"
• "List the payslips from the most recent pay run"
• "How much annual leave does each employee have remaining?"

The LLM will use schema discovery tools to find the right endpoint, then xero_api_call or a convenience tool to execute.

Payroll quirk: Xero returns pay runs oldest-first with no sort option — the tool descriptions tell the LLM to fetch the last page for recent pay runs.

Rate Limits

Xero enforces:

• 60 calls/min per tenant
• 5,000 calls/day (Core+ tier)
• 5 concurrent requests max
• On 429: respect Retry-After header

License

ISC — original work © Simon Smyth (xero-accounting-mcp); payroll additions © James Cash / Superfast IT.