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Accounting Automation

Get Answers From Your Xero Books with Claude

Created by Jibrail Idris
Categories Accounting Automation

Preview

Get Answers From Your Xero Books with Claude

Course overview

Ask Claude plain questions about your Xero books and get answers you can check. In one live online hour you connect Claude to Xero with the OfficeDesk connector, ask your first real questions, and set Claude up to work the way your business does.

There is nothing to install and no file to edit. Claude can’t touch your computer, sees only the one Xero organisation you pick, and stays read-only for the whole course, so nothing in your books changes.

Before you join

  • A Claude account. Any plan works, including Free.
  • A Xero login. We practise on Xero’s free Demo Company, so you don’t need to use your real books.
  • A computer where you can have Claude and Xero open side by side.

What happens next

Once you’re connected, the next course in the series, Let Claude Draft, Send and Chase Your Xero Invoices, shows you how to let Claude prepare invoices for your approval.

How OfficeDesk handles your Xero sign-in: privacy policy and licence agreement.

What you'll learn

  • Connect Claude to your Xero with the OfficeDesk connector, with nothing to install
  • Ask Claude about unpaid invoices, bills due, profit and cash, and check each answer in Xero
  • Choose which actions Claude may take by itself and which always need your approval
  • Set up a Claude Project that knows your business and your accounting habits
  • Explain to your team exactly what Claude can and can't see

Curriculum

7 lessons · 1h total
1 What Claude can and can't see 8 min

Before connecting anything, here is exactly what you are agreeing to.

  • Claude can't touch your computer. Everything happens in Claude chat. Nothing is installed and Claude has no access to your files.
  • It sees one Xero organisation. Only the one you pick when you sign in.
  • It sees only what you ask about. Claude looks things up in Xero when you ask a question, and nothing else.
  • Nothing changes in this course. Your connection is read-only, so Claude can look but not create, approve, pay or delete.
  • Later, it asks first. When you switch read-only off in later courses, Claude shows a preview and waits for your approval before posting, paying, voiding or deleting anything.
  • You can cut it off any time. Remove the connector in Claude, or disconnect OfficeDesk in Xero's connected apps.

Who is OfficeDesk? OfficeDesk runs the connector that links Claude to Xero. It stores your Xero sign-in so Claude can make the lookups you ask for. It does not keep a copy of your books. Read the privacy policy and licence agreement.

2 Choose your practice books 5 min

Practise on Xero's Demo Company, not your real books. It is free, comes with sample customers, invoices and bills, and can be reset any time.

  1. Sign in to Xero.
  2. Open the organisation menu (top left) and choose Demo Company.
  3. Keep this tab open. You will check Claude's answers here.

You can connect your own organisation after the course. Each connection covers one organisation, so you would add it as a separate sign-in.

3 Add the OfficeDesk connector 12 min

This is the only setup step. It takes about two minutes.

  1. In Claude, open Customize, then Connectors.
  2. Choose + Add, then Add custom connector.
  3. For Name, type OfficeDesk Xero.
  4. For MCP server URL, paste https://mcp.officedesk.ai/xero/mcp.
  5. Choose Continue. On the next screen, leave the sign-in settings Claude found as they are and choose Add.
  6. OfficeDesk Xero appears in your list: choose Connect next to it. A Xero sign-in page opens.
  7. Sign in to Xero and pick Demo Company. Pick only one organisation.
  8. Choose Allow access.
  9. OfficeDesk asks What can Claude do in this organisation? Leave Read only selected and choose Connect. You return to Claude, and OfficeDesk Xero shows as connected.

Use the OfficeDesk connector, not Xero's own. Claude's connector directory also lists a Xero connector made by Xero. It is a different product. The read-only mode, previews and approvals taught in this course belong to the OfficeDesk connector. If you already added it, switch it off for this course so Claude doesn't mix the two.

If something goes wrong

  • No "Add custom connector" button: on a Team or Enterprise plan, your workspace Owner must add the connector first.
  • "You can only add one custom connector": the Free plan allows one. Remove the one you don't need, or use a paid plan.
  • Wrong organisation: remove the connector, add it again, and pick Demo Company.
  • Chose Allow changes by mistake: ask Claude to turn read-only mode back on. It switches straight back.
4 Set your approvals 5 min

Claude asks before using any connector tool. Asking before every lookup gets tiring, so set it up once:

  • Lookup tools (invoices, bills, reports, contacts): set to Always allow. They only read.
  • Confirm a change: keep on Ask, always. This is the tool that makes a change real in Xero. If you set it to Always allow, Claude no longer stops to ask you.

Find these under Customize, Connectors, OfficeDesk Xero.

5 Your first questions 15 min

Ask Claude these five questions, one at a time. After each answer, find the same figure in Xero and compare.

  1. Which Xero organisation are you connected to?
  2. Which invoices are unpaid, and which of them are overdue?
  3. Which bills are due in the next 14 days?
  4. How much profit did we make last month?
  5. How is the business doing this month?

Three habits to keep:

  • Check the dates. Ask Claude which period a figure covers.
  • Check one number yourself. Open the same report in Xero.
  • Xero's balance is not the bank's. Bank figures are what Xero has recorded. They differ from your bank balance until the bank feed is reconciled.
6 Set up your accounting Project 10 min

A Claude Project keeps your instructions in one place, so you don't repeat them in every chat.

  1. In Claude, open Projects and create one called Accounting.
  2. Open the Project's instructions and paste the template from the handout.
  3. Fill in your business name, currency and the way you want answers laid out.
  4. Start a new chat inside the Project and ask: Which organisation are you connected to?

Instructions are habits, not locks. The rules that protect your books are enforced by the OfficeDesk connector: read-only mode, one organisation, and a preview before any change. The Project tells Claude how you like to work.

7 What next 5 min

You are connected, read-only, and you know how to check Claude's answers.

  • Read-only stays on until you choose otherwise. In the next course you allow changes yourself, on the Demo Company, for the practice labs.
  • Next course: Let Claude Draft, Send and Chase Your Xero Invoices. Claude prepares invoices, and you approve each one.
  • Keeping the connector: your connection stays active for 30 days after your last course. To keep using it after that, ask us about an OfficeDesk subscription.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to install anything to connect Claude to Xero?

No. You add the OfficeDesk connector inside Claude by pasting a link and signing in to Xero. There is no terminal, no software download and no configuration file.

Can Claude change my Xero books during this course?

No. Your connection is read-only for the whole course, so Claude can look things up but cannot create, approve, pay or delete anything. Only you can allow changes, in your own browser, and even then Claude shows you a preview and waits for your approval before anything is posted.

What can Claude see?

Only what you ask it to look up in the one Xero organisation you picked when you signed in. It cannot see your computer, your files or any other Xero organisation. OfficeDesk stores your Xero sign-in, not a copy of your books.

Is the OfficeDesk connector the same as Xero's own Claude connector?

No. They are different connectors. This course uses the OfficeDesk connector because it adds read-only mode, a preview before any change, approval before posting, and a record of everything Claude did. If you already use Xero's connector, switch it off during the course.

Can I use my company's Claude Team or Enterprise account?

Yes, once your company's Claude admin adds the OfficeDesk connector to your workspace: on Team and Enterprise plans only the admin can add one. After you book, we email you the setup steps, with a section you can forward to your admin. It takes them about two minutes. If they can't do it before class, use a free personal Claude account instead. The course practises on Xero's Demo Company, so none of your company's data is involved.

Which Claude plan do I need?

Any personal Claude plan works, including Free, which allows one custom connector: all this course needs. On a company Team or Enterprise plan, your admin adds the connector first (see the question above).

Do I need to use my real Xero books?

No. We practise on Xero's free Demo Company, which comes with sample data. You can connect your own organisation later.

Is this course eligible for SkillsFuture or other funding?

No. The price shown is the full price you pay, with no claims or paperwork.

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