Short answer
We are bringing QuickBooks Desktop into ERP Sync. Today, in early access, a small Windows bridge next to QuickBooks Desktop lets Claude read and write the open company file live through an MCP server — lists, sales, purchases, journal entries and reports — using the QuickBooks Desktop SDK. Next, Desktop becomes a full ERP Sync sync provider beside QuickBooks Online and NetSuite.
Why Desktop, and why now
Intuit now services only the Enterprise line of QuickBooks Desktop; Pro and Premier are sunset. Plenty of businesses still run their books on Desktop — some will move to QuickBooks Online, some can’t yet. Either way, they shouldn’t be locked out of AI.
QuickBooks Desktop has no cloud API. The supported way in is the QuickBooks Desktop SDK (qbXML), which has to run on the machine where QuickBooks is open. ERP Sync reaches it with a small Windows bridge that relays requests to QuickBooks and returns the answers.
What works in early access
- An MCP server with three tools — schema lookup, read, and write — that Claude can use from claude.ai after you sign in.
- Reads and writes across lists (customers and jobs, vendors, employees, items, accounts, classes, terms), sales (invoices, sales receipts, estimates, sales orders, credit memos, payments, deposits) and purchases (bills, bill payments, checks, credit card charges, vendor credits, purchase orders), plus journal entries and transfers.
- Read-only access to Desktop reports: P&L, balance sheet, trial balance, GL detail, agings and more.
- Every write is sent to QuickBooks at most once, and every call is logged.
What’s being built next
- QuickBooks Desktop as a full ERP Sync sync provider, so Desktop ledgers show up in ERP Sync reporting, the Excel add-in and the agent tools alongside QuickBooks Online and NetSuite.
- Change detection from the bridge, so ERP Sync syncs incrementally without webhooks.
- A bank feed for Desktop clients that posts into the Desktop file through the bridge.
Early-access clients help shape the order. If you run Desktop, talk to us.
What to ask your AI agent
With ERP Sync connected to Claude, ChatGPT, or another MCP-capable agent, requests like these work as written:
List open bills for vendors starting with “A” in the company I have open.
Create a journal entry reclassifying $1,250 from Office Supplies to Computer Equipment dated 9/30.
Pull the trial balance as of last month-end.
Limits and requirements
- Early access. Proven on QuickBooks Desktop 2022 sample company files; talk to us before relying on it for production books.
- Requires Windows, QuickBooks Desktop running with the company file open, and the ERP Sync bridge installed on that machine. Only the open company is reachable.
- The QuickBooks SDK can’t reach bank feeds, reconciliations, attachments (Doc Center), payroll runs, or UI actions like printing and emailing forms.
- The logged-in QuickBooks user’s permissions and the closing date still apply.
Frequently asked questions
Does this use the QuickBooks Web Connector?
It uses the same QuickBooks Desktop SDK the Web Connector uses, but ERP Sync’s Windows bridge relays requests live, so a question from the agent reaches the open company file in seconds rather than waiting for a scheduled sync.
Which QuickBooks Desktop versions work?
Recent versions that support qbXML 13.0 or later (roughly QuickBooks 2017 and newer), including Enterprise. We verify your version during onboarding.
Should I move to QuickBooks Online instead?
Maybe. ERP Sync supports both paths — use Desktop with the bridge during a transition, or move to QuickBooks Online — and we’re CPAs, so we can help you decide.