AI

How the Claude integration works

Marbles provides a connector that Claude uses to work with your organisation. The connector follows the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard for connecting AI assistants to other systems. You add the connector to Claude once, sign in with your Marbles account, and Claude can then call Marbles whenever a request requires it.

Claude does not receive a copy of your books. It works with your live ledger at the time you ask, within the access your Marbles role allows.

Before you begin

• You need a Marbles user account in the organisation you want to connect. Any role can connect Claude, and what Claude can do is limited by that role. A Reader's connection, for example, is view-only.
• You need access to Claude Desktop or Claude on the web, on a Claude plan that supports custom connectors.

Connector details

Select AI in the main menu to open the Claude integration page. It lists the details Claude asks for, each with a Copy button.

Connecting Claude

1. In Claude, open Customize > Connectors from the left-hand pane.
2. Select Add custom connector and paste the Name and Remote MCP server URL exactly as shown in Marbles.
3. Open Advanced settings, paste the OAuth Client ID, and leave the client secret empty.
4. Save the connector, select Connect, and sign in with your Marbles account when prompted.

For more detail on custom connectors, refer to Claude's own help article, linked from the Claude integration page in Marbles.

Working with Claude

Ask in plain language. Claude requests what it needs from Marbles and explains the result. For example:

• “Show my revenue for the last 12 months.”
• “How has cash flow changed over the last six months?”

The range of work Claude can carry out in Marbles is being extended. To see what is available to you, ask Claude what it can do with Marbles.

AI inside Marbles

Marbles also uses AI within the app itself. Routine bank transactions are reconciled and coded for you, and items that require judgement are queued for a person to review. Transactions reconciled this way carry the Auto status. See Banking.

Security and permissions

• You sign in to Marbles directly. Claude never receives your Marbles password.
• Claude works within your role. Every action goes through the same permissions and validation as the Marbles app, and is recorded against your user account in the audit history.
• Access is limited to the organisation named in the connector URL, and only while you remain a user of that organisation. If you are removed from the organisation, the connector stops working.
• Bank feeds are read-only, so money cannot be moved through them. Money never moves, and nothing is lodged, without approval by a named person.

More than one organisation

Each organisation has its own Remote MCP server URL. To use Claude with several organisations, open the Claude integration page in each one and add a separate connector for it. Give each connector a distinct name in Claude so that you can tell them apart.

Disconnecting Claude

Remove the Marbles connector from Customize > Connectors in Claude. An administrator can also end a person's access by removing that user from the organisation in Marbles.

Troubleshooting