FAQ

General#

Is this an official sevDesk product?#

No. mcp-server-sevdesk is an unofficial open-source project and not affiliated with, endorsed by or supported by sevdesk GmbH. It uses the public sevDesk API with your own API token.

What does it cost?#

Nothing; the code is under the MIT license. You need a sevDesk plan with API access (Buchhaltung Pro; the free trial includes it) and an AI client that supports MCP. What your model provider charges is between you and them.

Which AI clients work?#

Any MCP client: Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Codex, Zed and others over stdio; claude.ai and the Claude mobile apps through a server you host in remote mode. The setup for each is in Clients.

Does it replace my tax advisor?#

No. Reports such as the VAT summary and the profit and loss are estimates built from your sevDesk data, and are marked as such. The server helps you record, check and prepare; binding answers come from your Steuerberater. Nothing it says is tax advice.

Data and privacy#

Does the AI see my API token?#

No. The token is in the server's configuration (or your keychain), never given to the model, and redacted from every log line, error and audit entry. Because it has full access to the account, create it for a dedicated sevDesk user.

Where does my data go?#

The server runs on your computer (or on your own server in remote mode) and talks only to the sevDesk API. The one exception is the DATEV export, which sevDesk delivers as a download from its own storage. Results go to your MCP client, and from there to your model provider: invoices, contacts and bank transactions are then part of your conversation, under that provider's terms. Accounting data contains personal data of your customers, so check your provider's data-processing terms before you connect a live account.

The project runs no service and collects no telemetry. Details: PRIVACY.md.

Can the AI finalize or send invoices without me?#

No. By default the server only reads. Finalizing, booking, cancelling and enshrining (commit) and sending (external) must be enabled first, and then each call asks you, in the client or on an approval page in your browser. The model cannot give that confirmation itself (Permissions).

What happens if something goes wrong?#

Every write is checked before anything is sent (status, amounts, tax rule and rate, booking accounts, duplicates), never retried automatically, and read back from sevDesk afterwards. A dry run shows what would happen without sending anything, and the optional audit log on your computer records every step. Finalized and enshrined documents cannot simply be deleted in sevDesk, which is why those steps need your confirmation.

Why is there no hosted version?#

A hosted service would hold the API tokens of every user, and each token can do everything in its account, with no scopes and no expiry. It would also see every user's accounting data and become their data processor under the GDPR. Running the server yourself keeps your data between you, sevDesk and your model provider. For claude.ai or a team you can host it yourself in remote mode: on a small VM, a platform such as Fly.io, or your own machine.

Can I use several sevDesk accounts?#

Yes. Over stdio, add the server once per account under different names, or keep the accounts in a profiles file and pick one with SEVDESK_PROFILE (Configuration). In OAuth remote mode one server serves every account you list in SEVDESK_OAUTH_ACCOUNTS.

sevDesk features#

Which sevDesk plan do I need?#

A plan with API access: sevDesk includes the API in Buchhaltung Pro, and the free trial has it.

Does it support sevDesk Update 2.0?#

Yes, and it is built for it. Update 2.0 replaced tax types with tax rules (Steuerregeln) and booking accounts with DATEV accounts. The server detects the bookkeeping system per account, writes the tax fields the account expects, and checks every tax rule × rate (and, for receipts, every booking account) before anything is sent, because sevDesk itself accepts combinations it later refuses to finalize.

Accounts still on the older system 1.0 can read everything and draft invoices, orders and credit notes; voucher (Beleg) writes need Update 2.0.

Does it work for Kleinunternehmer?#

Yes. The server reads your VAT regulation from sevDesk. On a Kleinunternehmer account (§19 UStG) new documents default to the small-business tax rule without VAT, and tax rules for regular VAT are refused before anything is saved, because sevDesk would not finalize such documents. sevdesk_account_info tells the assistant which regime applies.

Can it handle e-invoices (E-Rechnung)?#

Yes, both directions:

• Received: it parses XRechnung (UBL and CII) and ZUGFeRD / Factur-X files locally, checks their sums and VAT breakdown, suggests a voucher (supplier, tax rule, one position per rate) and imports the e-invoice as a voucher draft with the original file attached.
• Sent: it checks an outgoing invoice for e-invoice readiness before you finalize it (your company data, the customer, Leitweg-ID, payment terms, units, tax rule) and fetches the XML sevDesk generates for an e-invoice.

Over stdio the files come from a folder you allow (SEVDESK_FILE_DIRS); in remote mode you upload them through a page on your server.

Can it export to DATEV?#

Yes. sevdesk_datev_export lets sevDesk build the DATEV Buchungsstapel (CSV files in a ZIP) for a month, quarter, year or date range and saves it in your output folder, or offers it as a download link in remote mode. It never enshrines (festschreiben) the documents. It needs the DATEV settings in sevDesk (Beraternummer, Mandantennummer, start of the fiscal year). sevdesk_csv_export saves sevDesk's CSV exports of invoices, credit notes, vouchers, transactions or contacts, for example for Excel.

Does it support sevDesk in Austria?#

Not in 1.0. Tax rules, the VAT summary (UStVA boxes), the e-invoice checks and the bookkeeping skill follow German law, and the server is tested only against German accounts. Reads may work on an Austrian account, but nothing is verified there. Support for Austria is tracked for a later 1.x release.

Can it send letters by post?#

Not in 1.0. Documents can be sent by email (external tier), and finalizing records how a document was sent (for example by post), but the server does not use sevDesk's letter service.

Does it cover stock (Lagerbestand)?#

Yes. sevdesk_part_get reports the current stock when stock tracking is on, sevdesk_parts_list and sevdesk_part_get show stock and stockEnabled, and sevdesk_part_create and sevdesk_part_update set them. The sevDesk API has no other stock endpoints.

Support#

Where do I get help?#

• Questions and setup help: GitHub Discussions.
• Bugs and feature requests: the issue forms. Include the server version (npx -y mcp-server-sevdesk --version), your client and the error text, never your token or real customer data.
• Security issues: report them privately, as described in SECURITY.md.
• Your sevDesk account (plans, tokens, data in sevDesk): sevDesk's own support.
• Tax questions: your Steuerberater.

Support is given by volunteers, on a best-effort basis.