MCP Server

lim includes a native Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. Any MCP-compatible AI client — Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, or custom agents — can connect to lim and perform accounting operations.

Quick Setup

npx @lim-labs/lim mcp add

This adds lim to your MCP configuration file (~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json or .claude/mcp.json depending on your client). The generated configuration looks like:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lim": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@lim-labs/lim", "mcp", "serve"],
      "env": {
        "LIM_API_URL": "https://api.uselim.com",
        "LIM_COMPANY_ID": "your-company-id"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run lim auth login first to ensure you have valid credentials. The MCP server uses the same authentication token as the CLI.

Manual Configuration

If you prefer to configure manually:

// ~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lim": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@lim-labs/lim", "mcp", "serve"],
      "env": {
        "LIM_COMPANY_ID": "your-company-id"
      }
    }
  }
}

// .claude/mcp.json (in your project root)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lim": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@lim-labs/lim", "mcp", "serve"]
    }
  }
}

MCP Resources

Resources are read-only data that AI agents can access for context. They do not modify any data.

trial-balance

URI: lim://company/{companyId}/trial-balance

Returns the current trial balance — all account balances for the current fiscal year. The agent uses this to understand the company’s financial position. Example interaction:

You: What's our current cash position?

Claude: Let me check the trial balance.
        [Reads lim://company/.../trial-balance]

        Your current cash position:
        - Cash: ¥2,450,000
        - Checking account: ¥1,800,000
        - Total liquid: ¥4,250,000

accounts

URI: lim://company/{companyId}/accounts

Returns the full chart of accounts with codes, names, types, and normal balance directions. Essential for the agent to know which accounts exist when creating journal entries.

journal-entries

URI: lim://company/{companyId}/journal-entries

Returns recent journal entries. The agent uses this to understand transaction patterns and verify its own work.

bank-transactions

URI: lim://company/{companyId}/bank-transactions

Returns bank transactions, including unmatched ones that need classification. This is the primary input for autonomous bookkeeping.

alerts

URI: lim://company/{companyId}/alerts

Returns currently triggered alerts (cash runway low, unusual spending, budget overrun, etc.). The agent can proactively notify humans about issues.

cash-runway

URI: lim://company/{companyId}/cash-runway

Returns cash runway calculation: current cash balance, monthly burn rate, and estimated months remaining. Computed from the last 3 months of data. Example response:

{
  "cashBalance": 2450000,
  "monthlyBurn": 710000,
  "runwayMonths": 3.5,
  "calculatedAt": "2026-03-16T10:00:00Z"
}

scenario diff

URI: lim://company/{companyId}/scenario/{scenarioId}/diff

Returns the impact of a scenario on the trial balance. Shows what changes if the scenario’s virtual entries were real.

MCP Tools

Tools are actions that modify data. Each tool call creates audit-logged events.

create_journal_entry

Create a new journal entry with explicit debit/credit lines. Input schema:

{
  "effectiveDate": "2026-03-16",
  "sourceType": "manual",
  "memo": "AWS monthly bill",
  "lines": [
    { "side": "debit", "accountId": "uuid-of-communication", "amount": 10000 },
    { "side": "debit", "accountId": "uuid-of-input-vat", "amount": 1000 },
    { "side": "credit", "accountId": "uuid-of-accounts-payable", "amount": 11000 }
  ]
}

Example interaction:

You: Record that we paid ¥55,000 for office rent this month.

Claude: I'll create the journal entry.
        [Reads lim://company/.../accounts to find account IDs]
        [Calls create_journal_entry]

        Done! Recorded:
          Debit  Rent expense (7101)     50,000
          Debit  Input VAT (1501)         5,000
          Credit Cash (1101)             55,000

Total debits must equal total credits. The tool will return an error if the entry doesn’t balance.

match_bank_transaction

Run the 3-step judgment engine on a bank transaction to suggest the correct journal entry. Input schema:

{
  "transactionId": "uuid-of-bank-transaction"
}

Returns: A judgment result with the suggested account classification, confidence score, and which step resolved it (rule, history, AI, or escalated). Example interaction:

You: Process the unmatched bank transactions.

Claude: Let me check the unmatched transactions.
        [Reads lim://company/.../bank-transactions]

        Found 3 unmatched transactions:
        1. ¥11,000 to AWS — [match_bank_transaction] → Rule match (91%)
           → Communication ¥10,000 + Input VAT ¥1,000
        2. ¥3,300 to Amazon — [match_bank_transaction] → History match (78%)
           → Supplies ¥3,000 + Input VAT ¥300
        3. ¥150,000 to "TANAKA" — [match_bank_transaction] → Escalated
           → Could not classify. Needs human review.

        Shall I post entries 1 and 2?

generate_scenario

Generate virtual journal entries for a scenario (e.g., “What if we hire 2 engineers?”). Input schema:

{
  "scenarioId": "uuid-of-scenario"
}

apply_scenario

Promote a scenario’s virtual entries to real journal entries. This is irreversible. Input schema:

{
  "scenarioId": "uuid-of-scenario"
}

Example interaction:

You: We decided to go ahead with the new hire. Apply the scenario.

Claude: [Calls apply_scenario with the scenario ID]

        Done! The scenario "Hire Senior Engineer" has been applied.
        3 journal entries were created:
        - Monthly salary: ¥600,000/month
        - Social insurance: ¥90,000/month
        - Equipment: ¥300,000 (one-time)

        Your updated runway is now 2.8 months (was 3.5).

Combining Resources and Tools

The real power of MCP is combining reads and writes in a single conversation:

You: How's the company doing this month?

Claude: [Reads trial-balance, cash-runway, alerts, bank-transactions]

        Here's your March summary:
        - Revenue: ¥1,100,000 (+5% vs February)
        - Expenses: ¥680,000 (-2% vs February)
        - Cash runway: 3.5 months
        - 2 unmatched bank transactions
        - No active alerts

        Want me to process the unmatched transactions?

You: Yes, go ahead.

Claude: [Calls match_bank_transaction for each]
        [Calls create_journal_entry for high-confidence matches]

        Done. Both transactions processed:
        1. AWS ¥11,000 → Communication (rule match, auto-posted)
        2. Zoom ¥2,200 → Communication (AI inference, 85% confidence)

        #2 was a new vendor. I've created a matching rule for "Zoom"
        so it'll be instant next time.

Troubleshooting

”Company not found” error

Make sure LIM_COMPANY_ID is set in your MCP configuration or that you’ve run lim companies use <id>.

”Unauthorized” error

Your auth token may have expired. Run lim auth login to refresh it.

Tools not appearing

Restart your MCP client after adding the lim server. Most clients require a restart to pick up new MCP servers.

​MCP Server

​Quick Setup

​Manual Configuration

​MCP Resources

​trial-balance

​accounts

​journal-entries

​bank-transactions

​alerts

​cash-runway

​scenario diff

​MCP Tools

​create_journal_entry

​match_bank_transaction

​generate_scenario

​apply_scenario

​Combining Resources and Tools

​Troubleshooting

​”Company not found” error

​”Unauthorized” error

​Tools not appearing

MCP Server

Quick Setup

Manual Configuration

MCP Resources

trial-balance

accounts

journal-entries

bank-transactions

alerts

cash-runway

scenario diff

MCP Tools

create_journal_entry

match_bank_transaction

generate_scenario

apply_scenario

Combining Resources and Tools

Troubleshooting

”Company not found” error

”Unauthorized” error

Tools not appearing