Finance & Accounting · Mercury MCP + Claude
Mercury MCP with Claude: Read-Only Banking Insight for Finance Teams
The short answer
Claude works with Mercury through the Mercury MCP server, an official connector that lets Claude read business banking data such as accounts, balances, transactions, cards, statements and treasury information. Access is read-only and set up through a sign-in method Mercury supports, so the organisation controls what Claude can see.
What is Mercury MCP?
Mercury is a business banking service used by start-ups, small and growing companies, and their finance teams. It holds business accounts, cards and treasury balances, and records every payment and transfer. Mercury MCP is Mercury's official server for reading this data safely. Finance leaders, controllers, bookkeepers and operations managers use it to check cash position and trace money movements without logging into the bank portal each time.
How Claude connects to Mercury MCP through MCP
The Model Context Protocol, or MCP, is an open standard that lets Claude use other software securely. Think of it as a universal adapter between Claude and a tool. Mercury's MCP server is that adapter for Mercury's banking data. It is built and maintained by Mercury, which makes the connection more reliable than a homemade link.
Once connected, Claude can list accounts, check current balances, review recent transactions, look up cards and fetch statements, all through ordinary questions such as 'What did we spend on software last month?' Mercury MCP is read-only, so Claude can look at money movements but cannot move money, change payees or approve payments.
Permissions stay in the organisation's hands. Access uses an OAuth sign-in method that Mercury supports, so each user or service grants only the access they need. Claude Automation sets up least-privilege access, and logs record which questions were asked and which data was retrieved, so finance leaders keep oversight at every step.
What you can automate
Daily cash position summary
Each morning, Claude pulls balances across the organisation's Mercury accounts and summarises total cash, movements since yesterday and any unusually large transactions. Finance leaders start the day with a clear picture in a short note instead of opening several screens. The summary can be shared with the leadership team in an agreed format.
Spend review for department heads
Department heads often ask finance for a breakdown of their card spend. Claude can review card transactions for a given period, group them by category or merchant, and draft a plain-English summary. Budget owners get answers faster, and the finance team spends less time on routine lookups.
Monthly statement preparation
At month end, bookkeepers need statements and transaction lists for reconciliation. Claude can fetch the relevant statements and list transactions that still need matching against invoices. The team reviews the output, so accuracy and sign-off remain with people.
Treasury and runway questions
Leaders often ask how long cash will last or how balances compare across accounts. Claude can read treasury data and answer these questions in natural language, showing the figures behind each answer. This helps founders and CFOs make informed decisions between board meetings.
Exception checks for controllers
Controllers can ask Claude to scan recent transactions for duplicates, unusual amounts or unfamiliar payees and list anything worth a closer look. Because the connection is read-only, the review cannot alter records. Flagged items are then investigated by the team as normal.
An end-to-end workflow: Month-end close support across banking and accounting
TriggerThe first working day of each month, when the finance team starts its close.
Claude retrieves the statements and transaction lists for all Mercury accounts for the previous month.
Claude matches transactions against invoices and payment records held in the organisation's accounting system.
Claude flags unmatched transactions, possible duplicates and unusually large payments in a single review list.
The controller reviews the list and assigns follow-up questions to the relevant department heads.
Claude drafts a close summary with cash balances, totals by category and open items for sign-off.
The controller approves the summary, and the accounting team records any adjustments.
OutcomeTypically, a close review that once took several days of manual cross-checking can be shortened, with open items surfaced early and a clear audit trail for every figure.
How we set it up
Free automation audit
We review how your finance team uses Mercury and identify the workflows worth automating, such as cash summaries, spend reviews and month-end support.
Secure connection
We connect Claude to Mercury MCP using the OAuth sign-in method Mercury supports, with read-only, least-privilege access tailored to each user or service.
Workflow design
We design the end-to-end process across Mercury and your other systems, such as accounting, ERP or ticketing, with clear points where people review and approve results.
Testing with real cases
We test the workflow against past months and real questions from your team, checking accuracy and refining prompts before anything goes live.
Launch, monitoring and training
We launch with audit logs and monitoring in place, then train your finance and operations staff so they can use the workflow confidently.
Who benefits
- CFO or finance director
- Gets a faster, clearer view of cash position and runway without waiting for manual reports.
- Controller or bookkeeper
- Spends less time on routine lookups and statement retrieval, and more on reviewing exceptions.
- Department head
- Answers budget questions about card spend quickly, without raising a ticket with finance.
- Founder or operations manager
- Checks balances and recent payments in plain English between board meetings.
Security and control
- Mercury MCP is read-only, so Claude cannot move money, add payees or approve payments.
- Access uses the OAuth sign-in method Mercury supports, with least-privilege permissions for each user.
- Audit logs record each question asked and the data retrieved, supporting internal review.
- People review and approve any figures used in financial reporting or decisions.
- Access can be revoked at any time by the organisation or by Mercury's own account controls.
For teams in the US, UK, India and the Middle East
Organisations in the United States and the United Kingdom can use Mercury MCP with Claude, subject to their own financial record-keeping and data protection obligations. In India, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 governs personal data in financial records, and we design access to meet it. Organisations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia must observe local data protection laws, so we select a hosting region for Claude that meets those requirements. Hosting is chosen to suit each organisation's regulatory needs.
Learn more about Claude and MCP
Anthropic's AI model and assistant.
Secure links between Claude and business tools.
How engineers build and change software with Claude.
Hosted agents that run multi-step work.
The open standard Claude uses to connect to tools.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Mercury MCP server do?
The Mercury MCP server is Mercury's official connector for read-only business banking data. It lets AI tools such as Claude list accounts, check balances, review transactions, look at cards and fetch statements through natural language. It does not move money or change account settings, which keeps the connection focused on inspection and reporting.
Is Mercury MCP secure?
Security depends on how the connection is configured. Mercury MCP is read-only, and it uses an OAuth sign-in method that Mercury supports, so access is granted and can be revoked. We apply least-privilege permissions, keep audit logs and make sure people approve any figures used for decisions. Your own security review should confirm the setup fits your policies.
What can Claude do with Mercury once connected?
Typically, Claude can list accounts, check current balances, review transactions over a period, look up card activity and fetch statements. It can then summarise, compare and explain these results in plain English. Because the connection is read-only, Claude cannot make payments, move funds or change records in Mercury.
How long does setup take?
Setup time varies with the scope of the workflow. A focused read-only connection with a few use cases is often ready within a few weeks, including audit, testing and training. Larger workflows that link Mercury to accounting or ERP systems usually take longer. We confirm the timeline during the free automation audit.
What plan or permissions are needed to use Mercury MCP?
Access depends on your Mercury account and the permissions your organisation grants. Generally, you need an account that Mercury supports for MCP access and a user or service with the right read-only rights. We check your current setup during the audit and advise on any changes needed before connecting.