MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is an open standard connecting an AI assistant (Claude, ChatGPT or another) to external tools and data sources. A software product publishes an MCP server describing what can be asked and done; the assistant uses those capabilities with your permission and your access rights. For accounting this opens a new door: instead of opening the program, finding the right view and exporting a report, you ask in conversation "what are our outstanding receivables?" – and the assistant queries the answer from the system rather than guessing it. The same door works in reverse: "draft April's invoice for Mart" can trigger a real action that waits for your approval.
How does it work technically?
Three parties. Your business software publishes an MCP server: a list of tools (“search invoices”, “create invoice”, “show balance”) and resources. Your assistant connects to that server - a connection you establish, not a third party. And every action runs through your session: the assistant does not have access, it borrows yours, visibly and logged. That architecture is why MCP spreads faster than earlier "AI integrations": one standard, no pairwise connectors.
What can you actually do in accounting through it?
Two classes, in order of maturity. Questions already work broadly: balances, outstanding invoices, customer history, cost breakdowns; whatever the system holds becomes conversationally available. Actions are the second stage: drafting an invoice, sending a reminder, categorizing a document; here good practice has the assistant prepare and you approve, exactly the agentic finance pattern write small. A growing number of business tools publish MCP servers; before counting on it, check whether yours is among them.
Is it safe?
As safe as the implementation: ask three things. Whose permissions do actions run under? The right answer: the user's, not a general "integration account". Do mutating actions require approval? They should. And does everything done via MCP land in an audit log? It black. With those answers in order, a conversational interface adds no new risk: it adds a new, more convenient door in front of the same permissions you already had.
FAQ
What is MCP in simple terms?
An open standard through which an AI assistant (Claude, ChatGPT, etc.) connects to your business software: the software publishes the tools, the assistant uses them with your permission and within your rights.
What can you do with an AI assistant in accounting?
Request data (balances, unpaid invoices, expense breakdown) and initiate actions with confirmation (create an invoice, send a reminder) — directly from the chat, without opening the program.
Is connecting via MCP secure?
Depends on the implementation — check three: operations are within the user's rights, changing steps require confirmation, and everything is recorded in the audit log.
How do I know if my software supports MCP?
Ask the provider if they have an MCP server and what tools it exposes. A growing number of business software providers are exposing servers.