Connect Claude to FreshBooks

Connect Claude to FreshBooks in 3 steps: 1. Sign in to ApexGenius and connect FreshBooks. 2. Add the ApexGenius connector. 3. Start using FreshBooks in Claude.

Start free See the setup

1,000 free credits · No card required

How to connect FreshBooks to Claude

1Sign in to ApexGenius and connect FreshBooks
2Add the ApexGenius connector to Claude
3Start using FreshBooks in Claude

1
Connect FreshBooks to ApexGenius
FreshBooks connected
FreshBooks shows as connected in ApexGenius, with what your AI can reach.
2
Connect ApexGenius to Claude
Choose Claude
Back on Start, pick Claude and copy the prompt.
3

Add it in Claude
In Claude, open Settings, then Connectors, then Add custom connector. Paste the address.
4

Approve access
ApexGenius opens its approval page. Review the access, then approve.

Then ask Claude

Which FreshBooks business is connected? List its five most recent invoices with client, amount and status. Do not change anything.

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Written setup, step by stepShow

Before you start

An account with permission to use the FreshBooks resources you intend to connect.

1. Connect FreshBooks to ApexGenius

Open FreshBooks in Connections. Choose Connect, or Add connection when offered. Give the connection a name if prompted. If Gateway setup pending appears, contact ApexGenius support before continuing.
Choose the account and review access. Sign in to FreshBooks in the browser and allow access for ApexGenius. FreshBooks uses browser authorization; no API key is pasted into ApexGenius. ApexGenius asks for read scopes plus project and time-entry access.
Review the connected account and resources. Find Allowed resources on the connection page. Each FreshBooks business your login keeps books for is listed. Turn on exactly one; every call goes to that business. A login with one business has it turned on already.
Check the connection. Use Test connection or Check again and read the reported status. Add an AI agent from the AI agents page, choose Read only for the first test, and try the question below.
The FreshBooks connection page after you connect. Choose Test connection to check that FreshBooks answers. The account email and credits are blurred in this capture.Open full-size image (opens in a new tab)

Connect FreshBooks →

2. Connect ApexGenius to Claude

Use this server address when adding the connection:

https://server.autom8.pro/mcp

Open Claude Settings, then Connectors, then Add custom connector.
Enter ApexGenius and the MCP URL above. Choose Connect.
Approve it in your browser, then turn it on in chat or Cowork.
When ApexGenius asks what this AI client may use, choose Read only for the first test, or Custom to limit it to the tools you need.
Start a new conversation and select ApexGenius from the available tools before asking for live data.

Official Claude setup instructions ↗

Watch the connection

7-second loop · Silent, with captions

Read the steps Follow along at your own pace

1. Open Connectors

Claude Desktop Connectors settings with the Add menu at the top and an ApexGenius example in the connector table. — Open Settings, then Connectors. Choose Add at the top; an existing installation appears in the table like this example.Open full-size image (opens in a new tab)

2. Add ApexGenius

Claude Desktop Add custom connector form filled with the ApexGenius name and remote MCP server URL. — Choose Add custom connector, enter the two live values above, and choose Continue. No client id or secret belongs in this form.Open full-size image (opens in a new tab)

3. Review permissions

Claude Desktop ApexGenius connector details showing the remote server URL and Tool permissions heading. — After approval, open ApexGenius from Connectors to review its URL and tool permissions. This capture is an existing configured example.Open full-size image (opens in a new tab)

3. Verify one safe read

Which FreshBooks business is connected? List its five most recent invoices with client, amount and status. Do not change anything.

Which FreshBooks business is connected? List its five most recent invoices with client, amount and status. Do not change anything.

Compare the returned account and resource with FreshBooks. Check the connection status separately from the result of the first read.

Full guide: the FreshBooks setup guide.

What it looks like in Claude Cowork

Illustration of a task, not a recorded customer result. Your answers come from the account and dates you choose.

How the route works

Claude CoworkApexGenius MCP route

Which FreshBooks invoices are still unpaid, who owes them, and how much is due in total? Do not change anything.

Working with ApexGenius1 tool search · 2 reads

RequestUnpaid invoices

Account scopeAuthorized connections checked

apex_search_toolsFreshBooks invoices · Find the FreshBooks read routeComplete

apex_call_read_toollist_invoices · List outstanding invoicesComplete

apex_call_read_toolget_client · Read the clients who oweComplete

Illustrative example: six invoices are unpaid across four clients, and two are past due. The amounts are listed with their currency code. Nothing was changed.

Read-only route

Claude Cowork

Try asking

Which FreshBooks invoices are still unpaid, who owes them, and how much is due in total? Do not change anything.

Run my FreshBooks profit and loss report for last quarter, month by month. Do not change anything.

List last month's FreshBooks expenses and total them by category. Do not change anything.

Log 2 hours to my website redesign project for today with the note "homepage review". Show me the entry first.

What Claude can do in FreshBooks

21 operations: 17 read, 4 write. Read looks things up and changes nothing. Writes change FreshBooks and run only when you turn them on.

Login and businesses

1 read

get_identityread
Read the signed-in FreshBooks login and the businesses it belongs to.

Clients and invoices

4 read

list_clientsread
List clients. Filter by email, organization, or an outstanding or overdue balance.
get_clientread
Read one client.
list_invoicesread
List invoices. Filter by status, client, date, amount or what is still outstanding.
get_invoiceread
Read one invoice, with its line items if asked.

Expenses and payments

4 read

list_expensesread
List expenses. Filter by date, vendor, category, client or project.
get_expenseread
Read one expense.
list_paymentsread
List payments. Filter by invoice, client, date or amount.
get_paymentread
Read one payment.

Reports

4 read

get_profit_and_loss_reportread
Read the profit and loss report, by month or quarter if asked.
get_invoice_details_reportread
Read the invoice details report.
get_payments_collected_reportread
Read the payments collected report.
get_tax_summary_reportread
Read the tax summary report.

Projects

2 read · 2 write

list_projectsread
List projects, with the time logged so far if asked.
get_projectread
Read one project.
create_projectwrite
Create a project for a client, billed hourly or at a fixed price.
update_projectwrite
Change a project, such as its rate, or mark it complete.

Time tracking

2 read · 2 write

list_time_entriesread
List time entries. Filter by client, date, billable or billed.
get_time_entryread
Read one time entry.
create_time_entrywrite
Log time to a client and project, with a note.
update_time_entrywrite
Fix a time entry, such as its hours, date or note.

You choose the access. When you approve Claude, pick Full access, Read only, or Custom.

One connection is one FreshBooks login. Every call goes to the one business that is turned on, and a call cannot name another.

Accounting is read only. The connector cannot create, send or change an invoice, record a payment, or delete anything.

The read route runs only reads. Creating and updating projects and time entries uses the write route.

Enabled writes run immediately. Turn a tool off to block calls.

A project or time entry made by mistake can be fixed with update_project or update_time_entry, or deleted by you in FreshBooks.

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Questions about connecting Claude to FreshBooks

Updated October 20, 2026.

How do I connect FreshBooks?

Open FreshBooks in ApexGenius Connections, choose Connect, and sign in to FreshBooks in the browser. Allow access. You never paste an API key. If your login has more than one business, turn on the one your AI should use.

What can my AI read in FreshBooks?

Your login and its businesses, clients, invoices, expenses, payments, projects and time entries, and the profit and loss, tax summary, invoice details and payments collected reports. It reads only the one business you turned on.

Can my AI change anything in FreshBooks?

Only projects and time. It can create and update projects, and log and fix time entries. It cannot create, send or change an invoice, record a payment, or delete anything. Enabled writes run immediately. Turn a tool off to block calls.

Can I start with read-only access?

Yes. Choose Read only when you add your AI agent. It keeps every read and never sees the project and time-entry writes.

What if my login has more than one business?

Each business shows up as an account on the FreshBooks connection page. Turn on exactly one. Calls are refused until one is on, and they never reach a business that is off.