Lili MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a secure connector that lets your AI assistant (like Claude, Cursor, or other MCP‑compatible tools) access Lili business banking data for your clients, with their permission.

As an accountant, you can use Lili MCP to:

• View client balances, transactions, invoices, bills, tax data, and documents directly through your AI assistant.
• Quickly answer questions like “show Q1 expenses over 500” or “download last month’s statements for all clients” without logging into multiple dashboards.

How to Connect Lili MCP to Your AI Assistant

Below are simple, accountant‑friendly setup steps for the most common MCP clients. All connections use secure login via Lili.

1. Prerequisites

Before you start:

• You need a Lili accountant account (or a Lili business account if you are testing on your own entity).
• You need an MCP‑compatible AI assistant such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code (with MCP support), or Windsurf.

The Lili MCP server URL is:

• https://mcp.lilibanking.com/mcp

2. Claude Desktop (high‑level steps)

1. Install the mcp-remote helper once on your machine (CLI bridge for remote HTTP MCP servers).
2. Edit claude_desktop_config.json and add Lili under mcpServers, pointing to https://mcp.lilibanking.com/mcp.
3. Restart Claude Desktop.
4. Ask a Lili‑related question (for example about balance or transactions). A browser window opens, you log in with your Lili credentials, and approve access.

After this first login, Claude reuses the token on that device until it expires.

3. Cursor

1. Open Settings → MCP in Cursor.
2. Add a new MCP server with:
   • Name: lili
   • Type: HTTP
   • URL: https://mcp.lilibanking.com/mcp
3. Save. On first use, Cursor opens a browser tab for Lili login and authorization.

4. VS Code (MCP‑enabled setups)

1. In your workspace, open (or create) .vscode/mcp.json.
2. Add a server entry pointing lili to https://mcp.lilibanking.com/mcp with type http.
3. Save and follow your MCP extension’s prompts to authorize via browser on first use.

5. Windsurf and Other MCP Clients

• In Windsurf, open Settings → MCP Servers and add https://mcp.lilibanking.com/mcp as the server URL, then restart and authorize in the browser when prompted.
• Any other MCP client that supports HTTP transport and OAuth 2.0 can connect by pointing to https://mcp.lilibanking.com/mcp and following its built‑in “Connect” / “Authorize” flow.

Tools Available to Accountants

Below is a simplified, accountant‑focused view of what your AI assistant can do once connected to Lili MCP.

A. Accountant & Client Management

These tools help you manage your practice and client list.

• View your accountant profile
  • See your registered details and partner referral code.
• See all connected clients
  • List all business clients that granted you access, with business names, type (LLC, S‑Corp, etc.), status, and contact info.
• Work on a specific client
  • Select a client so that all subsequent questions are asked in the context of that client.
• Manage referrals
  • Search and track referrals and generate invite links for prospective clients who should open a Lili account under your profile.

B. Account, Cards, and Identity Data

These tools support reconciliations and entity reviews.

• Account summary
  • Get balances, routing number, masked account number, and sub‑account balances (e.g., Tax Bucket, BusinessBuild collateral).
• Linked external accounts
  • View external bank accounts linked via Plaid (institution, type, masked number, status).
• Business profile & owners
  • Retrieve legal entity name, incorporation state/date, entity type (LLC, C‑Corp, S‑Corp, etc.), addresses, and list of business owners and their ownership percentages.
• Cards and credit
  • List debit and credit cards and see BusinessBuild credit limits and usage.
• Bank account letters
  • Download ACH/wire instructions as a PDF when needed for payers.

C. Transactions, Receipts, and Exports

These tools are key for bookkeeping, reviews, and audits.

• Search transactions
  • Filter by date, account, type (purchases, transfers, fees, etc.), category, pending/settled state, and amount range.
• Get full transaction details
  • Deep data for a specific transaction: merchant, MCC, location keys, categorizations, settlement amounts.
• Categories and locations
  • List all transaction categories, then map location keys to human‑readable addresses.
• Receipts and documents
  • Download digital receipts or attached documents for specific transactions.
• CSV exports
  • Generate Base64‑encoded CSV exports for a date range, optimized for short‑term transaction windows.

D. Statements, Reports, and Tax Documents

These tools support month‑end close and tax workflows.

• Bank statements
  • List and download monthly statements for the main account and sub‑accounts.
• Expense reports
  • Generate PDF expense reports for custom or standard periods (YTD, last year, monthly, quarterly).
• Tax statements
  • List and download tax statements and Schedule C reports by year.

E. Bills, Suppliers, and Payables

These tools help you oversee payables and vendor data.

• Bills list and details
  • List bills by status (paid, pending, canceled) and sort by due date or created date. Get full bill details, including recurring rules and payment history.
• Bill payments and attachments
  • Check available payment methods (ACH, wire, etc.) and download original bill documents (e.g., vendor PDF).
• Suppliers and routing
  • List suppliers and retrieve their payment routing instructions (ACH, wires, checks) with masked account details.

F. Invoices and Revenue

These tools support AR reviews and revenue analysis.

• Invoices
  • List invoices (unpaid, overdue, paid, drafts) and get full invoice details including items, taxes, and payment links.
• Saved invoice items
  • View standard invoice item templates that your client uses.

G. Tax Buckets and Estimates

These tools support tax planning discussions with clients.

• Tax Bucket status and history
  • View Tax Bucket balance, auto‑save configuration, estimated tax rate, and the history of automatic set‑aside transfers.
• Tax estimates
  • Estimate annual tax liability based on income and deductible expenses.

H. Financial Summaries and KPIs

These tools help you quickly understand client performance.

• Income, expenses, profit over time
  • Retrieve time‑series summaries (monthly, quarterly, yearly) for income, expenses, or net profit.

Simple Example: How an Accountant Might Use Lili MCP

Once connected and with a client selected, you can ask your AI assistant things like:

• “For this client, summarize Q1 income, expenses, and net profit month by month.”
• “Export this client’s transactions for last month as CSV and list any expenses over 500 categorized as Software.”

Your AI assistant uses the appropriate tools in the background, then returns a clean, accountant‑ready answer.

Lili is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Sunrise Banks, N.A., Member FDIC. The Lili Visa® Debit Card is issued by Sunrise Banks, N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A., Inc. The Card may be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. 

Wire Transfer services are provided by Column Bank N.A., Member FDIC. All wires are subject to acceptance criteria and risk-based review and may be rejected at the sole discretion of Column Bank N. A. or Lili App Inc.