Blog · October 23, 2026 · Rich Chetwynd Ask Claude about your Xero data without exporting CSVs or handing over your accounting login. Croft keeps a tidy copy of invoices, bills, contacts, payments and accounts on your private server, and Claude answers with how fresh the numbers are.
Quick answer #
To ask Claude about your Xero data, connect Xero on Croft. Croft keeps a tidy, current copy of invoices, bills, contacts, payments and accounts on your own private server. Connect Claude, then ask in plain words: who owes you money, what is overdue, how this month compares with last. Claude answers from that copy and says when the data was last synced. You do not export a CSV into chat, and you do not give Claude your Xero login.
That is the site’s pitch in one job: your business data, ready for your AI.
Stop exporting Xero reports into chat #
The books already live in Xero. The usual ways of getting an AI to talk about them are a poor fit:
- You export invoices or aged receivables to a spreadsheet, then paste the file into Claude or ChatGPT. The numbers are already old. Next week you do it again.
- You give an assistant a path to your accounting login, or drop API keys into a prompt. The AI is now holding credentials it should never see.
- You build a one-off report in Xero and screenshot it. Nobody else on the team can ask a follow-up.
Finance people and developers hit the same wall. The data is fine. The AI cannot see a current, controlled copy of it.
Related: [use Xero data in a private internal app](https://oncroft.net/blog/use-xero-data-in-private-internal-apps/)
if you want a screen the team opens, not only answers in chat.
Export to chat vs Xero login for the AI vs Croft #
| Need | Export CSV / spreadsheet into chat | Give the AI your Xero login | Croft synced copy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current invoices and who owes you | Stale the moment you export | Live, but the AI is calling Xero | Tidy copy on your private server |
| Named tables the AI can read | You hope the columns make sense | Raw service responses | Sales invoices, Bills, Contacts, Payments |
| Says how fresh the numbers are | No | Depends on the tool | Yes, for example “synced 12 minutes ago” |
| Keys and passwords stay off the AI | File still leaves Xero | No | Croft holds the connection |
| Who on the team can ask | Whoever has the file | Whoever has the login | Admins decide per source |
| Same answers in ChatGPT or Cursor | Paste the file again | Another login grant | One copy, many assistants |
| Then do the work (email overdue invoices) | Manual | Risky if the AI can write | Your AI builds a small app on Croft |
Croft is not “connect your AI straight to Xero.” Claude reads the curated copy on your server. It never sees a password or API key. Setup:
[Xero connector](https://oncroft.net/connectors/xero/), [your data](https://oncroft.net/data/),
[connectors](https://oncroft.net/connectors/).
Steps: connect Xero, connect Claude, ask #
1. [Start a free trial](https://app.oncroft.net/signup) to get a croft, your
private server. 7 days, no card.
2. Connect [Xero](https://oncroft.net/connectors/xero/) . Connecting starts the sync. There is
nothing else to install. Croft keeps invoices, bills, contacts, payments and accounts as named datasets you can browse:Sales invoices ,Bills ,Contacts ,Payments , plus ready-made summaries such as who owes you most. New sources are visible to admins until you open them to the team or to named people. You choose how much history to keep.
3. [Connect Claude](https://oncroft.net/connect/claude/) . Add Croft as a connector in Claude and
connect.[ChatGPT](https://oncroft.net/connect/chatgpt/) , Cursor and Grok use the same kind of
link. Developers can point a coding assistant at the same croft. 4. Ask. Claude lists the sources you are allowed to see, reads the Xero datasets, and tells you when they were last synced. Use Sync now on the Data page when you want a fresh pull before a meeting.
The connection is MCP, so any assistant that speaks it can query the same copy. The AI does not log into Xero.
Questions to ask Claude #
Use the same prompts the Data page suggests, then go further:
- Which customers owe us the most, and how overdue are they?
- What did we spend by category last month compared with the month before?
- Summarise this week’s new invoices and payments.
- Which customers owe us money?
- How does cash this month compare with last month?
- Who are our top customers?
Ask follow-ups in the same chat. Claude stays on the synced copy, so you are not attaching another spreadsheet.
When you want something done, not only answered, ask your AI to build a small app on Croft: Every Monday, email me the list of overdue invoices. That app uses your connectors without seeing the keys, can run on a schedule, and offers actions anyone’s connected assistant can run from then on. Destructive actions ask first, and every run is logged with who asked and which AI did
it. See integrations and automations. Everyone’s AI also shares team memory. Tell Claude “remember for the team: refunds over $500 need Sam’s approval” and ChatGPT knows it too.
FAQ #
How do I ask Claude about my Xero data?
Connect Xero on Croft so invoices, bills, contacts, payments and accounts stay in sync on your private server. Connect Claude, then ask in plain words. Claude reads that copy and tells you when it was last
synced. Start from your data.
How do I connect Claude to Xero?
You do not point Claude at Xero. Connect Xero to Croft, then connect Claude to Croft. Claude reads the synced copy. Credentials stay with Croft.
Can ChatGPT see my Xero data too?
Yes. Connect ChatGPT the same way. Cursor and Grok work too. Each assistant sees the sources you have allowed.
Which customers owe us money, using AI?
Ask “Which customers owe us the most, and how overdue are they?” Croft already has a ready-made summary of who owes you most, from Sales invoices.
Why not export Xero reports to ChatGPT?
Exports go stale and multiply as files. A Croft copy stays current, sits on your server, and the AI says how fresh it is.
Should I give an AI my Xero login?
No. Croft holds the connection. The AI never sees a password or API key.
Who can see our Xero data?
Admins first. An admin can open the source to everyone or to named people. Your AI follows the same rule. Company login sits in front of the croft.
Can Claude email overdue invoices every Monday?
Ask it to build that job as a small app on Croft. Details:
How much does Croft cost?
Solo from $24/month billed annually, Team $99/month billed annually, Enterprise custom. 7-day free trial, no card to start. See
pricing. Start free trial → · Xero connector → · Connect Claude → · Your data → · Pricing →
Start your free trial. #
Your team's first app could be live before lunch.
No card. 7 days. Cancel anytime.