MCP Setup Guide

Connect Stratacle to Claude Desktop for natural language practice management

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude connect to external tools and data sources. Stratacle implements an MCP server that gives Claude Desktop direct access to your practice management data.

With MCP, you can manage clients, draft emails, request documents, check deadlines, and review your audit trail—all through natural conversation with Claude.

Step 1: Generate an API Key

Navigate to Settings → MCP Keys in your Stratacle dashboard.

Click Create New Key

Give your key a descriptive name (e.g., "Claude Desktop - Work Laptop")

Optionally set an expiration date

Copy your secret key immediately — it’s only shown once

Important

Store your API key securely. It cannot be retrieved after creation. If lost, revoke the old key and create a new one.

Step 2: Configure Claude Desktop

Add Stratacle as an MCP server in your Claude Desktop configuration file.

Configuration file location:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Add this to your config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stratacle": {
      "url": "https://accounting.stratacle.com/mcp/sse",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_API_KEY_HERE with the key you generated in Step 1.

Step 3: Start Using

Restart Claude Desktop and start managing your practice with natural language. Here are some example commands:

"List all my active clients"

"What documents are pending for Acme Corp?"

"Draft an email to Sarah about her missing W-2 forms"

"Show me all deadlines for next week"

"Create a document request for John Smith: W-2, 1099-INT, mortgage statement"

"Generate an engagement letter for new client Jane Doe"

Available Tools

Stratacle exposes 8 tools through MCP. Claude will automatically choose the right tool based on your request.

list_clients

List all clients. Filter by status (active/inactive/all) and limit results.

search_clients

Search clients by name or email.

get_client

Get detailed information about a specific client by ID.

list_deadlines

List upcoming deadlines. Filter by days ahead, client, or include completed.

list_document_requests

List document requests. Filter by status (pending/completed/overdue/all) or client.

get_audit_events

Get recent audit events for compliance tracking. Filter by resource type.

generate_document_template

AI-powered document generation. Supports engagement letters, tax cover letters, client correspondence, and document requests.

create_document_request

Create a document request and optionally email it to the client with a portal link.

See the API Reference for full parameter details.

Key Management

Expiration
Set an expiration date when creating keys. Expired keys are automatically deactivated.
Revocation
Revoke any key instantly from Settings → MCP Keys. Revoked keys stop working immediately.
Audit Logging
Every MCP tool call is logged to your cryptographic audit trail with the key ID, tool name, and timestamp.