Claude Desktop

MAX

Ask Claude natural language questions about your bank transactions using live data from SheetLink. “What did I spend on restaurants last month?” Just works.

Overview

SheetLink’s Claude Desktop integration uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to give Claude read access to your bank transactions. Once connected, Claude can answer questions about your spending, build summaries, and help you analyze patterns — all using the live data flowing through your SheetLink account.

The integration runs locally on your machine. Your API key and transaction data are never sent to any server other than SheetLink and Anthropic.

Prerequisites

✓SheetLink MAX — API key access is MAX-only. Upgrade here.
✓Claude Desktop — download from claude.ai/download.
✓Node.js 16+ — required to run npx. Check with node --version. Install guide.
✓At least one bank connected — the integration reads from your connected accounts.

Get Your API Key

Go to Dashboard → API Keysand create a new key. Copy it — you’ll need it in the next step.

Keep your API key private.Anyone with your key can read your transaction data. Don’t paste it into chat windows or commit it to code.

Configure Claude Desktop

Open the config file in TextEdit:

Mac — paste this into Terminal:

open -e ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows — paste this into Run (Win+R):

notepad %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

The file already has a preferences block. Add the mcpServers block inside the same outer {} — your file should look like this:

{
  "preferences": {
    ... (leave your existing preferences here)
  },
  "mcpServers": {
    "sheetlink": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@sheetlink/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SHEETLINK_API_KEY": "sl_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace sl_your_api_key_here with the key you copied from the dashboard.

Save the file, then fully quit Claude Desktop (Cmd+Q on Mac, not just close the window) and reopen it. The SheetLink tools will appear in the tools panel.

Try It

Once Claude Desktop restarts, open a new conversation and try these prompts:

“What banks do I have connected?”

“What did I spend on food last month?”

“Show me my top 10 transactions from this week.”

“What are my biggest spending categories for Q1?”

“Build me a simple P&L for March.”

“How much did I spend at Amazon in the last 90 days?”

Available Tools

SheetLink exposes three tools to Claude. Claude calls them automatically based on your question — you don’t need to reference them directly.

list_accounts

Lists all connected bank accounts with institution name and last sync time.

list_transactions

Fetches transactions with optional filters.

Parameter	Type	Description
item_id	string	Filter to one bank (from list_accounts)
start_date	string	YYYY-MM-DD
end_date	string	YYYY-MM-DD
category	string	Plaid category partial match (e.g. FOOD_AND_DRINK)
limit	number	Max results (default 100)

get_spending_summary

Aggregates spending by category or merchant for a date range.

Parameter	Type	Description
item_id	string	Limit to one bank
start_date	string	YYYY-MM-DD
end_date	string	YYYY-MM-DD
group_by	string	category (default) or merchant

Troubleshooting

SheetLink tools don’t appear in Claude

Make sure you fully quit and restarted Claude Desktop after saving the config. Check that the JSON is valid — a missing comma or bracket will silently break it.

Error: SHEETLINK_API_KEY environment variable is required

The env block in your config is missing or the key wasn’t substituted. Double-check the config and make sure the key starts with sl_.

SheetLink API error 403

API key access requires MAX tier. Check your plan at Dashboard → Billing.

npx: command not found

Node.js is not installed or not in Claude Desktop’s PATH. If you use nvm, replace npx in the config with the full path: /opt/homebrew/bin/npx (Mac with Homebrew) or run which npx in your terminal to find the right path.