# Zeno

> Zeno is what AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT and Muse work through to do bookkeeping in QuickBooks. The assistant connects to Zeno, never to QuickBooks itself; Zeno holds the QuickBooks connection, guides the work with each company's rules and history, and holds every planned change for a person to approve before it posts. QuickBooks remains the ledger.

## Who Zeno is for

- Business owners and executives who want to ask questions about their company's QuickBooks records, examine the underlying transactions, and work with their bookkeeper. Owners can use Zeno even when someone else keeps the books.
- Bookkeepers and in-house finance teams who want AI to research and prepare work using company knowledge, rules and supporting records.
- Accounting and bookkeeping firms managing multiple client companies, with separate company context and an approval process.

## Why Zeno

Zeno helps owners find answers in their QuickBooks records and helps bookkeepers spend less time on entry and coding. An assistant can prepare almost anything a person does in QuickBooks Online: bills, invoices, payments, journal entries, purchase orders, stock counts, budgets and projects, list changes and cleanup, matched receipts and coded bank activity. Zeno reads these sources itself: bank and card feeds, the bills and receipts forwarded to its documents address, staff expense claims, and Stripe, Square and Helcim payouts, split into sales, refunds and fees. Other apps reach it through the person's own AI, if that AI connects to them. People review the proposed entries, save coding instructions for next time and keep a history of the work. It is built by Eli Mandel, an Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor in both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop, with 20 years of experience in outsourced bookkeeping and custom software development.

## Choose an edition

- [Business](https://zenofirm.com/business): Your own QuickBooks Online company and the people who keep its books.
- [Firms](https://zenofirm.com/firms): Outside client companies on QuickBooks Online. A firm with clients on QuickBooks Desktop runs them on Zeno installed on Windows and can hold the Desktop connectors add-on on the same account for live bank feeds.
- [Zeno on Windows](https://zenofirm.com/quickbooks-desktop): Prepare bills, code card charges and ask questions about existing QuickBooks Desktop books. Windows software with review before planned entries post.
- [Pricing and requirements](https://zenofirm.com/pricing): Current plans and evaluation terms. Bring a compatible AI assistant plan.

## Connection facts

- Cloud MCP endpoint: `https://api.zenofirm.com/mcp`. Transport: streamable HTTP with OAuth 2.1 and Dynamic Client Registration.
- Zeno on Windows: local stdio MCP bridge on Windows beside the open QuickBooks Desktop company file.
- See the edition-specific MCP guides below for assistant setup.

## Scope and expectations

Answers reflect available records and their freshness; Zeno does not make incomplete books complete simply by connecting them. Proposed bookkeeping changes go through review. In Zeno Cloud, workspace administrators can give business owners view-only access to specified companies. Zeno enforces those permissions on each request; the owner or their AI cannot enable writes through connector settings. Owners and their AI can leave persistent questions for the bookkeeping team, which can answer when they return. Published replies remain available for the owner’s next visit or AI session.

The Desktop company file stays on the PC, but records returned to an AI assistant are processed under that assistant's settings and policies. Local storage of the company file does not mean the entire AI conversation is offline.

## Learn more

- [Why Zeno and its founder](https://zenofirm.com/about)
- [Which edition is mine](https://zenofirm.com/#choose-your-work)
- [Connect your AI](https://zenofirm.com/ai): Claude, ChatGPT or Muse
- [ChatGPT Integration](https://zenofirm.com/chatgpt)
- [Claude Integration](https://zenofirm.com/claude)
- [Muse Integration](https://zenofirm.com/muse)
- [Skills and slash commands for bookkeeping](https://zenofirm.com/skills)
- [QuickBooks Online](https://zenofirm.com/quickbooks-online)
- [QuickBooks Online MCP](https://zenofirm.com/quickbooks-online/mcp)
- [QuickBooks Desktop MCP](https://zenofirm.com/quickbooks-desktop/mcp)
- [Security](https://zenofirm.com/security)
- [FAQ](https://zenofirm.com/faq)
- [What Zeno will not do](https://zenofirm.com/limits)
- [What to ask Zeno](https://zenofirm.com/what-to-ask)
- [Your first month](https://zenofirm.com/first-month)
- [For fractional CFOs](https://zenofirm.com/fractional-cfo)
- [Facts about Zeno](https://zenofirm.com/facts)
- [Bookkeeping workflows](https://zenofirm.com/workflows): budgeting, close, payables, collections, payouts, job costing, inventory, catch-up, year-end
- [What Zeno can do on each QuickBooks Online plan](https://zenofirm.com/quickbooks-online/plans)
- [MCP comparison](https://zenofirm.com/compare/quickbooks-mcp-server)
- [Documentation](https://zenofirm.com/docs)
- [Expanded reference](https://zenofirm.com/llms-full.txt)