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MCP Expense Tracker in Claude Code

Receipts, mileage and expenses that turn into invoice lines. It logs an expense with its own currency and VAT split, records the receipt by path and sha256, and emits invoice lines that are not taxed twice.

Logging a receipt from the terminal takes one sentence and one tool call, measured at 13.1 seconds on a fresh data directory, and the rebill lines come out in the same session as the invoice.

What you get in Claude Code

You say	Tool
I paid 61.50 EUR at Media Markt for a USB hub, Acme project, billable.	`expense_add`
What did I spend this month, by category?	`expense_summary`
Give me the invoice lines to rebill Acme this month with 10% markup.	`expense_to_invoice`

The EUR 61.50 receipt above stored as amount_minor 6150, vat_rate 23, and rebilled at a net unit_price of 50.00, so the invoice did not tax it twice.

Install it in Claude Code

The file is .mcp.json, and the key inside it is mcpServers.

Scope	Path
local (default)	`~/.claude.json, this project only`
project	`.mcp.json at the repository root`
user	`~/.claude.json, every project`

If you also run Claude Desktop, the shortest path there is one click: expense-tracker.mcpb from the bundle catalog opens as an extension, with no JSON and no terminal. Claude Code reads its own config, so here it is:

From the terminal, against a built file:

claude mcp add --scope user expense-tracker -- node /absolute/path/to/mcp-servers/servers/expense-tracker/dist/index.js
claude mcp list    # health-check it before the first prompt

# or --scope project, committed to .mcp.json for the team

The node command above wants a built file. From a clone, once:

git clone https://github.com/theluckystrike/mcp-servers.git
cd mcp-servers && npm install
npm run build -w packages/mcp-license -w servers/expense-tracker

That writes servers/expense-tracker/dist/index.js, and its absolute path is the one argument the config needs.

The npm packages are not published yet, so the form below returns a 404 today. It is here because it is what the entry becomes the day the publish lands, with nothing else changed:

claude mcp add expense-tracker -- npx -y @theluckystrike/mcp-expense-tracker

No restart. The entry is picked up in the next session, and `/mcp` reconnects one on demand.

Nothing is published to npm yet, so the working install paths are the ones above: the .mcpb bundle from the bundle catalog, a clone and build, or the hosted URL.

No install: the hosted endpoint

The same server runs at https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/expense-tracker over MCP streamable HTTP, no install. Mint a free token with curl https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/token, or use a Pro key. It has no filesystem, so a file comes back as a one-hour download link.

claude mcp add --transport http expense-tracker https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/expense-tracker \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

Claude Code notes worth knowing first

The `--` is load-bearing: it separates Claude Code's own options, such as --transport, --env and --scope, from the command that runs the server. And the default scope is local, private to you and to the directory you ran it in, so adding it in the wrong folder leaves the tools absent with no error at all.

Free: unlimited logging, 30 days of history, 3 projects, 5 rules, 200 CSV rows. Pro is $19 once, verified offline.

Questions

Which scope should I use for MCP Expense Tracker?

Local, the default, writes ~/.claude.json and is private to you and that directory. --scope project writes .mcp.json at the repository root, shared through version control. --scope user loads it everywhere.

Why did my first prompt ignore the server?

Measured, not documented: of three fresh projects, one first prompt made zero tool calls although initialize answered in 1.05 seconds. Run claude mcp list once first: it prints Connected, and the next run used the tool.

Can I use MCP Expense Tracker without installing anything?

Yes: claude mcp add --transport http expense-tracker https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/expense-tracker --header "Authorization: Bearer <token>". Mint a free token at https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/token or use a Pro key. -t and -H are the short forms.

MCP Expense Tracker in detail · The same server in Claude Desktop and Cursor · Every server in Claude Code · Guides · Claude Code docs · Buy Pro

Related guides & tools

Log expenses and mileage in Claude, split VAT, rebill to an invoice · Rebilling client expenses, with a markup and the VAT handled honestly · Categorize and reconcile a bank CSV export from chat