Getting started

Integrated in minutes.

LedgerLou bundles bank, documents, journal, receivables, payables and reports into a single central general ledger — accessible via REST API and MCP. Both paths share the same ledger engine, the same scopes, the same audit logic.

REST APIMCPAPI keyScope-driven

Recommended onboarding path

Understand authentication and scopesBefore sending your first request, read up on how API keys and scopes work. Every route and MCP tool is scope-controlled — a 403 caused by a missing scope is the most common initial problem.

Choose your integration typePick your access path: REST API for classic system-to-system integration or MCP for agent workflows and tool-based assistance.

Start with read accessBegin with read queries (*:read) to build context — journal, bank transactions, chart of accounts. No write access is needed for the first test.

Add write scopes deliberatelyOnly once read access is stable should you add write and review scopes. Use one dedicated key per integration.

Your first posting in 5 minutes

Via MCP (AI agent)

Create an API keyIn the Dashboard under Settings → API Keys, create a key with the scopes journal:read and journal:write.

Connect MCPPaste the config snippet into your app (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ledgerlou": {
      "url": "https://api.ledgerlou.de/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ll_dein-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Ask the agentTell your agent, for example: “Show me the chart of accounts and book an incoming invoice for EUR 500 net from vendor XY to account 3400.” — The agent will automatically pick the right MCP tools.

Via REST API

Fetch the chart of accounts

curl https://api.ledgerlou.com/v1/accounts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ll_dein-api-key"

Upload a document

curl -X POST https://api.ledgerlou.com/v1/documents \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ll_dein-api-key" \
  -F "file=@rechnung.pdf"

Create a posting

curl -X POST https://api.ledgerlou.com/v1/journal/bookings \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ll_dein-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "date": "2026-04-14",
    "description": "Eingangsrechnung Lieferant XY",
    "line_items": [
      { "account": "3400", "debit": 500.00 },
      { "account": "1576", "debit": 95.00 },
      { "account": "1600", "credit": 595.00 }
    ]
  }'

References and entry points

Auth & ScopesAPI key model, scope format and enforcement logic for REST and MCP./start/auth-scopes

REST EndpointsComplete endpoint reference with parameters, responses and HTTP methods./reference/rest-endpoints

MCP SetupPublic overview of the MCP connection flow and scope model./mcp/setup