Connect BankSync to Claude Cowork

Use BankSync MCP with Claude Cowork to give Anthropic's collaborative AI workspace access to real financial data for team-based analysis.

See the Claude Cowork MCP docs for more detail.

Add the official connector

BankSync is listed in Claude’s connector directory. Add it, sign in with your BankSync account and choose a workspace. Claude handles the OAuth sign-in, so there is no API key or config file. Works in Claude Desktop and on claude.ai.

Add BankSync to Claude

Need a file-based or headless setup? Use an API key instead, below.

Prerequisites

A BankSync account with at least one connected bank
For the API-key setup: a key with all permission scopes (created from Workspace → Developers)

Desktop Extension (Claude Desktop app)

Prefer a file-based install? Download the BankSync bundle, open it with Claude Desktop and enter an API key when prompted.

Download banksync-mcp.mcpb

Set up in Claude Cowork

Claude Cowork is configured through its interface — there’s no file to edit. Use these values when adding the server:

MCP config (JSON)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "banksync": {
      "url": "https://mcp.banksync.io",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "bsk_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Alternative: Claude Code CLI with API key (header auth)

claude mcp add --transport http -s user \
  --header "X-API-Key: bsk_your_api_key_here" \
  banksync https://mcp.banksync.io

Tip. The exact Connectors UI path may vary as Cowork is actively developed; refer to the Claude Cowork docs (https://claude.com/product/cowork) if the steps differ in your version.

Tip. Requirements: Claude Cowork Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise subscription. Available on macOS and Windows.

Server URL. BankSync’s MCP server is at https://mcp.banksync.io over Streamable HTTP. Clients sign in with OAuth, or send an API key in the X-API-Key header.

Verify your connection

Restart your client and try these prompts to confirm the connection works:

“List my workspaces”

“What banks do I have connected?”

“What’s my checking account balance?”

Troubleshooting

“No tools available” or the MCP server is not listed

Make sure you restarted your AI client after editing the config file.
Verify the JSON/YAML is valid (no trailing commas, correct brackets).
Check the URL is exactly https://mcp.banksync.io.

“Authentication failed” or “Invalid API key”

Confirm the key starts with bsk_ and has not been revoked.
Ensure the key is passed in the X-API-Key header.
Check for stray whitespace or newlines around the key value.

Connection timeout or the client lacks remote HTTP support

The server uses Streamable HTTP. Allow outbound HTTPS to mcp.banksync.io.
If your client only supports local servers, use the npm bridge: npx -y @banksync/mcp.

Tools are listed but return errors

Verify your API key has the required scopes — for full access, select all scopes when creating the key.
Make sure you have at least one bank connected in the BankSync app.
Check that you are passing the correct workspace ID when prompted.

Debugging with MCP Inspector

Use the MCP Inspector to test the connection independently of your AI client.
Run: npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector --url https://mcp.banksync.io --header "X-API-Key: bsk_your_key"
If the Inspector connects but your client does not, the issue is your client configuration.

← All clients