Automating your accounting with n8n and the MCP server
An AI assistant answers when you ask it a question. An automation acts on its own, at a set time or when an event happens: an email received, a form filled in, the first Monday of the month. n8n is one of the most widely used tools to build these automations without heavy development. It connects to SynkriaOps through the MCP server, with an agent key.
The principle
Section titled “The principle”| Element | Role |
|---|---|
| n8n | Triggers and chains the steps (timer, email, webhook, sending a message…) |
| SynkriaOps MCP server | https://mcp.synkriaops.com/mcp: exposes SynkriaOps tools (list documents, import an invoice, check consistency…) |
| Agent key | The secret that identifies the automation and carries its rights, never more than those of the person who created it |
n8n offers two nodes to talk to an MCP server:
| n8n node | When to use it |
|---|---|
| MCP Client | One specific SynkriaOps tool, called as a fixed workflow step. Predictable result: the right choice for a repetitive task. |
| MCP Client Tool | SynkriaOps tools made available to an AI Agent node, which chooses which ones to call. For a conversational assistant built in n8n. |
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”- Machine access is open on your account (ask SynkriaOps support).
- You have the right to connect an assistant: administrator, or a colleague authorised by management. See Management decides who uses an AI assistant.
- You have an n8n instance (n8n Cloud or self-hosted).
Connect n8n to SynkriaOps
Section titled “Connect n8n to SynkriaOps”- Create a dedicated agent key in Settings → AI assistants and MCP → Agents and automations → Create an agent. Give it a name that says what it is for (“Unpaid report n8n”), the “API key” usage, and only the rights this workflow needs. Set an expiry. The detailed procedure is in Connect an assistant.
- Copy the key: it is shown only once.
- In n8n, create a credential of type Bearer and paste the key into it. It stays out of your workflows: a shared or exported workflow does not contain it.
- Add an MCP Client node:
- Server Transport: HTTP Streamable;
- MCP Endpoint URL:
https://mcp.synkriaops.com/mcp; - Authentication: Bearer, with the credential created in step 3.
- In Tool, choose the tool. The list is loaded from SynkriaOps and contains only the tools the key allows.
- Fill in the tool’s parameters (Input Mode: Manual field by field, or JSON), then run the node to test.
Four workflows to build
Section titled “Four workflows to build”1. Unpaid invoices every Monday
Section titled “1. Unpaid invoices every Monday”| Step | Node | Setting |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Schedule Trigger | Every Monday at 8 am |
| SynkriaOps | MCP Client, tool lister_pieces_comptables | Filtered on unpaid invoices |
| Formatting | Code or Edit Fields | Total, top 10 overdue |
| Delivery | Send Email, Slack, Teams… | To management |
Key rights: Read only. Nothing is ever changed in your books.
2. Supplier invoices received by email
Section titled “2. Supplier invoices received by email”| Step | Node | Setting |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Email Trigger (IMAP) | The company’s invoices@ mailbox |
| Preparation | Extract From File | PDF attachment converted to a base64 string |
| SynkriaOps | MCP Client, tool importer_facture_fournisseur_pdf | Base64 content and file name |
SynkriaOps reads the invoice by OCR and creates a pre-filled draft (supplier, number, dates, amounts, VAT), with a confidence score per field and a warning if a similar invoice already exists. Nothing is posted: an accountant reviews and validates. Key rights: supplier invoice creation, without sensitive actions.
3. Daily consistency check
Section titled “3. Daily consistency check”| Step | Node | Setting |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Schedule Trigger | Every evening |
| SynkriaOps | MCP Client, tool verifier_coherence_comptable | No required parameter |
| Condition | IF | If consistency is not confirmed |
| Alert | Send Email | To the head of accounting, with examples of anomalies |
The tool checks the general ledger read-only: unbalanced posted entries, matched groups that do not balance, broken reversal links, validated invoices without an entry. Key rights: Read only.
4. An accounting assistant in your messaging app
Section titled “4. An accounting assistant in your messaging app”| Step | Node | Setting |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Chat Trigger (or a messaging channel) | The team’s questions |
| Reasoning | AI Agent with the model of your choice | |
| Tools | MCP Client Tool connected to the agent | Tools to Include: Selected, read-only tools only |
Security rules
Section titled “Security rules”- One key per workflow, with an explicit name: a leaked key is revoked without stopping other automations.
- Minimal rights: read only as long as the workflow only reads.
- An expiry: a key with no date stays valid until revoked.
- Nothing sensitive without a human: sending a reminder, paying, posting a document are sensitive actions. Only grant them to an automation knowingly, and only if management has authorised it.
- Follow the activity: every access has its Recent activity log (creations, changes, lookups).
- Replace without cutting off: Rotate prepares a new key with the same rights; deploy it in n8n, check, then revoke the old one.
What about other tools?
Section titled “What about other tools?”Make, Zapier or an in-house script work on the same principle as soon as they can call a remote MCP server with an Authorization: Bearer header. For a script, the reference configuration is in Connect an assistant.