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Conductor is a hosted REST API that reads and writes QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Enterprise data in real time. Conductor’s API covers 256 operations across 62 object types, and every request goes to the live company file and back with no cache. Conductor also provides Python and Node.js SDKs with TypeScript types, and a hosted MCP server at https://mcp.conductor.is/ that connects Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Codex, VS Code, and other AI tools to QuickBooks Desktop.

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What connecting to QuickBooks Desktop directly requires

Connecting a web app directly to QuickBooks Desktop requires a SOAP web service for the QuickBooks Web Connector (Intuit’s program bundled with QuickBooks Desktop), a .qwc config file per connection, qbXML requests and parsers for each object type, logic for Web Connector sessions and polling, and a Windows computer that keeps QuickBooks open and signed in. QuickBooks processes one request per company file at a time, so requests also need a queue. Errors arrive from several layers, each in its own format: Windows COM (0x80040408), the Web Connector (QBWC1085), qbXML status codes (3153), and some with no message. Conductor handles each of those parts except the Windows computer, which stays with the end user; Conductor’s setup flow, help guides, and dashboard cover that side.

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Key features

  • 62 QuickBooks Desktop object types: 125 read operations, 109 create or update, and 22 delete. Only transactions can be deleted.
  • Real-time requests: 3 to 10 seconds for the first after an idle period, then about 0.5 seconds each.
  • Python and Node.js SDKs with autocomplete and inline docs.
  • An MCP server with a read-only URL, https://mcp.conductor.is/read-only, that blocks writes.
  • A request queue per company file, with timeouts, retries, and pagination handled.
  • Many company files per project, including several on one computer.
  • One error format for Windows COM, Web Connector, and qbXML errors, each with a message that states the cause and the fix.
  • A guided setup flow for the person at the QuickBooks computer.
  • A dashboard with each connection’s status, company file, and last check-in, one-click connection tests, and API keys.
  • 24 help guides for Rightworks and other hosting providers, run as administrator, moved company files, pop-up dialogs, and Admin sign-in.
  • QuickBooks Enterprise in any version, and Pro, Premier, and Accountant 2018 or later, in every industry edition; not QuickBooks Desktop for Mac, which lacks the Web Connector.