Joist API and MCP server: connect Joist to ChatGPT and Claude

Yes, ChatGPT, Claude and other AI agents can work in your Joist account. That includes Cursor, Codex, OpenClaw and any MCP client, plus automations in n8n, Make and Zapier. Ask in plain words, and the AI creates customers, writes estimates, turns them into invoices, records payments and lists what is unpaid. It shows you what it will do first and sends nothing to other people until you say so.

This repo is the missing piece: 20 Joist tools for AI assistants and scripts.

What you can ask

Write an estimate for Maple Street Dental: 120 sq ft of drywall repair at $4.50 and two coats of paint for $380, 7.25% tax, valid 30 days.

Which approved estimates have no invoice yet? Generate the invoices and show me before you send any.

Record the $390.93 check from Maple Street Dental on invoice 1042, dated yesterday.

List overdue invoices, oldest first, and draft a short reminder for each.

What did I take in last month, and how much sales tax did I collect?

Two ways to get it

	Ready to use, at Cotlet	Run it yourself, this repo
For	contractors and trades business owners	developers
Setup	sign in to Joist once, about 5 minutes, nothing to install	Python and a terminal
Works in	ChatGPT and Claude apps, on your phone too, Cursor, Codex, OpenClaw, any MCP client, n8n, Make, Zapier, REST API	Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex on your computer
Runs	24/7, your computer can be off	while your computer is on
Price	7 days free, no card	free

Start free at cotlet.dev →

Run it yourself

A Joist API and a Joist MCP server you run on your own computer, in Python, on the session of your own Google Chrome. All 20 Joist tools we run in production at Cotlet: clients, saved items and tax rates, estimates, invoices from estimates, estimate and invoice email, recorded payments, the monthly CSV export and the Reports page.

Joist has no public API, no webhooks and no official MCP server. Its only link out is QuickBooks Sync on Joist Pro, which copies estimates and invoices one way, once a night, without payments. This repo gives you:

• MCP server for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex and any MCP client, over stdio or HTTP. Setup
• REST API on http://127.0.0.1:8787/api/v1/joist, with OpenAPI docs at /docs. Setup
• Python: call("list_invoices", view="overdue"), plus 9 ready scripts in examples/.

Free for your own use, your own business included (license).

uv tool install joist-api-mcp                  # or: pip install joist-api-mcp
joist-mcp connect                                  # reads your Joist session from Chrome
joist-mcp call list_invoices view=overdue
claude mcp add joist -- uvx joist-api-mcp mcp

Contents

• Questions from Joist users
• How it works
• Requirements
• Install
• Connect your Chrome
• MCP server
• REST API
• Python and the example scripts
• All 20 tools
• Configuration
• Security and your Joist account
• Errors
• Self-hosted or hosted
• FAQ
• License

Questions from Joist users

Does Joist have an API?
No. Joist publishes no API, developer docs or webhooks (checked 26 Oct 2026). QuickBooks Sync on Joist Pro copies issued estimates and invoices to QuickBooks Online once a night, one way and without payments, and the web app exports a monthly CSV without line items. This repo and Cotlet give you 20 Joist tools as a REST API and an MCP server.

Can I get a Joist API key?
Not from Joist for your own account. With Cotlet you get your own API key that works with your Joist account, for scripts, n8n, Make, Zapier or any HTTP client. This repo needs no key: it runs on your computer, on your own Joist session.

Is there an official ChatGPT integration for Joist?
No. Joist has no official ChatGPT or Claude connector. Cotlet is an unofficial one that works today, in the ChatGPT and Claude apps and in any AI agent that takes an MCP server.

How do I connect Joist to ChatGPT?
Sign up at cotlet.dev, sign in to Joist once in your Cloud Browser there, and add Cotlet to ChatGPT, following the steps in your account. Then ask ChatGPT about your Joist like you would ask an assistant. ChatGPT needs a server on the internet, so this repo alone, running on your computer, does not connect to ChatGPT.

Can ChatGPT create estimates and invoices in Joist?
Yes, with Cotlet. Give it your notes, and it writes the estimate with line items, turns an approved estimate into an invoice and records the payment. It sends nothing to your client without your OK.

Can I automate Joist with Zapier, Make or n8n?
Joist has no Zapier or Make app. With Cotlet, n8n, Make and Zapier can create clients, estimates and invoices in Joist, for example from a web form or an email.

Can I use it from my phone?
Yes, with Cotlet: once it is set up, the ChatGPT and Claude apps on your phone can use Joist for you.

Do I need to be technical?
For Cotlet, no: you sign in to Joist and add Cotlet to ChatGPT or Claude, with step-by-step instructions in your account. This repo is for people who are fine with Python and a terminal.

Is my Joist account safe?
Yes. Neither Cotlet nor this repo sees or stores your Joist password. You sign in yourself, the way you always do, and the AI works on that signed-in session. Anything that reaches other people asks for your OK first: in Cotlet by default, here through your MCP client.

Is it free?
This repo is free, also in your own business. Cotlet is free for 7 days with no card, then one-time credit packs from $29, no subscription. Pricing.

I manage Joist for several accounts or clients. Does that work?
Yes, with Cotlet. Each Joist login gets its own connection. Write to [email protected] and tell us how many accounts you manage.

How it works

AI agent (MCP) / script (REST, Python) ──▶ joist-mcp on your computer ──your Joist session──▶ joistapp.com
                                                  ▲
                         joist-mcp connect ───────┘ reads it once from your Chrome (DevTools Protocol)

1. You sign in to Joist on the web at pro.joistapp.com in your own Chrome, the way you always do.
2. joist-mcp connect attaches to that Chrome through the Chrome DevTools Protocol, reads the joistapp.com cookies and your browser's time zone, and saves them to ~/.config/joist-api-mcp/session.json, readable by your user only. It never sees or stores your password.
3. Every tool call is a request to the endpoints the Joist web app calls (gateway.prd.joistapp.com), with the token from the auth:production cookie, sent with curl_cffi, which copies Chrome's TLS fingerprint. No headless browser runs.

Dates such as "today" and an estimate's last valid day follow the time zone of the Chrome you connected.

Requirements

• Python 3.11 or newer.
• Google Chrome 144 or newer, signed in at pro.joistapp.com. Any Chrome or Chromium works with a debugging port.
• macOS, Linux or Windows.
• A Joist account. A Joist company has one user, so the tools act as that user. get_report reads the Reports page, which Joist sells on Elite and opens during the 14-day trial. Everything else works on Pro.

Install

From PyPI:

uv tool install joist-api-mcp       # or: pipx install joist-api-mcp, or: pip install joist-api-mcp
joist-mcp --version

MCP clients can also run it with no install: uvx joist-api-mcp mcp.

From source:

git clone https://github.com/cotletdev/joist-api-mcp-server.git
cd joist-api-mcp-server
python3 -m venv .venv
. .venv/bin/activate              # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -e .
joist-mcp --version

With uv: uv venv && uv pip install -e ., then uv run joist-mcp ....

Setting it up with an AI agent (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor)? Open it in this folder and ask it to set up the repo: AGENTS.md tells it every step, and it asks you only for the steps in Chrome.

To update: uv tool upgrade joist-api-mcp (or pip install -U joist-api-mcp), from source git pull && pip install -e .. We copy every change of the hosted Joist tools into this repo.

Connect your Chrome

Option A: your everyday Chrome (recommended)

1. Open chrome://inspect/#remote-debugging in Chrome and switch remote debugging on. Chrome then accepts DevTools connections from programs on this computer, and asks you before each one.

2. Make sure you are signed in at pro.joistapp.com.

3. Run:

   joist-mcp connect
   

4. Chrome asks whether to allow the connection. Click Allow.

Saved 35 Joist cookies to /Users/you/.config/joist-api-mcp/session.json
Signed in to Joist as Sam Rivera

You can switch remote debugging off again afterwards. Leave it on if you want the server to pick up a new session by itself after Joist signs you out.

connect looks for Chrome's DevToolsActivePort file in the default profile folder. For Chrome Beta, Canary or a custom profile folder, pass --profile-dir "<folder>".

Option B: a Chrome with a debugging port

Chrome does not open a debugging port on your default profile, so start a separate one, sign in to Joist there once, and connect to it:

# macOS
"/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome" --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir="$HOME/.chrome-joist"
# Linux
google-chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir="$HOME/.chrome-joist"
# Windows
"C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir="%USERPROFILE%\.chrome-joist"

joist-mcp connect --cdp http://127.0.0.1:9222

--cdp also takes a ws:// DevTools URL, for example of a Chrome on another machine reached over an SSH tunnel.

Option C: paste the cookie by hand

For a server with no Chrome: in Chrome open DevTools on pro.joistapp.com, Application > Cookies > https://pro.joistapp.com, copy the value of auth%3Aproduction (it looks like 1234567%3Aabc...), then:

joist-mcp connect --token          # paste it, input is hidden
# or, without a session file:
export JOIST_AUTH_TOKEN=...

A pasted token is not refreshed on its own, and dates then use this computer's time zone. Paste a new one when Joist signs you out.

Check the session at any time:

joist-mcp status

MCP server

The MCP server lists every tool with its input schema, a description written for agents, and hints: read tools are marked read-only, and tools that email a client, record a payment or delete are marked so your client asks before running them.

Claude Code

claude mcp add joist -- uvx joist-api-mcp mcp
# read only:
claude mcp add joist -- uvx joist-api-mcp mcp --read-only

Claude Desktop

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "joist": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["joist-api-mcp", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

~/.cursor/mcp.json, the same block as Claude Desktop. A ready copy is in mcp.json.

Codex

~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.joist]
command = "uvx"
args = ["joist-api-mcp", "mcp"]

Over HTTP

joist-mcp serve also serves MCP over streamable HTTP at http://127.0.0.1:8787/mcp, for clients that take a URL:

joist-mcp serve
claude mcp add --transport http joist http://127.0.0.1:8787/mcp

Then ask your agent things like:

Write an estimate for Maple Street Dental: 120 sq ft of drywall repair at $4.50 and two coats of paint for $380, 7.25% tax, valid 30 days.

Which approved estimates have no invoice yet? Generate the invoices and show me before you send any.

Record the $390.93 check from Maple Street Dental on invoice 1042, dated yesterday.

List overdue invoices, oldest first, and draft a short reminder for each.

What did I take in last month, and how much sales tax did I collect?

REST API

joist-mcp serve                    # http://127.0.0.1:8787, MCP at /mcp, docs at /docs

Each tool has its own route under /api/v1/joist, the same paths as the hosted API at cotlet.dev, so code written against one works with the other. Path parts and the query string are arguments, and a JSON body adds the rest.

curl 'http://127.0.0.1:8787/api/v1/joist/clients?search=dental'
curl 'http://127.0.0.1:8787/api/v1/joist/invoices?view=overdue'
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8787/api/v1/joist/clients/56285802/estimates \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"line_items": [{"name": "Drywall repair (per sq ft)", "quantity": 120, "rate": 4.5}], "tax_rate": 7.25}'

Any tool by name, body as its arguments:

curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8787/api/v1/joist/tools/get_report -d '{"report": "revenue", "from": "2026-10-01", "to": "2026-10-31"}'

• GET /api/v1/joist/tools: every tool with its route, input schema and an example answer.
• GET /docs: interactive OpenAPI docs, GET /openapi.json the schema, for n8n, Postman or a generated client.
• Answers are JSON. Lists return next_cursor; pass it back as cursor for the next page.

The server listens on 127.0.0.1 only. To reach it from another device of yours, set a token, and every request then needs Authorization: Bearer <token>:

JOIST_MCP_TOKEN=$(openssl rand -hex 24) joist-mcp serve --host 0.0.0.0

Python and the example scripts

Straight from Python, no server needed:

from joist_api_mcp import call
from joist_api_mcp.scripting import paginate, write_rows

overdue = list(paginate("list_invoices", {"view": "overdue"}, "invoices"))
write_rows(overdue, "overdue.csv")
client = call("list_clients", search="Maple Street")["clients"][0]
call("create_estimate", client_id=client["client_id"], line_items=[{"name": "Deck stain", "rate": 650}])

Or one tool from the shell: joist-mcp call list_estimates approval=pending, or with a JSON object.

Ready scripts in examples/. Each prints JSON, takes --out file.csv or --out file.json where it makes sense, and --help. The ones that write show what they would do first:

Script	What it does
export_clients.py	Clients to CSV or JSON: name, email, phone, address, notes, last payment. --search.
estimate_from_job.py	An estimate from a job description: finds the client by name or adds it, lines as name:quantity:rate, saved items matched by name. --dry-run.
list_estimates.py	Estimates by approval: pending, approved, declined or all.
invoice_approved_estimates.py	Approved estimates without an invoice. --convert makes the invoices, --send emails them.
record_payment.py	A check, cash, card or bank transfer payment on an invoice found by its number.
overdue_invoices.py	Overdue invoices with balance due, oldest first.
remind_overdue.py	Lists overdue invoices; --send emails each one again with your message. --days.
export_month.py	Joist's monthly invoice or estimate CSV, the file for your accountant.
monthly_report.py	Revenue, invoices, estimates or sales tax for one month, with the total.

python examples/overdue_invoices.py --out overdue.csv
python examples/export_month.py --month 2026-10 --out invoices-2026-10.csv

On a schedule, cron on your own computer works while it is on: 0 8 * * 1 cd ~/joist-api-mcp-server && .venv/bin/python examples/overdue_invoices.py --out ~/overdue.csv.

All 20 tools

Ids come from the list tools: client_id from list_clients, estimate_id from list_estimates, invoice_id from list_invoices. joist-mcp tools prints this list, joist-mcp tools --json adds the input schemas.

Clients

Tool	Access	REST route	What it does
list_clients	read	GET /clients	Clients in your account with name, email, phone and address.
get_client	read	GET /clients/{client_id}	One client card: every email and phone, billing and service address, notes and tags.
add_client	write	POST /clients	New client in your Clients list, ready for estimates and invoices.

Items and tax rates

Tool	Access	REST route	What it does
list_items	read	GET /items	Saved items from your Items list with rate and description, plus your tax rates.
add_item	write	POST /items	Save a service or material to your Items list.

Estimates

Tool	Access	REST route	What it does
list_estimates	read	GET /estimates	Estimates with number, client, total, expiry, status, approval, and whether it was emailed or signed.
get_estimate	read	GET /estimates/{estimate_id}	Full estimate: client, line items, tax, discount, deposit, expiry, approval and signature.
create_estimate	write	POST /clients/{client_id}/estimates	New saved estimate with line items, tax, discount, deposit and expiry. Nothing is sent to the client.
update_estimate	write	PATCH /estimates/{estimate_id}	Change an estimate's lines, tax, discount, deposit, expiry, notes or PO number. Nothing is sent.
delete_estimate	write	DELETE /estimates/{estimate_id}	Delete an estimate for good.
send_estimate	write	POST /estimates/{estimate_id}/send	Email the estimate to the client from Joist with its link and PDF.
convert_estimate_to_invoice	write	POST /estimates/{estimate_id}/convert	Generate an invoice with everything from the estimate. Nothing is sent to the client.

Invoices and payments

Tool	Access	REST route	What it does
list_invoices	read	GET /invoices	Invoices with client, total, amount paid, balance due, due date and overdue. Active, paid or all.
get_invoice	read	GET /invoices/{invoice_id}	Full invoice: client, line items, tax, discount, deposit, due date, balance and every payment.
create_invoice	write	POST /clients/{client_id}/invoices	New saved invoice for a client without an estimate. Nothing is sent to the client.
delete_invoice	write	DELETE /invoices/{invoice_id}	Delete an invoice that has no payments, for good.
send_invoice	write	POST /invoices/{invoice_id}/send	Email the invoice to the client from Joist with its link and PDF.
record_payment	write	POST /invoices/{invoice_id}/payments	Record a cash, check, credit card or bank transfer payment on an invoice; paid in full moves to Paid.

Export and reports

Tool	Access	REST route	What it does
export_documents	read	GET /documents/export	Joist's monthly CSV of estimates or invoices: number, client, subtotal, tax, total, dates, payments.
get_report	read	GET /reports/{report}	A Joist report for a date range: revenue, invoices, estimates or sales tax, with the period total.

Nothing reaches your client until send_estimate or send_invoice. Creating, converting and changing a document saves it in Joist only. record_payment writes down money you already received and charges no card.

Not in this version: editing an invoice after it is made, editing or deleting clients and items, Joist Payments (online card payments), change orders, work orders, jobs and attachments.

Never built, on purpose: your Joist sign-in, email and password, and your Joist plan and billing. Every request passes a guard that refuses changes to sign-in, password and account paths.

Configuration

Variable	Default	What it does
JOIST_MCP_HOME	~/.config/joist-api-mcp	Folder of session.json.
JOIST_AUTH_TOKEN		The auth%3Aproduction cookie value, instead of joist-mcp connect.
JOIST_PROXY		Proxy for every request to Joist, e.g. http://user:pass@host:port.
JOIST_MCP_READ_ONLY		1 hides and refuses every tool that changes Joist (same as --read-only).
JOIST_MCP_TOKEN		Bearer token required by serve; needed to listen beyond 127.0.0.1.
JOIST_MCP_HOST, JOIST_MCP_PORT	127.0.0.1, 8787	Address of serve.

Security and your Joist account

• Your password never reaches this code. Only cookies are read, and only those of joistapp.com.
• The session file is yours. session.json is created with mode 0600. Anyone who has it can act as you in Joist, so keep it out of git and shared folders.
• Local by default. serve binds to 127.0.0.1 and refuses another address without JOIST_MCP_TOKEN.
• joistapp.com only. Requests and redirects outside joistapp.com are refused.
• Read-only mode. --read-only or JOIST_MCP_READ_ONLY=1 exposes the 9 read tools only.
• Emails reach real clients. send_estimate and send_invoice email your client from Joist under your company name. MCP clients ask before running them. A script does not, so run it without --send first.
• Deletes are for good. Joist has no trash for a deleted estimate or invoice.

Errors

The REST API answers {"error": "<code>", "message": "..."}. The MCP server returns the same code and message as a tool error.

Status	Code	What to do
401	auth_required, auth_expired	No session, or Joist signed you out. Sign in at pro.joistapp.com in Chrome and run joist-mcp connect.
403	scope_denied	The server runs read-only.
403	target_blocked	Joist refused the request, or says the account is suspended. Open pro.joistapp.com in Chrome to see why.
422	invalid_input	An argument is missing or wrong, or the id is not in your account; the message says which.
429	rate_limited	Joist is limiting the account. Wait a few minutes.
502	target_error	Joist answered with an error (a report on a plan without Reports, too), or changed its web app. git pull for the latest tools, or open an issue.

Self-hosted or hosted

	This repo	Cotlet, hosted
Tools	the same 20	the same 20
Runs	on your computer, while it is on	in the cloud, 24/7
Joist session	your Chrome, saved in a local file	your own Cloud Browser in the EU, profile encrypted with AES-256-GCM
When Joist changes its web app	git pull once we have fixed it	fixed for you, every tool tested daily
Approvals	your MCP client asks per call	estimate and invoice email and recorded payments wait for your OK, switchable per tool
Works with	MCP clients on your machine, local scripts	Claude.ai and ChatGPT connectors, n8n, Make, Zapier, any HTTP client
Who may use it	you and your own business	you, teams, businesses, agencies
Price	free	free 7-day trial with 2,000 credits, no card; then one-time packs from $29 for 5,000 credits

On the hosted version a successful call uses 10 credits, failed calls are free, and the Cloud Browser uses 50 credits a day while it has an app enabled for agents. Full pricing.

FAQ

Is there a Joist MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor?
Yes, this one runs on your machine: joist-mcp mcp for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and Codex. ChatGPT and Claude.ai connectors need a public HTTPS URL, which the hosted Joist MCP server gives you.

Does my client get an email when a tool makes an estimate or invoice?
No. create_estimate, create_invoice, update_estimate and convert_estimate_to_invoice save the document in Joist. Your client gets mail only from send_estimate or send_invoice, with the subject and message from your Joist settings unless you pass your own.

Can I export my Joist invoices with line items?
get_invoice and get_estimate return every line, tax, discount, deposit and payment of one document. export_documents gives Joist's own monthly CSV, which has totals but no lines.

Which Joist plan do I need?
The tools do what your plan lets you do in Joist. Pro covers estimates, invoices, clients and payments. Reports (get_report) need Elite or the 14-day trial. Joist updates report numbers once a day, so today's payments show up tomorrow.

Why does it need my Chrome?
To read your Joist session without your password. Chrome is used once per sign-in, not for each call.

What happens when Joist signs me out?
Calls fail with auth_expired. With Chrome remote debugging on, the server reads the new session on the next call (click Allow when Chrome asks). Otherwise run joist-mcp connect again.

Can it run on a VPS or in Docker?
Technically yes, with JOIST_AUTH_TOKEN or a session.json copied from your computer. Joist then sees your session from a datacenter IP, and in our experience it suspends accounts it does not trust fast. For an always-on setup the hosted version keeps your session in your own Cloud Browser on a fixed IP.

Will my Joist account get banned?
Requests carry Chrome's fingerprint and go out one at a time, as you would click. Nobody can promise a platform never acts. Keep to your normal use.

Can I change the code or offer it to my clients?
You may change it and use it in your own business. You may not offer it to others as a hosted or managed service. For client work, use Cotlet or write to [email protected].

A tool broke or I need another one.
Open an issue with the tool name and the error message.

License

Elastic License 2.0. In short:

• Allowed: using it for yourself and in your own business, free. Changing the code and sharing it under the same license.
• Not allowed: offering it to others as a hosted or managed service, removing the license notices, getting around its limits.

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Maintained by Cotlet (@cotletdev). Joist is a trademark of its owner. This project is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by Joist.