Appello MCP server · AI connectorAsk your jobs a question.
Appello's MCP server is an AI connector that lets assistants like Claude work directly with a trade contractor's job data. Ask who is on site, how a job is tracking against budget, or have it turn a takeoff into an estimate, in plain English. It has more than 700 tools covering jobs, timesheets, schedules, safety forms, certifications, estimates, job cost and billing. It signs in as you, and it can only see and change what your Appello role allows.
What the connector does
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the open standard AI assistants use to reach other software. Appello's server is built into the product, not bolted on.
What it can read
Jobs and projects, timesheets and check-ins, the daily schedule, form submissions, certifications, estimates, invoices, equipment and materials. Job cost answers come from budget vs actual, earned vs burned and the WIP report.
What it can do
Create jobs and itemized estimates, log and approve timesheets, schedule workers to jobs, submit forms, raise change orders and RFIs, and create invoices. About two thirds of the tools create or change records.
Which assistants
Claude connects as a custom connector. The server also accepts sign-in from ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Cursor, and from other clients that follow the open MCP standard.
Your permissions, nothing more
Every tool runs through the same role permission checks as the Appello app, including job and department scope. If you can't see a job's costs in Appello, the assistant can't either. Managing users and roles needs admin rights.
Every call on the record
Each tool call is logged with the user, the tool, what was asked and when. Every tool is labeled read-only or data-changing, so your assistant can ask before it acts.
How to connect
Appello switches the server on for your company and gives you its address. Add it as a custom connector in your assistant, then sign in on Appello's own login page. Your password never goes into the assistant.
Questions contractors ask it
Each one is answered from live Appello records, not a report someone built last month.
- 1OwnerWhich open jobs are spending labor faster than they're earning it?
- 2Operations managerWho is scheduled tomorrow with a ticket that expires this month?
- 3ControllerShow me the WIP report as of month-end, with over and under billing.
- 4EstimatorTurn this takeoff into an itemized estimate at our catalog prices.
- 5Safety leadWhich forms were completed on each job this week, and by whom?
What the connector can't do
- It can't see or change anything your own Appello login can't.
- It isn't self-serve. Appello turns it on for your company.
- It can't set up your QuickBooks Online connection. That stays in the Appello web app.
- The assistant can misread a question. Check figures before they go to a customer, the bank or payroll.
Questions about AI and Appello
What is an MCP server?
An MCP server is a connector that lets an AI assistant use another piece of software. MCP stands for Model Context Protocol, an open standard. Appello's MCP server gives assistants such as Claude a set of tools to look up and update your jobs, timesheets, schedules, forms, estimates and job costs, so you can ask in plain English instead of digging through screens.
Which AI assistants work with Appello?
Claude works with Appello as a custom connector. The server also accepts sign-in from ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Cursor, and it follows the open MCP standard, so other assistants that support remote MCP connectors can connect too. Custom connectors depend on your assistant's plan, so check that yours allows them.
Can the AI change my data?
Yes, if your Appello login is allowed to make that change. About two thirds of the 700-plus tools create or update records, such as estimates, timesheets, schedules and invoices. A user with view-only permissions gets read-only tools. Every tool is labeled read-only or data-changing so the assistant can ask first, and every call is logged.
Will the AI see data I'm not allowed to see?
No. The assistant signs in as you, and every tool runs through the same role permission checks as the Appello app. If your role only covers your own jobs or department, that is all the assistant can read. Tools that manage users and roles need admin permissions.
How do I connect Claude to Appello?
First, Appello turns the MCP server on for your company and gives you its address. In Claude, add that address as a custom connector, then sign in on Appello's login page with your usual Appello account. Once connected, ask Claude a question about a job to confirm it can see your data.
Keep reading
The reports the connector reads from, in the Appello web app.
Labor, bills and expenses against budget by cost code.
Margin per job while it runs, and one system instead of six.
The whole platform, field to office, built in London, Ontario.
See it on one of your own jobs.
Built for the trades who actually do the work.
Checked against the product 2026-10-13. Customer figures are from each company's published case study.