qb-cli — QuickBooks Online CLI

Manage QuickBooks Online from the command line. Designed for both human and AI agent use. Talks directly to Intuit's QuickBooks API — no third-party proxy. 164 commands across 29 groups covering AR, AP, chart of accounts, banking, reporting, imports, reconciliation, and month-end workflows.

Setup

The tool runs in a Docker container at ~/skills/qb-cli/.

Prerequisites

1. Create a QuickBooks developer account at https://developer.intuit.com
2. Create an app (Keys & OAuth section)
3. Note your Client ID and Client Secret
4. Add http://localhost:8844/callback as a Redirect URI

Configuration

cp ~/skills/qb-cli/.env.example ~/skills/qb-cli/.env
# Edit .env with your Client ID and Client Secret

Build (first time)

docker compose -f ~/skills/qb-cli/docker-compose.yml build

Authenticate (SSH / headless)

# Step 1: Get the auth URL
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh auth login --print-url

# Step 2: Open the URL in any browser, authorize QuickBooks
# Step 3: Copy the full redirect URL from browser address bar
# Step 4: Paste it back
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh auth login --callback-url "http://localhost:8844/callback?code=...&realmId=..."

CRITICAL AGENT RULES — READ BEFORE DOING ANYTHING

Rule 1: ALWAYS Search Before Creating

Never create a customer, vendor, or item without first searching for duplicates.

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh customer search "Meridian"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh vendor search "Acme"

If the search returns results, confirm with the user which one they mean. Do NOT assume.

Rule 2: NEVER Create a Customer Without Complete Information

You MUST have ALL of the following before creating a customer record:

• Display name — Full legal name or business name
• Company name — The legal business entity name (if applicable)
• Billing email address — Required for sending invoices electronically
• Phone number — Primary contact phone
• Billing address — Full street address, city, state, and zip code

If the user says something vague like "send an invoice to Mike" or "bill Acme $500":

1. STOP. Do not create anything.
2. Search for the customer: customer search "Mike" or customer search "Acme"
3. If no results, ask the user for: full name, company name, billing email, phone, and billing address.
4. Only proceed once you have all fields.

Rule 3: Confirm Before Sending Invoices/POs

• Never send an invoice or PO by email unless the user explicitly says to send it.
• Creating and sending are separate actions.
• Always confirm the amount, customer/vendor, and line items before creating.

Rule 4: Verify Payments Before Applying

• Always confirm the customer, open invoices, and amounts before creating a payment.
• Include the payment reference (check #, ACH trace, wire ref) when available.
• Verify the payment total equals the sum of the per-invoice amounts.

Rule 5: Never Delete a Bill with Applied Payments

• Before deleting a bill, check if bill-payments have been applied to it.
• Delete or void the bill-payment first, then delete the bill.

Rule 6: Journal Entries Must Balance

• Debits must equal credits. The CLI validates this before sending.
• Always specify a memo/description for audit trail.

Rule 7: Never Void Deposited Payments

• If a payment has been grouped into a deposit, void/delete the deposit first.
• Then void/delete the individual payment.

Rule 8: Reconciliation Is Read-Only

• The reconcile commands are helpers only — they cannot mark transactions as reconciled in QB.
• Use them to identify matches, flag discrepancies, and generate reports.
• The actual reconciliation click must happen in the QuickBooks UI.

Usage

All commands: ~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh [resource] [action] [options]

Default output is JSON. Use -o table for human-readable or -o csv for export.

Auth & Config

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh auth login --print-url          # Get OAuth URL
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh auth login --callback-url "..."  # Complete OAuth
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh auth status                       # Check auth status
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh auth refresh                      # Force token refresh
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh auth logout                       # Remove tokens
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh config init                       # Initialize config
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh config show                       # Show config
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh company info                      # Company details

Customers (AR)

# Search (ALWAYS do this first!)
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh customer search "Acme"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh customer search "jane@example.com"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh customer search "555-0199"

# List
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh customer list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh customer list -o table
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh customer list --no-active-only

# CRUD
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh customer get 123
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh customer create --name "Jane Smith" --company "Smith LLC" --email "jane@smith.com" --phone "555-0199"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh customer update 123 --name "Jane Smith-Jones" --email "new@email.com"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh customer delete 123   # soft-delete (Active=false)

# Query
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh customer query "Balance > '0'"

Invoices

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh invoice list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh invoice get 456
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh invoice create --customer-id 123 --amount 500 --due-date 2026-04-01
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh invoice create --customer-id 123 --line-json '[{"Amount":500,"DetailType":"SalesItemLineDetail","SalesItemLineDetail":{"ItemRef":{"value":"1"},"Qty":2,"UnitPrice":250}}]'
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh invoice update 456 --json '{"DueDate": "2026-05-01"}'
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh invoice send 456                  # email to customer
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh invoice send 456 --email "override@email.com"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh invoice void 456                  # zeros amounts, keeps record
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh invoice delete 456
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh invoice query "CustomerRef = '123' AND Balance > '0'"

Payments

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh payment list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh payment get 182
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh payment create --customer-id 63 --amount 5000 --invoice-ids "148,149" --invoice-amounts "3000,2000" --ref "ACH-12345" --date "2026-02-15"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh payment void 182
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh payment delete 182
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh payment query "TxnDate > '2026-01-01'"

Estimates (Quotes/Proposals)

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh estimate list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh estimate get 789
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh estimate create --customer-id 123 --amount 1500 --expiration-date 2026-04-30
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh estimate update 789 --json '{"ExpirationDate": "2026-05-31"}'
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh estimate send 789
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh estimate to-invoice 789   # convert estimate to invoice
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh estimate delete 789
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh estimate query "TxnStatus = 'Pending'"

Credit Memos

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh credit-memo list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh credit-memo create --customer-id 123 --amount 200
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh credit-memo send 456
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh credit-memo void 456
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh credit-memo delete 456
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh credit-memo query "TotalAmt > '100'"

Sales Receipts (Cash Sales)

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh sales-receipt list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh sales-receipt create --customer-id 123 --amount 750 --deposit-to 35 --payment-method "Cash"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh sales-receipt send 456
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh sales-receipt void 456
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh sales-receipt delete 456

Refund Receipts

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh refund-receipt list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh refund-receipt create --customer-id 123 --amount 200 --deposit-from 35
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh refund-receipt void 456
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh refund-receipt delete 456

Vendors (AP)

# Search (ALWAYS do this first!)
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh vendor search "Office Depot"

# List
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh vendor list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh vendor list --no-active-only

# CRUD
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh vendor get 42
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh vendor create --name "Office Depot" --company "Office Depot Inc" --email "ap@officedepot.com" --phone "800-555-1234" --1099
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh vendor create --name "John the Plumber" --1099 --tax-id "123-45-6789"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh vendor update 42 --email "new@email.com" --1099
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh vendor delete 42   # soft-delete
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh vendor query "Balance > '0'"

Bills

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh bill list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh bill get 100
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh bill create --vendor-id 42 --amount 1500 --due-date 2026-03-15
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh bill create --vendor-id 42 --amount 800 --account-id 80 --memo "Office supplies Jan"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh bill update 100 --json '{"DueDate": "2026-04-01"}'
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh bill delete 100
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh bill query "VendorRef = '42' AND Balance > '0'"

Bill Payments

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh bill-payment list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh bill-payment get 200
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh bill-payment create --vendor-id 42 --amount 1500 --pay-type Check --account-id 35 --bill-ids "100,101" --bill-amounts "1000,500" --ref "1042"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh bill-payment create --vendor-id 42 --amount 800 --pay-type CreditCard --account-id 41 --bill-ids "102"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh bill-payment void 200
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh bill-payment delete 200
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh bill-payment query "TxnDate >= '2026-01-01'"

Vendor Credits

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh vendor-credit list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh vendor-credit create --vendor-id 42 --amount 150 --account-id 80
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh vendor-credit delete 300
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh vendor-credit query "VendorRef = '42'"

Purchase Orders

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh purchase-order list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh purchase-order create --vendor-id 42 --amount 5000 --item-id 10 --memo "Q2 inventory"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh purchase-order send 500
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh purchase-order to-bill 500   # convert PO to bill
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh purchase-order update 500 --json '{"POStatus": "Closed"}'
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh purchase-order delete 500

Chart of Accounts

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh account list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh account list --type Bank           # filter by type
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh account list --type Expense
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh account get 35
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh account create --name "Marketing" --type Expense --sub-type AdvertisingPromotional
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh account create --name "Business Checking" --type Bank --sub-type Checking --acct-num "1010"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh account update 35 --name "Updated Name" --description "New description"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh account delete 35   # soft-delete (Active=false)
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh account query "AccountType = 'Bank'"

Items (Products & Services)

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh item list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh item list --type Service
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh item list --type Inventory
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh item get 10
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh item create --name "Consulting" --type Service --income-account 1 --price 150 --description "Hourly consulting"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh item create --name "Widget" --type Inventory --income-account 1 --expense-account 80 --asset-account 81 --price 29.99 --cost 12.50 --qty 100 --inv-start-date 2026-01-01
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh item update 10 --price 175 --name "Senior Consulting"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh item delete 10   # soft-delete
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh item query "Type = 'Service'"

Expenses (Purchases / Checks / CC Charges)

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh expense list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh expense get 400
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh expense create --account-id 35 --pay-type Check --vendor-id 42 --amount 250 --doc-number "1042" --memo "Office supplies"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh expense create --account-id 41 --pay-type CreditCard --amount 99.99 --memo "Software subscription"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh expense update 400 --json '{"PrivateNote": "Updated memo"}'
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh expense delete 400
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh expense query "TxnDate >= '2026-01-01' AND TxnDate <= '2026-01-31'"

Journal Entries

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh journal list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh journal get 500
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh journal create --lines '[{"account_id":"80","amount":500,"type":"Debit","description":"Depreciation exp"},{"account_id":"35","amount":500,"type":"Credit","description":"Accum depreciation"}]' --date 2026-01-31 --memo "Jan depreciation"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh journal delete 500
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh journal query "TxnDate = '2026-01-31'"

Deposits

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh deposit list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh deposit get 600
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh deposit create --account-id 35 --payment-ids "182,183,184" --date 2026-02-15 --memo "Week of 2/15 deposits"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh deposit delete 600
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh deposit query "TxnDate >= '2026-02-01'"

Transfers

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh transfer list
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh transfer get 700
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh transfer create --from 35 --to 36 --amount 10000 --date 2026-02-01 --memo "Move to savings"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh transfer delete 700

Financial Reports

All reports support -o json (default), -o table, -o csv.

# Income Statement
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report profit-and-loss --start-date 2026-01-01 --end-date 2026-01-31
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report profit-and-loss --period "Last Month"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report profit-and-loss --start-date 2026-01-01 --end-date 2026-12-31 --summarize-by Month
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report profit-and-loss-detail --start-date 2026-01-01 --end-date 2026-01-31

# Balance Sheet
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report balance-sheet --date 2026-01-31
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report balance-sheet --period "This Fiscal Year"

# Cash Flow
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report cash-flow --start-date 2026-01-01 --end-date 2026-01-31

# Trial Balance
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report trial-balance --date 2026-01-31

# General Ledger
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report general-ledger --start-date 2026-01-01 --end-date 2026-01-31 --account 35

# AR/AP Aging
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report ar-aging
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report ar-aging-detail --customer 123
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report ap-aging
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report ap-aging-detail --vendor 42

# Balance Reports
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report customer-balance
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report vendor-balance

# Income/Expense Analysis
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report customer-income --start-date 2026-01-01 --end-date 2026-12-31
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report vendor-expenses --start-date 2026-01-01 --end-date 2026-12-31

# Transaction List
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report transaction-list --start-date 2026-01-01 --end-date 2026-01-31

# Tax Summary
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh report tax-summary --start-date 2026-01-01 --end-date 2026-12-31

Bank Statement Import

# Preview a statement file (no changes to QB)
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh import preview /workspace/statement.ofx
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh import preview /workspace/statement.csv --date-col "Trans Date" --amount-col "Amount" --desc-col "Description"

# Import and match (dry run first!)
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh import bank /workspace/statement.ofx --account-id 35 --dry-run
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh import bank /workspace/statement.ofx --account-id 35

# CSV import with custom columns
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh import bank /workspace/statement.csv --account-id 35 --format csv --date-col "Date" --amount-col "Amount" --desc-col "Payee" --dry-run

Supported formats: OFX, QFX, QBO, CSV (with configurable column mapping).

Matching algorithm:

1. Exact match — same amount AND same date AND (matching FITID or check number) → skipped
2. Probable match — same amount AND date within ±3 days → flagged for review
3. No match → created as Purchase (debit) or Deposit (credit)

Bank Reconciliation

# Start reconciliation session
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh reconcile start --account-id 35 --statement-date 2026-01-31 --statement-balance 45000.00

# Check status
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh reconcile status --account-id 35

# Match statement against QB
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh reconcile match --account-id 35 --statement-file /workspace/jan-statement.ofx

# Generate reconciliation report
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh reconcile report --account-id 35 --start-date 2026-01-01 --end-date 2026-01-31

Note: These are helper commands. QB has no reconciliation API — you cannot programmatically mark transactions as reconciled. Use these to identify matches and discrepancies, then complete the reconciliation in the QB UI.

Bookkeeping Workflows

# Month-end close checklist
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh workflow month-close --month 2026-01 --check-only   # just run checks
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh workflow month-close --month 2026-01                # checks + generate reports

# 1099 preparation
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh workflow 1099-prep --year 2025
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh workflow 1099-prep --year 2025 --threshold 600

# AR follow-up (overdue invoices grouped by customer)
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh workflow ar-followup --days-overdue 30
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh workflow ar-followup --days-overdue 60

# Undeposited funds check
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh workflow undeposited-funds

Month-end close runs these checks:

1. Undeposited Funds balance (should be ~$0)
2. Overdue AR (invoices past due before month start)
3. Overdue AP (bills past due before month start)
4. Open invoices for the month

Then generates P&L, Balance Sheet, and Trial Balance to /workspace/.

Batch Operations

# Run batch operations from a JSON file (max 30 per batch, auto-chunks)
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh batch run --file /workspace/batch_ops.json

Batch file format:

[
  {"operation": "create", "entity": "Customer", "body": {"DisplayName": "New Customer"}},
  {"operation": "query", "sql": "SELECT * FROM Invoice WHERE Balance > '0'"},
  {"operation": "delete", "entity": "Invoice", "id": "123", "sync_token": "0"}
]

Company Preferences

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh preferences show
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh preferences update --json '{"AccountingInfoPrefs": {"BookCloseDate": "2025-12-31"}}'

Tax

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh tax codes
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh tax rates
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh tax summary --start-date 2026-01-01 --end-date 2026-12-31

Attachments

~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh attachment list --entity-type Invoice --entity-id 456
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh attachment get 800
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh attachment upload --entity-type Invoice --entity-id 456 --file /workspace/receipt.pdf
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh attachment note --entity-type Invoice --entity-id 456 --text "Approved by CFO 2/15"
~/skills/qb-cli/run.sh attachment delete 800

Agent Workflow Guides

Processing a Vendor Bill

1. vendor search "Vendor Name"           → find or create vendor
2. bill create --vendor-id X --amount $  → record the bill
3. bill-payment create --vendor-id X --amount $ --pay-type Check --account-id Y --bill-ids Z
                                          → pay the bill when ready

Sending an Invoice

1. customer search "Customer Name"        → find existing customer
2. invoice create --customer-id X --amount $ --due-date YYYY-MM-DD
3. (confirm with user before sending)
4. invoice send <id>                      → only if user explicitly requests

Converting Estimate to Invoice

1. estimate create --customer-id X --amount $ --expiration-date YYYY-MM-DD
2. estimate send <id>                     → send to customer for review
3. (once accepted)
4. estimate to-invoice <id>               → creates linked invoice

Month-End Close

1. workflow month-close --month YYYY-MM --check-only    → review issues
2. (fix any warnings: deposit undeposited funds, follow up on AR, etc.)
3. journal create --lines '[...]' --date YYYY-MM-DD     → adjusting entries
4. workflow month-close --month YYYY-MM                 → generate reports
5. report profit-and-loss --start-date ... --end-date ...  → final P&L
6. report balance-sheet --date YYYY-MM-DD               → final BS

Bank Reconciliation

1. import preview /workspace/statement.ofx              → inspect transactions
2. import bank /workspace/statement.ofx --account-id X --dry-run  → preview matches
3. import bank /workspace/statement.ofx --account-id X  → create unmatched
4. reconcile start --account-id X --statement-date ... --statement-balance $
5. reconcile match --account-id X --statement-file /workspace/statement.ofx
6. (review matches, investigate discrepancies)
7. reconcile report --account-id X --start-date ... --end-date ...

1099 Year-End Prep

1. workflow 1099-prep --year YYYY         → identify vendors over threshold
2. (review missing TINs — flag them for user)
3. vendor update <id> --tax-id "XX-XXXXXXX"  → add missing TINs
4. (CSV exported to /workspace/1099_prep_YYYY.csv for filing software)

Agent Integration Notes

Exit codes:

• 0 — Success
• 1 — API error (bad request, server error)
• 2 — Configuration error (missing config)
• 3 — Authentication error (expired/invalid tokens)
• 4 — Not found
• 5 — Validation error (missing required arguments)

Error format:

{"error": true, "code": 3, "message": "Not authenticated", "hint": "qb auth login"}

Key behaviors:

• Token refresh is automatic — no manual refresh needed
• SyncToken is auto-fetched before update/delete operations
• Account entity requires full update (not sparse) — handled automatically
• Soft-delete for name-list entities (customer, vendor, account, item) uses Active: false
• Hard delete for transactions (invoice, bill, payment, etc.) uses operation=delete
• Void for transactions zeros amounts but keeps the record
• QuickBooks uses SQL-like queries: SELECT * FROM Customer WHERE Balance > '0'
• Query operators: =, LIKE, <, >, <=, >=, IN
• Date format: YYYY-MM-DD
• Reports return hierarchical JSON with Header/Columns/Rows
• Workspace directory at /workspace/ (mapped to ~/skills/qb-cli/workspace/ on host)

Command group count (29 groups, 164 commands): auth, config, company, customer, invoice, payment, estimate, credit-memo, sales-receipt, refund-receipt, vendor, bill, bill-payment, vendor-credit, purchase-order, account, item, expense, journal, deposit, transfer, report, import, reconcile, workflow, batch, preferences, tax, attachment

QB query limitations:

• Vendor1099 is not queryable via SQL — use vendor list and filter client-side
• OR is not supported — searches run multiple queries and deduplicate
• Phone fields are not indexable via LIKE — search falls back to client-side filter
• String values in queries must be single-quoted: WHERE Balance > '0'