I built a headless accounting API — REST, GraphQL & MCP for AI builders

Jer Crane — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:44:33 +0000

The problem

Every accounting system forces you into their UI. For developers building products, this is a non-starter. You can't embed QuickBooks into your app. You can't build a farming-specific accounting UI. You can't run consolidated financials across 20 LLCs with a tool designed for a single small business.

What I built

Crane Ledger is a headless accounting API — a full double-entry accounting engine you access via REST, GraphQL, or MCP. No UI attached.

Three protocols

REST API — Traditional endpoints for accounting operations. CRUD for accounts, transactions, journal entries.

GraphQL — Flexible queries for complex financial reports. Pull exactly the data you need.

MCP Protocol — This is the fun one. Give Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible AI assistant native access to your accounting engine. Natural language accounting:

"Create a journal entry for the $5,000 rent payment"
"Show me the P&L for Q1"
"Run a consolidated balance sheet across all my entities"

Multi-entity support

Sub-organizations with master billing, private data isolation between orgs, and pass-through financials for owned entities. Run consolidated balance sheets and income statements at the top level.

Who it's for

Developers vibe-coding a product who need accounting without building it from scratch
SaaS companies embedding financial features
Real estate investors managing multiple LLCs
Anyone building a niche accounting system (farming, construction, healthcare)

Pricing

Credit-based — you pay for what you use. No seat licenses.

Docs

craneledger.ai/docs

Would love feedback from anyone who's hit this problem before.

DEV Community: Jer Crane