Interact with Live QuickBooks Online Data in Warp via CData Connect AI
Warp is an agentic development environment that combines a modern terminal with an AI agent. It supports large language model (LLM) interactions and Model Context Protocol (MCP) server integrations, so the agent can reach live external data sources without leaving the terminal.
By integrating Warp with CData Connect AI through its built-in MCP Server, the Warp Agent gets governed, real-time access to live QuickBooks Online data. You can explore QuickBooks Online data, ask questions in plain language, and work with your records without writing custom integration code.
This article walks through configuring QuickBooks Online connectivity in Connect AI, configuring the CData MCP Server in Warp, and interacting with live QuickBooks Online data from the Warp Agent.
About QuickBooks Online Data Integration
CData provides the easiest way to access and integrate live data from QuickBooks Online. Customers use CData connectivity to:
- Realize high-performance data reads thanks to push-down query optimization for complex operations like filters and aggregations.
- Read, write, update, and delete QuickBooks Online data.
- Run reports, download attachments, and send or void invoices directly from code using SQL stored procedures.
- Connect securely using OAuth and modern cryptography, including TLS 1.2, SHA-256, and ECC.
Many users access live QuickBooks Online data from preferred analytics tools like Power BI and Excel, directly from databases with federated access, and use CData solutions to easily integrate QuickBooks Online data with automated workflows for business-to-business communications.
For more information on how customers are solving problems with CData's QuickBooks Online solutions, refer to our blog: https://www.cdata.com/blog/360-view-of-your-customers.
Getting Started
Step 1: Configure QuickBooks Online connectivity for Warp
Connectivity to QuickBooks Online from Warp is made possible through Connect AI's Remote MCP Server. To interact with QuickBooks Online data from Warp, start by creating and configuring a QuickBooks Online connection in Connect AI.
- Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
- Select QuickBooks Online from the Add Connection panel
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QuickBooks Online uses OAuth to authenticate. Click "Sign in" to authenticate with QuickBooks Online
- Navigate to the Permissions tab and update user-based permissions
Add a Personal Access Token
A Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI from Warp. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each integration to maintain granular access control.
- Click the gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open Settings
- On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT
- Give the PAT a descriptive name and click Create
- Copy the token when displayed and store it securely. It will not be shown again
With the QuickBooks Online connection configured and a PAT generated, Warp can now connect to QuickBooks Online data through Connect AI.
Step 2: Configure Connect AI in Warp
Enable the Warp Agent, configure an LLM provider, and the Connect AI MCP endpoint in Warp so the agent can discover and call live data tools.
- Download and install Warp, and then sign up or log in to your Warp account
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Click the Tabs panel icon at the top left of the window, or press Ctrl + Shift + B
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Click Settings, expand Agents, select Warp Agent, and toggle Warp Agent on
Configure an LLM provider
The Warp Agent needs an LLM provider to interpret your prompts and decide which MCP tools to call. Add an API key for your preferred provider.
- On the same Warp Agent page, scroll down to the Custom Inference section
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Enter the API key for the LLM provider of your choice (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google)
Add the Connect AI MCP Server
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Under Agents, click MCP servers, and then click Add
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In the Add New MCP Server editor, paste the following JSON configuration:
{ "mcpServers": { "CData_Connect_AI": { "url": "https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp", "headers": { "Authorization": "Basic your_base64_encoded_email_PAT" } } } }Note: Combine your Connect AI email and PAT in the format email:PAT, Base64 encode the combined string, and prefix it with Basic. For example, given [email protected]:ABC123...XYZ, the header value becomes something like: Basic dXNlckBteWRvbWFpbjphSzkvbVB4Mi9Rcjd2TjQ...
- Click Save to add the MCP server
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Under My MCPs, confirm that CData_Connect_AI appears with the toggle enabled and the tools available
With the MCP server and an LLM provider configured, the Warp Agent is ready to interact with live QuickBooks Online data through Connect AI.
Step 3: Interact with live QuickBooks Online data from the Warp Agent
Use natural language prompts in the Warp Agent to explore live QuickBooks Online data.
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Click the icon in the left navigation bar and select Agent
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Enter a prompt to interact with your data, for example:
- List the sources available in my CData_Connect_AI mcp connection
- Show me what I can explore in QuickBooks Online
- Fetch the five most recent records from QuickBooks Online data
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The agent calls the Connect AI MCP Server and returns live results from QuickBooks Online data
Your Warp Agent now calls the Connect AI MCP Server to interact with live QuickBooks Online data through remote MCP tools, all from the terminal.
Get CData Connect AI
To interact with hundreds of SaaS and enterprise data sources directly from your AI agents and cloud applications, try CData Connect AI. Download a free 14-day trial of CData Connect AI, and our Support Team is available to answer any questions.