Qbo — Printing Press CLI
Prerequisites: Install the CLI
This skill drives the qbo-pp-cli binary. You must verify the CLI is installed before invoking any command from this skill. If it is missing, install it first:
- Install via the Printing Press installer into a user bin directory:
npx -y @mvanhorn/printing-press-library install qbo --cli-only --bin-dir ~/.local/bin - Verify:
qbo-pp-cli --version - Ensure
~/.local/binis on$PATHfor the agent/runtime that will invoke this skill.
If the npx install fails (no Node, offline, etc.), fall back to a direct Go install (requires Go 1.26.6 or newer). This installs into $GOPATH/bin (default $HOME/go/bin), so add that directory to $PATH instead:
go install github.com/mvanhorn/printing-press-library/library/payments/qbo/cmd/qbo-pp-cli@latest
If --version reports "command not found" after install, the runtime cannot see the binary directory on $PATH. Do not proceed with skill commands until verification succeeds.
QuickBooks Online CLI — sync full ledger, query SQLite locally, run duplicate expenses audit, and manage accounting from the terminal.
Command Reference
accounts — Manage accounts
qbo-pp-cli accounts create— Create or update an accountqbo-pp-cli accounts get— Get an account by ID
bills — Manage vendor bills
qbo-pp-cli bills create— Create or update a billqbo-pp-cli bills get— Get a bill by ID
cdc — Change Data Capture (CDC) endpoints for incremental syncs
qbo-pp-cli cdc— Query changed entities since a timestamp
changed — Show ledger entities modified since a duration or timestamp
qbo-pp-cli changed --since 24h— Retrieve records updated since cutoff date (from local cache)
customers — Manage customers
qbo-pp-cli customers create— Create or update a customerqbo-pp-cli customers get— Get a customer by ID
duplicates — Find duplicate purchases or bills to prevent double-billing
qbo-pp-cli duplicates --days 3— Scan local database for matching transactions
invoices — Manage invoices
qbo-pp-cli invoices create— Create or update an invoiceqbo-pp-cli invoices get— Get an invoice by ID
journal_entries — Manage journal entries
qbo-pp-cli journal-entries create— Create or update a journal entryqbo-pp-cli journal-entries get— Get a journal entry by ID
net-worth — Calculate net worth from asset and liability accounts
qbo-pp-cli net-worth— Output net worth ledger report (from local cache)
payments — Manage customer payments
qbo-pp-cli payments create— Create or update a paymentqbo-pp-cli payments get— Get a payment by ID
purchases — Manage purchases (Expenses)
qbo-pp-cli purchases create— Create or update a purchaseqbo-pp-cli purchases get— Get a purchase by ID
query — Run raw SQL queries against QBO (limitations apply; sync first to query SQLite locally)
qbo-pp-cli query— Run raw QuickBooks SQL query
reconcile — Match bank transaction lines for reconciliation
qbo-pp-cli reconcile --amount 150.00 --date 2026-06-01— Find match candidates in local database
sync — Synchronize QBO ledger tables to local SQLite cache
qbo-pp-cli sync— Initial bulk paginated sync or CDC incremental update
vendors — Manage vendors
qbo-pp-cli vendors create— Create or update a vendorqbo-pp-cli vendors get— Get a vendor by ID
Finding the right command
When you know what you want to do but not which command does it, ask the CLI directly:
qbo-pp-cli which "<capability in your own words>"
which resolves a natural-language capability query to the best matching command from this CLI's curated feature index. Exit code 0 means at least one match; exit code 2 means no confident match — fall back to --help or use a narrower query.
Auth Setup
The CLI uses the OAuth2 Authorization Code flow. To authorize the CLI:
- Interactive Login:
Run the login command, providing your Client ID and Client Secret:
qbo-pp-cli auth login --client-id <id> --client-secret <secret> - Production Routing:
If authenticating against a production company, set the environment environment variable before logging in:
export QBO_ENVIRONMENT=production - Custom Callback Redirects:
If your app uses a hosted production redirect URI (e.g. Cloudflare page), pass the
--redirect-uriflag:qbo-pp-cli auth login \ --client-id <id> \ --client-secret <secret> \ --redirect-uri https://1cdc515d.qbo-legal-docs-xc5.pages.dev/callback
Run qbo-pp-cli doctor to verify setup and active token status.
Agent Mode
Add --agent to any command. Expands to: --json --compact --no-input --no-color --yes.
Pipeable — JSON on stdout, errors on stderr
Filterable —
--selectkeeps a subset of fields. Dotted paths descend into nested structures; arrays traverse element-wise. Critical for keeping context small on verbose APIs:qbo-pp-cli accounts get mock-value --agent --select id,name,statusPreviewable —
--dry-runshows the request without sendingNon-interactive — never prompts, every input is a flag
Explicit retries — use
--idempotentonly when an already-existing create should count as success
Agent Feedback
When you (or the agent) notice something off about this CLI, record it:
qbo-pp-cli feedback "the --since flag is inclusive but docs say exclusive"
qbo-pp-cli feedback --stdin < notes.txt
qbo-pp-cli feedback list --json --limit 10
Entries are stored locally at ~/.local/share/qbo-pp-cli/feedback.jsonl. They are never POSTed unless QBO_FEEDBACK_ENDPOINT is set AND either --send is passed or QBO_FEEDBACK_AUTO_SEND=true. Default behavior is local-only.
Write what surprised you, not a bug report. Short, specific, one line: that is the part that compounds.
Output Delivery
Every command accepts --deliver <sink>. The output goes to the named sink in addition to (or instead of) stdout, so agents can route command results without hand-piping. Three sinks are supported:
| Sink | Effect |
|---|---|
stdout |
Default; write to stdout only |
file:<path> |
Atomically write output to <path> (tmp + rename) |
webhook:<url> |
POST the output body to the URL (application/json or application/x-ndjson when --compact) |
Unknown schemes are refused with a structured error naming the supported set. Webhook failures return non-zero and log the URL + HTTP status on stderr.
Named Profiles
A profile is a saved set of flag values, reused across invocations. Use it when a scheduled agent calls the same command every run with the same configuration - HeyGen's "Beacon" pattern.
qbo-pp-cli profile save briefing --json
qbo-pp-cli --profile briefing accounts get mock-value
qbo-pp-cli profile list --json
qbo-pp-cli profile show briefing
qbo-pp-cli profile delete briefing --yes
Explicit flags always win over profile values; profile values win over defaults. agent-context lists all available profiles under available_profiles so introspecting agents discover them at runtime.
Exit Codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | Success |
| 2 | Usage error (wrong arguments) |
| 3 | Resource not found |
| 4 | Authentication required |
| 5 | API error (upstream issue) |
| 7 | Rate limited (wait and retry) |
| 10 | Config error |
Argument Parsing
Parse $ARGUMENTS:
- Empty,
help, or--help→ showqbo-pp-cli --helpoutput - Starts with
install→ ends withmcp→ MCP installation; otherwise → see Prerequisites above - Anything else → Direct Use (execute as CLI command with
--agent)
MCP Server Installation
- Install the MCP server:
go install github.com/mvanhorn/printing-press-library/library/payments/qbo/cmd/qbo-pp-mcp@latest - Register with Claude Code:
claude mcp add qbo-pp-mcp -- qbo-pp-mcp - Verify:
claude mcp list
Direct Use
- Check if installed:
which qbo-pp-cliIf not found, offer to install (see Prerequisites at the top of this skill). - Match the user query to the best command from the Unique Capabilities and Command Reference above.
- Execute with the
--agentflag:qbo-pp-cli <command> [subcommand] [args] --agent - If ambiguous, drill into subcommand help:
qbo-pp-cli <command> --help.