---
updatedAt: 2026-09-01T21:47:18.000Z
agentTools:
  projectIndex: https://docs.checkhq.com/llms.txt
---

# Check MCP Server

Connect your AI tools to the Check Payroll API using the Model Context Protocol.

<Image src="https://files.readme.io/14f1d4b9eee89b4741298c94cbd8e82ced681182967c083309c2fc56b961af6a-mcp-bkg_1.gif" align="center" />

The Check MCP Server connects your AI tools to the Check Payroll API using the [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/). Instead of writing integration code for every workflow, use natural language to generate reports, manage employees, run payroll, and more — directly from the AI tools you already use.

## What you can do

* **Reports & data exports** — Generate payroll journals, tax summaries, employee rosters, and payment reports
* **Employee & contractor management** — Create, update, and view employees and 1099 contractors, manage onboarding and tax forms
* **Payroll operations** — Create payrolls, add earnings and deductions, preview totals, and approve runs
* **Tax & compliance** — View and update W-4 elections, state withholding, tax filings, and exemptions
* **Company setup & configuration** — Manage companies, workplaces, bank accounts, pay schedules, and webhook configurations
* **Documents & forms** — Access tax documents, authorization forms, paystubs, and setup documents
* **Composite workflows** — Get full company overviews, employee snapshots, payroll details, payment diagnostics, and onboarding status in a single call

<Image src="https://files.readme.io/cf236560d8aeb1cb7dc0894f0af7b03bf420e87fb33fb4f80ac9c771423b2e42-Claude_Code_Small.gif" align="center" caption="Claude Code using the Check MCP to pull information about a company." />

<Image src="https://files.readme.io/a58efdafeb204bfd6293447fafb031940d25d7949692931bc6d6a5e2fa5f1ece-image.png" align="center" />

## How it works

The Check MCP Server uses a **dynamic tool architecture** to work within the context window limits of AI models. Instead of loading all 270 tools at once, your AI client starts with three meta-tools:

| Tool            | What it does                                                                                                                                                                           |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `search_tools`  | Find relevant tools by keyword (e.g., "list employees", "create payroll", "company overview"). Returns matching tools with full parameter schemas, including composite workflow tools. |
| `run_tool`      | Execute any tool by name with the required arguments.                                                                                                                                  |
| `list_toolsets` | Browse all 18 toolsets with descriptions and example tools.                                                                                                                            |

This means your AI client discovers exactly the tools it needs, when it needs them — keeping context usage efficient while giving you access to the full API surface.

## Compatibility

The Check MCP Server works with any MCP-compatible client, including:

* Claude Desktop
* Claude Code (CLI)
* Cursor
* GitHub Copilot (VS Code)
* ChatGPT
* Google Gemini
* OpenAI Codex CLI
* Any MCP client

## Choose your setup

<Callout icon="☁️" theme="success">
  ###

  **[Hosted (Remote)](https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/hosted-remote)** — _Available now_

  Check runs the MCP server for you. Connect directly from your AI client with just a URL — no repo to clone, no Python to install. Authenticate with a Console login, or with a Check API key if you're running an agent on your own servers.
</Callout>

<Callout icon="🖥️" theme="success">
  ###

  **[Self-Hosted](https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/self-hosted)** — _Available now_

  Clone the repository and run the server locally. Full control over configuration, access control, and environment.
</Callout>

## Access control

The MCP server supports fine-grained access control to match your security requirements:

* **Read-only mode** — Disable all write operations (create, update, delete) with a single flag
* **Toolset filtering** — Limit access to specific categories (e.g., only `companies` and `employees`)
* **Tool exclusion** — Block individual tools (e.g., exclude `create_bank_account`)

Available toolsets: `bank_accounts`, `companies`, `compensation`, `components`, `contractor_payments`, `contractors`, `documents`, `employees`, `external_payrolls`, `forms`, `payments`, `payroll_items`, `payrolls`, `platform`, `tax`, `webhooks`, `workflows`, `workplaces`

These options can be combined. See the [Hosted (Remote)](https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/hosted-remote) or [Self-Hosted](https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/self-hosted) guide for configuration details.

## Authentication at a glance

|                    | Hosted + Console OAuth           | Hosted + API key                         | Self-hosted                              |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| **Credential**     | Check Console login              | Check API key                            | Check API key                            |
| **Best for**       | A person working in an AI client | An agent on your own servers             | Full control over the runtime            |
| **Acts as**        | The Console user who logged in   | Your partner account                     | Your partner account                     |
| **Rate limit**     | Console's limit                  | Your [API rate limit](https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/rate-limiting) | Your [API rate limit](https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/rate-limiting) |
| **Infrastructure** | None                             | None                                     | You run the server                       |

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