# MCP vs CLI

MCP and the CLI both let approved tools use Kick data. The difference is how you work.

### Use MCP when you want an AI assistant

MCP is best for personal assistant workflows where the assistant needs to inspect Kick context and reason with you.

Good MCP tasks:

* "Across all my workspaces, which clients have uncategorized transactions older than 30 days?"
* "Compare January and February P\&L for Acme. Flag any expense category that grew more than 30% and tell me which transactions drove the change."
* "Read this payroll register and draft the journal entry — split gross wages, employer taxes, employer benefits, and net pay. Stop before posting."

→ [MCP Example Workflows](https://github.com/KickApp/kick-accountant-help-center/blob/main/ai-and-automation/mcp/example-workflows.md) for the full prompt library — period-end sweeps, activity reviews, Chart of Accounts work, and client follow-up drafts.

MCP is the lower-friction choice once an assistant is already part of your daily work. It is especially useful for accountants who prefer prompts over terminal commands.

### Use the CLI when you want repeatable automation

The CLI is best when the workflow should run the same way more than once.

Good CLI tasks:

* Exporting transactions or reports as JSON.
* Piping results into another tool.
* Running a month-end check from a script.
* Scheduling a review job.
* Giving an agent a command it can run, inspect, and retry.

The CLI takes a few more minutes to install because it depends on your local environment, such as having the `kick` command available. In return, it is more efficient for repeatable and agentic work.

### Shared safety model

Both surfaces follow the same rules:

* The connected credential decides what can be accessed.
* Workspace and entity context should be confirmed before client review.
* Read-only access is the safest default.
* Write access should be narrow and intentional.
* Supported write actions should be previewed before they are confirmed.

### Quick decision

Choose **MCP** if you want to ask an assistant a question.

Choose **CLI** if you want a repeatable command, export, script, or agent loop.

Choose the **Kick web app** if you need full visual context, client collaboration, or final approval.


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