# FlipperForce + Claude Setup Kit

_FlipperForce + Claude Setup Kit — version 2026-08-31. Newest version: https://www.flipperforce.com/learn/faqs/how-do-i-connect-claude-to-flipperforce_


Everything you need to connect Claude to your FlipperForce workspace through the
Public API. No coding required.

Work through this in order. The whole thing takes about twenty minutes, and you
only do it once.

---

## What you need first

- An active FlipperForce subscription. API keys work only while the
  subscription is active.
- A FlipperForce Public API key. Request one at
  https://tools.flipperforce.com/integrations/public-api
- A paid Claude plan. Projects and persistent project knowledge are paid
  features.

---

## Step 1. Turn on network access in Claude

Do this before anything else. Claude runs API calls inside a sandbox that
blocks outbound traffic by default. When it is not configured, the failure
looks like FlipperForce is down when it is not.

1. Open your Claude settings and go to **Capabilities**.
2. Turn on **Code execution and file creation**.
3. Turn on **Allow network egress**.
4. Under **Domain allowlist**, choose **Package managers and specific domains**,
   then add:

   ```
   tools.flipperforce.com
   ```

If the allowlist is left on "Package managers only", which is the default on
some plans, every call will fail. This is the most common setup problem.

**Optional additions:**

Add this if you want to upload receipts or photos. The file itself goes to
storage rather than to our API, so it needs its own entry:

```
flipperforce-prod.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com
```

Add the retailer sites you buy from if you want Claude to check live pricing
against your Material Catalog:

```
www.homedepot.com
www.lowes.com
www.flooranddecor.com
www.msisurfaces.com
www.sherwin-williams.com
www.behr.com
www.benjaminmoore.com
www.wayfair.com
www.amazon.com
```

**On Team and Enterprise plans** these settings are controlled centrally. An
organization owner has to make the change, and an individual member cannot
override it.

**Start a new conversation after saving.** Allowlist changes do not apply to a
session that is already open.

---

## Step 2. Create a Claude Project

Name it after your company. Something like `Smith Capital Real Estate
Operations`.

A Project gives you persistent instructions, a knowledge base that stays
attached, and conversation history grouped in one place. You stop re-explaining
your business every time you open a chat.

**Optional, and worth it if you run at volume:** create two Projects instead of
one. A read-only Project for reporting and analysis, and a second Project for
imports and data entry. It costs nothing and removes an entire category of
accident, especially if a bookkeeper or assistant should only be running
reports.

---

## Step 3. Add the files in `upload-to-project/`

Upload these to your Project's knowledge:

| File | What it does |
|---|---|
| `flipperforce-public-api-agent-guide.txt` | The official capability reference. Tells Claude which endpoints exist, how to authenticate, the receipt and photo upload flow, and the safety rules to follow. Without it, Claude guesses at endpoints and wastes your session. |
| `company-profile-TEMPLATE.txt` | Fill this in first. It is the highest-leverage file in the Project and the one most people skip. |
| `workspace-reference-TEMPLATE.txt` | Fill in after your first session, once you have your workspace UUID. |
| `chart-of-accounts-TEMPLATE.txt` | Fill in if you want accurate automated expense categorization rather than plausible guesses. |

Rename each template once you fill it in — drop the `-TEMPLATE` suffix so you
can tell finished files from blanks.

### Your API key

Create a file called `FF_Public_API_Key.txt` containing your key and the
workspace owner email it belongs to, and upload it alongside the others.

Before you do, understand the tradeoff:

| Approach | Convenience | Consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Upload as a knowledge file | Works in every conversation automatically | Anyone with access to the Project can retrieve it. On a shared team Project, that is everyone on the team |
| Paste at the start of each session | Manual step every time | Nothing persists. The right call for shared or higher-sensitivity setups |

If the key lives in the Project, keep that Project to yourself. Your key carries
unrestricted read and write access to every record in your workspace. Do not put
it in a Project shared with contractors, assistants, or team members who should
not have full write access.

---

## Step 4. Paste the project instructions

Open `project-instructions/project-instructions.txt`, edit the bracketed
sections, and paste the whole thing into your Project's custom instructions
field.

This is not a knowledge file. It goes in the instructions box, so it applies to
every conversation automatically. It is what keeps Claude accurate and stops it
writing to your data without asking.

---

## Step 5. Verify before you build on it

Open a **new** conversation in the Project and run this:

```
Call GET /user/account and confirm the connection. Show me my workspaces,
the owner name and email for each, my role, and the workspace UUID. Do not
display the API key.
```

You should get your workspace name, owner, role, and UUID back.

If it fails, go back to Step 1 and open a fresh conversation before testing
again. If a later financial request returns a `403`, that usually means your
FlipperForce plan does not include that module rather than that the integration
is broken.

Then run this and save the result into `workspace-reference.txt`:

```
Show me every project with its name, address, stage, UUID, and created date,
sorted newest first. Then list my expense account names and my stage labels.
```

---

## Step 6. Put it to work

Browse the AI Prompt Library for ready-made prompts:
https://www.flipperforce.com/ai-prompt-library

Each one comes with its own setup checklist and states plainly what it will not
do. Start with the read-only ones.

---

## What is in this kit

```
START-HERE.txt                  You are reading it
upload-to-project/             Files that go into Claude Project knowledge
project-instructions/          Text that goes in the Project instructions field
reference/                     Checklist to work through. Do not upload
```

---

## Help

- API documentation: https://tools.flipperforce.com/docs/api
- Request or rotate an API key: https://tools.flipperforce.com/integrations/public-api
- Support: support@flipperforce.com, or chat from inside FlipperForce
