TRADECHECK · BEGINNER GUIDE

Your first invoice review,
step by step.

Start in your browser. Install the MCP when you want the same checks inside your AI assistant.

1. See a complete result first

Open the workbench and choose “Review an example”. The fictional case has two exceptions: a €44.00 signed price difference and 20 units above the ordered quantity after including an earlier invoice. Export the JSON report or supplier draft. Nothing is sent to a supplier.

Start from Excel or CSV without installing anything

Copy a header row and up to 100 data rows from each document. Paste them in the workbench, name the source file, then select “Preview & map columns”. Confirm every mapping. The invoice needs a separate PO line reference column: matching by a product name is not reliable.

Enter both document IDs, supplier IDs, currencies and all four invoice amounts. Unknown charges must be resolved, not entered as zero. Select “Prepare these rows”, inspect the previews and confirm the fields before checking. No spreadsheet data leaves this browser.

CSV import leaves prior history unknown. The advanced JSON panel accepts earlier invoices and an explicit history status. Use the original JSON example to learn that structure. A table import alone cannot prove that cumulative quantities are within the order.

2. Install the local beta

You need Node.js 22 or newer and an MCP-compatible desktop assistant. Download the archive, extract it and open a terminal in the extracted tradecheck-mcp directory.

Download beta v0.2.0 · Verify its SHA-256 checksum

npm ci --ignore-scripts --no-audit --no-fund
npm test
npm run demo

The demo uses a real MCP client. It should return exceptions_found and a price_variance of 44.00. Dependencies install from npm; the tool itself needs no API key.

3. Connect your assistant

For Claude Code, replace the example path with the absolute location on your computer:

claude mcp add tradecheck -- node /absolute/path/tradecheck-mcp/dist/server.js

Run /mcp inside Claude Code. You should see tradecheck_import_tables, tradecheck_example, tradecheck_reconcile and tradecheck_supplier_draft.

{"mcpServers":{"tradecheck":{"command":"node","args":["/absolute/path/tradecheck-mcp/dist/server.js"]}}}

On Windows, use a path such as C:/Users/you/tradecheck-mcp/dist/server.js. The MCP is a local process, not a remote URL. Host setup follows the official SDK guide. We tested a real SDK client, but have not completed separate tests inside every desktop host.

4. Ask for your review

Copy this request into your assistant:

Use TradeCheck's review_supplier_invoice prompt. Show the fictional example first. Then help me prepare my PO, supplier invoice and earlier invoice history. Show the extracted fields for my confirmation, run the checks and produce a two-way review with an unsent supplier clarification.

If the assistant cannot access prompts, use AGENT-WORKFLOW.md from the download. If it cannot read your files, supply the structured format from examples/importer-example.json or use an approved document reader. The browser workbench accepts that same JSON.

5. Confirm what the data actually means

• Preserve exact supplier, PO and line identifiers. Confirm any missing line mapping instead of guessing from a product name.
• Use decimal strings, for example "2.50". Missing charges are unknown, not zero.
• Set history_status to "unknown" unless you have checked all earlier non-cancelled invoices for this PO.
• Confirm extracted fields against the original documents before setting extraction_reviewed to true.
• Read all findings. Partial billing may be legitimate. Currency differences are not converted, and changed units are not inferred.

What still needs your judgment

This is two-way document review, not delivery verification. Tax, customs, bank details, discounts, credit notes and payment approval are outside scope. Price variance is a signed total across comparable matched lines, not verified savings. A clean report is never approval to pay.

Privacy and price

The local MCP reads no file paths, makes no outbound requests and stores no documents. Your AI assistant may send supplied attachments and values to its model provider; its own fees and data policy apply. Browser checks remain on your device. Optional website measurements contain no document data.

The download is a free internal-evaluation beta under its included license. Paid team features are not available. The €29/month proposal on the demo page collects anonymous interest only.

Troubleshooting

• “node not found”: install Node.js, reopen the terminal, or use its absolute executable path in your desktop configuration.
• Missing tools: check your absolute server path, restart the MCP connection and inspect the host's error display.
• Validation error: compare your input with the included example; numeric fields are strings and unknown fields are rejected.
• Currency or unit mismatch: resolve the source documents manually. This beta intentionally does not infer conversions.

Updated 19 September 2026