Record revenue, split costs, and check profit with Claude or Codex

When you have revenue to record, you can just tell Claude or Codex:

In MarginDeck, record $1,280 in net App Store revenue for Timer for August 2026. Ask me for any missing details first.

Your assistant fills in the entry. You take a quick look in MarginDeck and save it. When you want to know how the product is doing, ask in the same conversation. No copying numbers back and forth.

This guide goes from the start: connect, record revenue, add a cost, check profit, and finally split a server cost between two products. Product names and amounts are examples.

Choose the client you use

Use MarginDeck 1.6.0 or later. Open AI Connections in the sidebar, choose Turn On, and pick your client. The connection runs on MCP, but you don't need to know anything about it. You keep asking questions in your usual chat.

The client needs to be on the same Mac as MarginDeck.

Claude desktop app

1. In MarginDeck, choose Save Claude Desktop installer… and save the .mcpb file.
2. In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Extensions → Advanced settings → Install Extension…, select the file, then install and enable it.
3. Start a new conversation and send the connection request in the next section.

If the menus look different, see Claude's local extension guide.

Codex and Claude Code

Make sure the client's command-line tool is installed. In MarginDeck, choose Copy command, paste it into Terminal, and run it once. The command already points to your copy of MarginDeck.

Then restart Codex and open a new conversation. For Claude Code, run claude in Terminal to start a new session.

Prefer not to use Terminal? Expand Manual configuration, select the client's configuration file (~/.codex/config.toml for Codex, ~/.claude.json for Claude Code), and confirm the MarginDeck entry. Other connections in the file are left as they are. For details, see the Codex MCP documentation and Claude Code MCP documentation.

You normally install once; update the connection configuration if you move the app.

Make the first connection

Send this in your AI client:

Call MarginDeck get_status. Show me the connection status and the six-digit pairing code if approval is needed.

If the current connection hasn't been approved, your assistant shows a six-digit pairing code. Enter it on MarginDeck's AI Connections page within two minutes, choose permissions, and choose Approve. Reading reports only needs financial-reading permission. To let the assistant record revenue, costs, or products, also allow it to propose records.

Then return to the chat:

Approved. Please continue.

As the pairing page notes, your business records stay on your Mac, but whatever you let your assistant read may be processed by its provider.

Record revenue and a cost

Start with one product to get the flow working. Free supports one unarchived product, which is enough for this part.

If Timer doesn't exist yet, ask:

Prepare a new product called Timer in MarginDeck. It is active, with a launch date of May 1, 2026. Ask for any missing details, then submit it for my review.

Go to MarginDeck's AI Connections page, check the record, and save it. Every record works this way: the assistant fills it in, and you save it.

Now send the revenue request from the top of this guide. If that revenue is already in MarginDeck from RevenueCat, Stripe, or a manual entry, skip this step so it isn't counted twice. After saving it, add a cost:

Add a cost named Server for Timer: USD 20 monthly, first billing date August 1, 2026, assigned 100% to Timer. Ask me to choose a category if needed.

Before saving, check that the cadence is monthly. If it's set to one-time, only August includes the $20.

Then ask:

Query Timer's revenue, scheduled cost, and estimated contribution profit for August 2026, in USD.

If these are Timer's only records for August, you should see:

Contribution profit is revenue minus the costs counted in that month. If you record revenue after platform fees, don't add those fees again as a cost. The figure is for running your business, not accounting or after-tax profit.

When two products share the server

This part needs Pro. Say you also have a product called Clipboard running on the same server:

Change the existing Server cost allocation to 50% Timer and 50% Clipboard, effective August 2026. Update the existing cost rather than creating another one.

Check the effective month before saving. With August, the new split applies from August until the next allocation change. If you want it to start next month, name that month. The split only changes how much each product carries; the server still costs $20 a month.

Some costs don't need to be split at all, like a bookkeeping tool subscription. You can keep them at portfolio level as shared costs. For ways to choose a split, see the shared-cost guide.

FAQ

Do I need to reinstall next time?

No. The installation stays in place, but approval lasts only while MarginDeck is running. After you quit MarginDeck, turn off AI Connections, or revoke access, you'll pair again next time. Closing the window doesn't quit the app. Restarting the client's connection may also ask for a new pairing. Ask for get_status and approve when prompted.

Can I use this in Claude on the web or on my phone?

No. The connection is local, so use Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Codex on the Mac where MarginDeck is installed.

The assistant can't find MarginDeck's tools.

Make sure you installed for the client you're actually using. The Claude desktop app and Claude Code are set up separately. Check that MarginDeck is running and AI Connections is on, then start a new session.

The client says Connected, but I can't see any data.

Connected only means the link works. You still need to approve access in MarginDeck.

I moved MarginDeck to another folder.

Open MarginDeck from its new location and copy the command again, or update the manual configuration.

MarginDeck says a connection already exists.

Choose Recover Connection first. If that doesn't work, make sure no other copy of MarginDeck is running, then use Replace Connection.

Once recording and querying work, try a monthly product review: start with portfolio totals, drill into each product, and find out what changed.