Navan MCP server: what it reads and changes, access, how to connect

Navan hosts one remote MCP server, also listed as a Claude connector, that reads expense, card and travel data and can update expenses by role. Verified 21 Oct 2026.

Official remote MCP · read & limited write
Claude connector · read & limited write

Hosting: Remote, hosted by Navan at https://mcp.navan.com/mcp (HTTP transport). No local or open-source server.
Auth: OAuth 2.0 browser sign-in with company SSO or a Navan username and password. Navan says the token is bound to your user, role, entity, region and the scopes you approve at consent, but it names no scopes.
Read / write: Mostly read. The Claude directory lists 40 tools, including transaction-update and receipt-attach tools. Navan's July 2026 launch release called it read-only.
Works with: Navan's docs page names ChatGPT and Claude, and gives steps for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Claude Desktop, VS Code and other remote MCP clients. Navan also has a Claude directory listing.
Plan requirement: Not documented by the vendor. SSO companies need an admin to enable MCP first.
Last changed: 2026-09-04 (Navan docs: username/password companies can connect without admin enablement)
Verification: Verified 21 Oct 2026 by theFinanceStack · confidence: medium

What can an agent do with Navan through MCP?

It can search and summarise the expense, card, receipt, policy and booking data your Navan role can see. The Claude directory lists 40 tools, and four of them change something.

Navan's docs publish no tool reference. The Claude directory listing, published by Navan in August 2026, shows 40 tools grouped by role.

Tools that write

Tool	What it does
`expense___admin_updateTransaction`	Updates transactions
`expense___manager_updateTransaction`	Updates transactions
`expense___user_attachReceiptToTransaction`	Attaches a receipt
`expense___user_submitFeedback`	Sends feedback

How updates behave

Navan's listing says Claude can "take action on expenses (approving, rejecting, or requesting more info)".
Navan doesn't say which changes the update tools make.
Its role table says Finance Admins can change GL codes, custom-field values and ERP sync, so an admin update may recode a transaction.
Navan documents no draft or confirmation stage, so treat an update as applying in Navan at once.

Money

No listed tool pays out, issues a card or moves funds.
expense___admin_listCreditLineFundInformation only reads credit-line fund information.
An approved out-of-pocket expense may still feed reimbursement, and Navan doesn't say how that works over MCP.

Travel

The listing mentions booking travel.
The only travel tool is travel-admin___listBookings, which reads bookings.

Can

Search and summarise transactions and spend by department, vendor or category
Read transaction details, activity, receipts and receipt OCR text
Look up cards, purchase cards, purchase-card requests and credit-line fund information (read only)
Read users, user policies, HR attributes and your to-dos
List travel bookings (admin tool)
Update a transaction as a manager or admin (write). Navan doesn't say which changes this covers; its role table lets Finance Admins change GL codes, custom-field values and ERP sync
Attach a receipt to your own transaction (write)

Cannot

Bypass approval workflows, policy rules or duplicate detection, per Navan
Escalate privileges: Navan says a read-only user remains read-only
Return data your role can't see; Navan says it returns an empty result marked 403_BY_POLICY
Replace the REST API for high-volume or scheduled workloads, per Navan

What access does it get?

Per Navan, it gets what your Navan role already allows. Navan mentions scopes you approve at sign-in but names none, and the server acts as the signed-in user.

Where	Scopes and permissions (as documented)	Admin requirement
Navan MCP server (remote)	Not documented by the vendor. Navan says the token carries the scopes you approve at consent time but names none, and the server's OAuth metadata lists no scopes. Navan's role table: Employees change their own draft expenses and receipts, Managers approve or reject reports they own, Approvers approve, reject or request edits, Finance Admins change GL codes, custom-field values and ERP sync.	SSO companies: an admin enables MCP first in Navan admin under Company › Integrations (app.navan.com/app/admin2/company/integrations). Username/password companies connect directly, per Navan.
Claude connector (Claude directory)	Same server and sign-in; 40 tools listed. Per-tool permissions are not documented by the vendor.	Navan doesn't document Claude plan rules. Claude Team/Enterprise: an Owner adds connectors.

How do I connect it?

Add the Navan connector in Claude or point any remote MCP client at https://mcp.navan.com/mcp, then sign in to Navan in the browser window that opens.

On Claude Team/Enterprise, an Owner adds the Navan connector for the organisation first; members then connect it and sign in.
If your company signs in to Navan with SSO, ask a Navan admin to enable MCP under Company › Integrations in Navan admin.
Open the Navan listing at https://claude.com/connectors/navan and click Add to Claude.
Sign in to Navan with SSO or your username and password, and approve the consent prompt.
Ask Claude to use Navan to list your five most recent expenses.

For Claude Desktop, Navan also documents a config-file route that runs mcp-remote against the same URL and needs Node.js 18 or later. That route keeps Navan sign-in tokens on your disk; see the cautions below.

What should a finance team watch for?

The main risk comes with a manager or Finance Admin login. The assistant can then change expense status or coding, and Navan documents no draft step.

By default the assistant gets every tool your Navan role allows, and Navan documents no way to switch its change tools off. In Claude, turn off expense___admin_updateTransaction, expense___manager_updateTransaction, expense___user_attachReceiptToTransaction and expense___user_submitFeedback in the Search and tools menu, or approve each call and skip Allow always. In Claude Code, add deny rules such as mcp__navan__expense___admin_updateTransaction.
A Finance Admin login carries the most risk. Navan's role table lets that role change GL codes, custom-field values and ERP sync, and Navan doesn't say which of these the admin update tool can change or whether a change re-syncs to your ERP. Check any recoded transaction in the ERP before close.
Per Navan, approvals still run its workflows and policy checks. An approved out-of-pocket expense may lead to reimbursement, so review each update call before allowing it.
Navan's role table gives a Finance Admin all transactions in their own entity. A group with several entities may need a login per entity for consolidated answers; Navan doesn't document cross-entity access over MCP.
Expense memos, merchant names, receipt OCR text and booking details are untrusted input. A hidden instruction could push the agent to approve or recode an expense, or to send conversation data to Navan through expense___user_submitFeedback, so keep human approval on for all four change tools.
Navan's Claude Desktop config route runs npx -y mcp-remote, an unpinned npm package, and mcp-remote's README says it stores sign-in credentials in ~/.mcp-auth on your disk. Prefer the directory connector. If you use the config route, pin an mcp-remote version and keep that folder and the config file out of synced or shared folders.
Navan publishes no rate limits or row caps; it advises specific date ranges, the fields parameter and summary tools. Check large totals against Navan reports.
Navan logs every tool call with user, client, tool and arguments. It doesn't document where admins view or export those logs, or how an admin revokes a session. Sessions refresh while in use and end after 100 days idle or 365 days, per Navan, so disconnect the connector when someone changes role.
Navan's privacy policy says data retrieved over MCP may be processed by the AI tool you connect. It doesn't mention model training, so read your AI provider's terms.

How could finance teams and accounting firms use it?

Mostly for questions and reviews of spend, travel and policy data, with a person approving any expense update the assistant proposes.

Inside a company

List flagged, unapproved expenses over $500 from last quarter by department.
Explain why a transaction was flagged or declined and which policy applies.
Summarise department spend by category for a budget review, then tie the figures to Navan reports.
Let a manager's assistant prepare approve or request-info decisions on their reports, with the manager confirming each.

At an accounting firm

Review a client's travel and expense spend by vendor and category before month-end.
Find transactions missing receipts for a client entity your Navan login can see.
Check card and purchase-card request status for a client's card program.
Pull a client's policy-violation list for a quarter to support an expense-policy review.

Keep a person approving anything that changes an expense in Navan or your ledger, and treat AI summaries as drafts until they tie to Navan's reports.

Want Navan connected to Claude for your team?

We configure scoped connections and a review step before anything changes your books. Fixed fee.

Book a 30-minute setup call

Change log

Date	Change	Source
2026-09-04	Navan docs clarify that only SSO companies need an admin to enable MCP	developer.navan.com/mcp/
2026-08-28	Navan docs recommend its Cursor plugin from Customize, the marketplace or Dashboard › Plugins	developer.navan.com/mcp/
2026-08	Navan connector added to the Claude directory with 40 tools, including write tools	claude.com/connectors/navan
2026-07-02	Navan announces MCP, describing the first deployment as read-only, with expense approval and policy updates planned	www.01net.it/navan-launches-model-context-protocol-mcp-for-t
2026-06-04	Initial release per Navan's release notes: HTTP endpoint at /mcp and setup recipes for five clients	developer.navan.com/mcp/

FAQ

Is this official?

Yes. Navan hosts the server at mcp.navan.com, documents it on its developer portal and is the listed maker of the Claude connector.

Is it free?

Navan doesn't document MCP pricing or a plan requirement. You need a Navan login, admin enablement if you use SSO, and an AI plan that allows connectors.

Does it change data in Navan?

It can. The Claude directory lists tools that update transactions and attach receipts, and Navan's listing says Claude can approve or reject expenses. With a Finance Admin login, Navan's role table also covers GL codes, custom-field values and ERP sync.

Is my data used to train models?

Navan's MCP docs don't address training. Its privacy policy says data retrieved over MCP may be processed by the AI tool you connect; check your AI provider's terms too.

Can my accountant use it on my behalf?

Navan doesn't document this. Access follows the signed-in user's role, so an accountant would need their own Navan login with a suitable role.

Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll email you when it's fixed.

Sources

Verified by theFinanceStack, 21 Oct 2026. Vendor list on the CFO Software Market Map courtesy of Jason Staats; AI connectivity data by theFinanceStack. Not tax, compliance or financial advice.