
This server handles the full lifecycle of German electronic invoices in ZUGFeRD 2.x and XRechnung 3.x formats, both required for B2B invoicing in Germany starting 2025. It exposes six tools: create invoices in CII or UBL XML, validate against EN 16931 and KoSIT Schematron rules, parse existing invoice files, convert between ZUGFeRD profiles or to XRechnung, check Peppol participant registration via AS4, and query German VAT rules including reverse charge scenarios under §13b UStG. The validation catches BR-DE-* business rule violations specific to German requirements. Useful if you're building invoicing workflows for German companies or need to ensure compliance with the mandatory e-invoicing rollout.
MCP server (Model Context Protocol) in Python for German electronic invoicing in ZUGFeRD 2.x and XRechnung 3.x formats (EN 16931, FeRD, KoSIT). Enables AI agents (Claude, IDEs) to create, validate, parse, and convert e-invoices that are fully compliant with the German B2B e-invoicing mandate (effective from 2025, phased enforcement through 2027 to 2028) and the European standard EN 16931.
This package is built on mcp-einvoicing-core, a shared base library for European e-invoicing MCP servers. It provides shared models, validation abstractions, XML utilities, and the exception hierarchy.
mcp-einvoicing-core is automatically installed as a transitive dependency, no additional step required.
For developers:
pip install -e ".[dev]"installs the base package automatically from PyPI.
pip install mcp-einvoicing-de
Without prior installation, using uvx:
uvx mcp-einvoicing-de
git clone https://github.com/cmendezs/mcp-einvoicing-de.git
cd mcp-einvoicing-de
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -e ".[dev]"
| Extra | Purpose | Install |
|---|---|---|
[xslt2] | Saxon-HE backend for XSLT 2.0 Schematron stylesheets (FeRD Factur-X 1.09.2 and KoSIT XRechnung 3.0.2). Required for local Schematron validation; lxml supports XSLT 1.0 only. | pip install mcp-einvoicing-de[xslt2] |
[pdf] | Additional PDF utilities for embedded XML extraction (pikepdf is also a base dependency for PDF/A-3 generation). | pip install mcp-einvoicing-de[pdf] |
[pymupdf] | Alternative PDF engine (uses PyMuPDF). | pip install mcp-einvoicing-de[pymupdf] |
[dev] | Development tools (pytest, ruff, pre-commit). | pip install mcp-einvoicing-de[dev] |
The server does not require external credentials. Available environment variables:
| Variable | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
EINVOICING_DE_LOG_LEVEL | Log level (DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR) | INFO |
EINVOICING_DE_KOSIT_VALIDATOR_URL | URL of a self-hosted KoSIT validation tool REST endpoint. Only used if cloud validation is enabled — see EINVOICING_DE_KOSIT_ENABLE | |
EINVOICING_DE_KOSIT_ENABLE | Set to 1 to enable KoSIT cloud validation (validator.kosit.de or a self-hosted endpoint). Local Schematron-only validation is the default | |
EINVOICING_PEPPOL_CODELIST_DIR | Local directory containing your own copy of the OpenPeppol eDEC Code Lists, required by the Peppol codelist tools (not bundled with this package; see mcp-einvoicing-core README) | |
EINVOICING_EN16931_CODELIST_DIR | Local directory containing your own copy of the CEF "Digital Building Blocks" EN 16931 semantic code lists, required by the EN 16931 codelist tools (not bundled; see mcp-einvoicing-core README) |
The EUSR/TSR reporting and MLS tools additionally require the [xslt2] extra for Schematron validation.
Add the following entry to claude_desktop_config.json. No environment variables are required:
{
"mcpServers": {
"einvoicing-de": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["mcp-einvoicing-de"]
}
}
}
Cursor supports MCP servers via stdio. Add the configuration in:
~/.cursor/mcp.json.cursor/mcp.json{
"mcpServers": {
"einvoicing-de": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["mcp-einvoicing-de"]
}
}
}
Reload the Cursor window (Ctrl+Shift+P then Reload Window) to apply the changes.
Kiro supports MCP servers via its dedicated configuration file. Two levels are available:
~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json.kiro/settings/mcp.json{
"mcpServers": {
"einvoicing-de": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["mcp-einvoicing-de"],
"disabled": false,
"autoApprove": []
}
}
}
The file is automatically reloaded on save. You can also open the config via the command palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) then MCP.
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
invoice_create | Generate ZUGFeRD or XRechnung XML (CII or UBL). Enforces the §14 Abs. 2 UStG B2B mandate: non-XML output is rejected for DE-prefixed VAT buyers unless transitional_period_opt_in=True is set. output_format='pdf' produces a PDF/A-3 level B hybrid invoice with sRGB ICC profile, OutputIntent, embedded fonts, and deterministic /ID. |
invoice_validate | Validate an invoice against EN 16931 and KoSIT rules (BR-DE-*). Local Schematron validation runs by default (no data leaves your machine); set cloud_validate=True or EINVOICING_DE_KOSIT_ENABLE=1 to opt into KoSIT cloud validation (validator.kosit.de or a self-hosted endpoint) with exponential backoff retry (1s/2s/4s). XSLT 2.0 local validation requires the [xslt2] extra. |
invoice_parse | Extract structured data from ZUGFeRD or XRechnung XML, or from a PDF/A-3 hybrid invoice with embedded factur-x.xml / zugferd-invoice.xml. |
invoice_convert | Convert between ZUGFeRD profiles, swap ZUGFeRD/XRechnung CII headers, or perform cross-syntax CII/UBL conversion via core convert_wire_format. |
datev_export | Export a ZUGFeRD invoice as a DATEV EXTF 700 Buchungsstapel CSV file for import into DATEV accounting software. Defaults to SKR 03 accounts (8400 revenue / 10000 receivable). |
tax_rules | Query German VAT rules (rates, §13b UStG reverse charge codes, §19 UStG Kleinunternehmer thresholds at JStG 2024 values of €25,000 preceding year / €100,000 current year, exemptions). |
Peppol participant lookup, service-endpoint lookup, a DNS-only diagnostic, AS4 send, Peppol Directory search, and the OpenPeppol eDEC codelist tools are provided by the shared core Peppol tool plugin (mcp_einvoicing_core.peppol.tools.register_peppol_tools), mounted in server.py with a German-specific identifier adapter: a bare USt-IdNr (e.g. 123456789 or DE123456789) is normalized to the 9930:<value> Peppol scheme (DE:VAT); an already scheme-qualified identifier (e.g. 9930:DE123456789, or 0204:<leitweg-id> for Leitweg-ID-routed B2G invoices) passes through unchanged. To send via AS4, first produce XRechnung UBL with invoice_convert (or invoice_create with target_syntax='UBL'), then pass the result to peppol_send.
peppol_send signs outbound messages with a real wsse:Security signature as of mcp-einvoicing-core v1.20.0 (previously computed and discarded — see CHANGELOG.md v0.10.0).
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
peppol_lookup_participant | Check whether a business is registered on the Peppol network; returns registration status and supported document types |
peppol_get_service_endpoint | Fetch the AS4 endpoint for a participant's document type |
resolve_peppol_dns | DNS-only (SML) diagnostic, independent of SMP reachability |
peppol_send | Transmit a UBL/CII invoice via AS4 |
peppol_directory_search | Search the public Peppol Directory by participant, name, country, or document type |
list_participant_id_schemes, list_document_type_ids, list_process_ids, list_spis_use_case_ids | OpenPeppol eDEC codelist lookups (require EINVOICING_PEPPOL_CODELIST_DIR) |
check_document_type_id_in_codelist, check_process_id_in_codelist, check_participant_id_scheme_in_codelist, get_peppol_codelist_version | OpenPeppol eDEC codelist checks and version reporting |
See the mcp-einvoicing-core README for full parameter documentation on these tools.
Added in v0.10.0 via three opt-in core plugins, mounted unconditionally in server.py. Each raises a clear error at call time (not at registration) if its extra or data directory is missing.
| Tool | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
validate_eusr_report | register_peppol_reporting_tools | Validate an End User Statistics Report (XSD, then Schematron). Requires the [xslt2] extra. |
validate_tsr_report | register_peppol_reporting_tools | Validate a Transaction Statistics Report (XSD, then Schematron). Requires the [xslt2] extra. |
validate_mls_message | register_peppol_mls_tools | Validate a Message Level Status document (UBL ApplicationResponse-2 subset). Requires the [xslt2] extra. |
build_mls_message | register_peppol_mls_tools | Build a document-level MLS response. Requires the [xslt2] extra. |
13 list_*/check_* pairs, get_en16931_codelist_version | register_en16931_codelist_tools | EN 16931 semantic code list lookups/checks (units, VAT categories, etc.). Require EINVOICING_EN16931_CODELIST_DIR. |
See the mcp-einvoicing-core README for full parameter documentation on these tools.
Example 1: Validate an invoice
1. invoice_validate(
xml_base64="...", # Base64-encoded ZUGFeRD XML
strict=True
)
→ {
"is_valid": true,
"profile": "EN_16931",
"syntax": "CII",
"error_count": 0,
"warning_count": 2,
"errors": [],
"warnings": [...],
"validator_used": "local_schematron"
}
Example 2: Query German tax rules
2. tax_rules(query="reverse_charge", context="Bauleistungen")
→ {
"results": [
{
"paragraph": "§13b Abs. 2 Nr. 5 UStG",
"description_en": "Construction services (building contractor rule)",
"vatex_code": "VATEX-EU-AE",
"invoice_note": "Steuerschuldnerschaft des Leistungsempfängers (§13b UStG)"
}
],
"legal_disclaimer": "..."
}
Example 3: Check Peppol registration
3. peppol_lookup_participant(
identifier="123456789", # bare USt-IdNr, normalized to 9930:DE123456789
environment="production"
)
→ {
"is_registered": true,
"participant_id": "9930:DE123456789",
"supported_document_types": ["urn:cen.eu:en16931:2017#compliant#urn:fdc:peppol.eu:2017:poacc:billing:3.0"],
"smp_hostname": "b-...iso6523-actorid-upis.edelivery.tech.ec.europa.eu"
}
Example 4: Parse invoice data
4. invoice_parse(xml_base64="...", include_raw_xml=False)
→ {
"profile": "XRECHNUNG",
"syntax": "CII",
"invoice_number": "RE-2025-001",
"invoice_date": "2025-01-15",
"seller_name": "Muster GmbH",
"buyer_name": "Käufer AG",
"tax_inclusive_amount": "119.00",
"currency_code": "EUR"
}
mcp-einvoicing-de (this package, standalone MCP server)
├── ZUGFeRDInvoice / XRechnungInvoice ← Pydantic models (all profiles)
├── SchematronValidator ← EN 16931 + KoSIT BR-DE-* rules
├── KoSITValidator ← Remote validation tool (optional)
└── Tools: create / validate / parse / convert / datev_export / tax_rules
(+ core Peppol tool plugin, mounted separately: lookup / send / DNS / codelists)
↑ extends
mcp-einvoicing-core (shared base, installed as dependency)
├── BaseDocumentGenerator / Validator / Parser
├── BaseInvoice, BaseParty … (Pydantic)
├── xml_utils, exceptions
└── EInvoicingMCPServer
| Standard | Version | Profiles / Syntax |
|---|---|---|
| ZUGFeRD | 2.5.2 | MINIMUM, BASIC WL, BASIC, EN 16931, EXTENDED |
| XRechnung | 3.0.2 | CII (Cross Industry Invoice), UBL (Universal Business Language) |
| EN 16931 | 2017 | European core data model for electronic invoicing |
| Peppol BIS | 3.0 | Billing 3.0 (EN 16931-compliant) |
Note: ZUGFeRD 2.x and XRechnung 3.x share the same CII XML syntax at the EN 16931 profile level. Conversion between both formats is therefore possible without data loss. The EXTENDED profile is specific to ZUGFeRD and has no XRechnung equivalent.
| Resource | Link |
|---|---|
| FeRD ZUGFeRD specification | ferd-net.de |
| KoSIT XRechnung | xeinkauf.de |
| KoSIT validation tool | github.com/itplr-kosit/validationtool |
| EN 16931-1:2017 | CEN |
| Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 | docs.peppol.eu |
# Install development dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"
# Run the full test suite
pytest tests/ -v
# With coverage report
pytest --cov=mcp_einvoicing_de --cov-report=term-missing
# Model tests only
pytest tests/test_models.py -v
Contributions are welcome. Please open an issue before submitting a pull request for significant changes.
git clone https://github.com/cmendezs/mcp-einvoicing-de.git
cd mcp-einvoicing-de
pip install -e ".[dev]"
pytest
make audit
| Country | Server |
|---|---|
| 🌍 Global | mcp-einvoicing-core |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | mcp-einvoicing-be |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | mcp-nfe-br |
| 🇫🇷 France | mcp-facture-electronique-fr |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | mcp-einvoicing-de |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | mcp-fattura-elettronica-it |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | mcp-ksef-pl |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | mcp-invoicenow-sg |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | mcp-facturacion-electronica-es |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | mcp-einvoicing-ae |
This project is licensed under the Apache 2.0 License. See the LICENSE file for details. For the full version history, see CHANGELOG.md.
EINVOICING_DE_LOG_LEVELLogging level: DEBUG, INFO (default), WARNING, or ERROR
EINVOICING_DE_KOSIT_VALIDATOR_URLURL of a self-hosted KoSIT validation tool REST endpoint (e.g. http://localhost:8080/api/v1/validate). When set, remote KoSIT validation is enabled; when absent, local Schematron validation is used.