Connect Highlevel to Claude: Manage Billing and Client Support

If you need to connect Highlevel to Claude to automate client support, resolve billing inquiries, or manage agency workflows, you need a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. This server acts as the translation layer between Claude's tool calls and Highlevel's REST APIs. You can either build and maintain this infrastructure yourself, or use a managed integration platform like Truto to dynamically generate a secure, authenticated MCP server URL. If your team uses ChatGPT, check out our guide on connecting Highlevel to ChatGPT or explore our broader architectural overview on connecting Highlevel to AI Agents.

Giving a Large Language Model (LLM) read and write access to a sprawling agency platform like Highlevel is an engineering challenge. You have to handle OAuth 2.0 token lifecycles, map massive JSON schemas to MCP tool definitions, and deal with Highlevel's highly specific location-based data architecture. Every time Highlevel updates an endpoint or deprecates a field, you have to update your server code, redeploy, and test the integration.

This guide breaks down exactly how to use Truto to generate a secure, managed MCP server for Highlevel, connect it natively to Claude, and execute complex billing and client support workflows using natural language.

The Engineering Reality of the Highlevel API

A custom MCP server is a self-hosted integration layer. While the open MCP standard provides a predictable way for models to discover tools, the reality of implementing it against Highlevel's APIs is painful. You are not just integrating a standard CRM - you are integrating a multi-tenant platform built for marketing agencies, which carries severe architectural quirks.

If you decide to build a custom MCP server for Highlevel, you own the entire API lifecycle. Here are the specific challenges you will face:

The Location vs. Agency Context Split Highlevel relies heavily on the concept of sub-accounts (Locations) versus the parent Agency. Contact endpoints typically require a locationId. However, billing and invoice endpoints often require an altId and an altType (which must explicitly be set to 'location' or 'agency'). If you expose these raw routing parameters directly to Claude, the LLM will frequently hallucinate the IDs, confuse a contact ID for a location ID, or fail to pass the required altType. Truto's proxy architecture inherently understands the context of the authenticated account, allowing the LLM to focus on the business logic rather than the routing boilerplate.

Massive, Deeply Nested JSON Payloads Highlevel's Invoice and Opportunity objects are massive. Creating an invoice requires passing heavily nested arrays for items (which include taxes, product IDs, and custom pricing), businessDetails, and lateFeesConfiguration. LLMs struggle to generate perfectly structured, deeply nested JSON from scratch without strict schema enforcement. A managed MCP server derives exact JSON Schemas directly from Highlevel's API documentation, explicitly instructing Claude on required fields and structural bounds.

Strict Rate Limiting and Error Handling Highlevel enforces strict rate limits (often 100 requests per 10 seconds per location). If an AI agent attempts to iterate through a massive list of contacts or conversations too quickly, Highlevel will block the requests. Factual note on rate limits: Truto does not retry, throttle, or apply backoff on rate limit errors. When the Highlevel API returns an HTTP 429 Too Many Requests error, Truto passes that error directly back to the caller. Truto normalizes the upstream rate limit information into standardized headers (ratelimit-limit, ratelimit-remaining, ratelimit-reset) per the IETF specification. The caller (in this case, your agent framework or Claude) is entirely responsible for reading these headers and executing a retry and backoff strategy.

How to Generate a Highlevel MCP Server with Truto

Truto dynamically generates MCP tools based on the integration's documented API resources. Because the tools are generated dynamically, they are never out of date. You can create a Highlevel MCP server in two ways: via the Truto UI or programmatically via the API.

Method 1: Generating via the Truto UI

For internal workflows or one-off agent testing, the UI is the fastest path.

1. Navigate to the Integrated Accounts page in your Truto dashboard and select your connected Highlevel account.
2. Click the MCP Servers tab.
3. Click Create MCP Server.
4. Configure the server. You can name it "Highlevel Billing Agent", restrict the methods to read-only, or filter by specific tags if you only want the agent to access invoice endpoints.
5. Click Create and copy the generated MCP server URL (e.g., https://api.truto.one/mcp/a1b2c3d4e5f6...).

Method 2: Generating via the API

If you are building an application that provisions AI agents for your end-users, you will want to generate these servers programmatically.

You can issue a POST request to the /integrated-account/:id/mcp endpoint to generate a secure, token-backed URL. Truto handles the cryptographic hashing and storage of the token.

const response = await fetch('https://api.truto.one/admin/integrated-accounts/<integrated-account-id>/mcp', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer <YOUR_TRUTO_API_KEY>',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    name: "Client Support Agent MCP",
    config: {
      methods: ["read", "write"],
      tags: ["invoices", "conversations"]
    },
    expires_at: "2026-12-31T23:59:59Z"
  })
});
 
const mcpServer = await response.json();
console.log(mcpServer.url); 
// Returns: https://api.truto.one/mcp/a1b2c3d4e5f6...

This URL is fully self-contained. It encodes the tenant context, the Highlevel OAuth token state, and the method permissions.

How to Connect the MCP Server to Claude

Once you have the URL, you need to register it with Claude. You can do this via the Claude Desktop UI or by directly editing the configuration file.

Method 1: Via the Claude UI

Anthropic and OpenAI are actively adding UI components to manage custom connectors.

1. Open Claude Desktop.
2. Navigate to Settings > Integrations (or Connectors depending on your version).
3. Click Add MCP Server.
4. Give the server a descriptive name like "Highlevel CRM".
5. Paste the Truto MCP URL generated in the previous step.
6. Click Add.

Claude will immediately perform a handshake with the URL, issue a tools/list JSON-RPC call, and load the available Highlevel capabilities into its context window.

Method 2: Via Manual Configuration File

For automated deployments or advanced configuration, you can register the server by editing the claude_desktop_config.json file directly.

On macOS, this file is located at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. On Windows, it is located at %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json.

Add the Truto server using the SSE transport adapter:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "highlevel": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-sse",
        "https://api.truto.one/mcp/<YOUR_TRUTO_TOKEN>"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Save the file and restart Claude Desktop. The model will now have native access to your Highlevel instance.

Highlevel Hero Tools for Billing and Support

Truto provides access to over 150 Highlevel API endpoints. When Claude connects, it parses the schemas for these tools and understands exactly what parameters are required. Here are the highest-leverage tools for automating billing and client support.

get_single_highlevel_contact_by_id

Before taking action on a billing dispute or support ticket, an agent needs context. This tool retrieves the complete profile of a client, including their DND (Do Not Disturb) status, custom fields, tags, and attribution source.

"Claude, pull the full contact profile for ID 'xYzA123'. Check their custom fields to see if they are marked as a 'VIP Client' and verify that their DND status allows for email communications."

list_all_highlevel_conversations

Highlevel aggregates SMS, email, Facebook, and Google My Business messages into unified conversations. This tool allows Claude to fetch the active support queue, identifying threads with high unread counts or recent incoming messages.

"Fetch the latest 10 conversations for the location. Filter for any threads that have an unreadCount greater than 0, and summarize the lastMessageBody for each to identify urgent support requests."

create_a_highlevel_conversation_message

Once Claude has diagnosed an issue, it can reply directly to the client. This tool requires the conversationId and conversationProviderId (to ensure the message routes through the correct channel, like email vs SMS).

"Draft a polite response explaining that their invoice has been adjusted, and send it using the create_a_highlevel_conversation_message tool. Use conversation ID 'conv_789' and ensure the message type is set to Email."

list_all_highlevel_invoice

This tool queries the location's billing history. It is highly effective for identifying overdue payments, tracking payment statuses, and calculating total outstanding amounts for a specific contact.

"List all invoices for this location. Find any invoices associated with contact ID 'abc_456' where the status is 'draft' or 'overdue'. What is the total amountDue across these records?"

create_a_highlevel_invoice

Generating invoices requires precision. This tool allows Claude to construct a complex invoice object containing nested line items, tax rates, and discount configurations, before saving it as a draft or sending it to the client.

"Create a new invoice for contact ID 'abc_456'. Add a single line item for 'Monthly Retainer' at $1,500. Set the issueDate to today, the dueDate to net 30, and leave the status as 'draft' for my review."

update_a_highlevel_invoice_by_id

When clients negotiate a discount or dispute a line item, Claude can surgically update existing invoices without deleting and recreating the record.

"Update invoice ID 'inv_999'. Add a 10% discount to the total, append a note thanking them for their long-term partnership, and adjust the dueDate out by an additional 15 days."

For the complete inventory of available Highlevel tools and their exact JSON schemas, refer to the Highlevel integration page.

Workflows in Action

Connecting tools to LLMs moves you from static scripts to dynamic workflows. Here are concrete examples of how Claude can orchestrate Highlevel's APIs to solve real business problems.

Scenario 1: Resolving a Client Billing Dispute

A client sends an angry email stating they were overcharged on their last invoice. An IT admin or Support Lead needs to investigate the account, verify the invoice, and reply to the client.

"Claude, check the latest unread conversations. If you see a complaint about billing from John Doe, look up his contact record. Then, find his most recent invoice. If it contains a late fee, remove the late fee configuration, update the invoice, and reply to the conversation apologizing for the error."

Step-by-step execution:

1. Claude calls list_all_highlevel_conversations to find the thread with the complaint, extracting the contactId.
2. Claude calls get_single_highlevel_contact_by_id to gather context on John Doe (verifying his email and VIP status).
3. Claude calls list_all_highlevel_invoice filtering by John's contact info to locate the specific disputed invoice.
4. Claude calls update_a_highlevel_invoice_by_id, modifying the lateFeesConfiguration to disable the fee.
5. Claude calls create_a_highlevel_conversation_message to send an email back through the thread, confirming the fee has been waived.

The Result: A process that normally requires a human to click through 4 different screens in Highlevel is handled autonomously in seconds, with a perfectly polite, context-aware email sent to the client.

Scenario 2: Automated Service Upsell

A marketing agency decides to run a promotion. They want to identify clients who have spent over a certain amount but haven't purchased a specific add-on service.

"Find all clients who have paid invoices totaling over $5,000 this year. For those clients, check if they have the 'SEO Package' tag. If they do not, create a new draft invoice for $500 for the SEO package, and draft an email to them offering a trial."

Step-by-step execution:

1. Claude calls list_all_highlevel_invoice and aggregates the amountPaid for all closed invoices, mapping them to contact IDs.
2. Claude calls get_single_highlevel_contact_by_id for the high-value contacts to inspect their tags array.
3. For contacts missing the 'SEO Package' tag, Claude calls create_a_highlevel_invoice with the status set to draft and the specific line items.
4. Claude calls create_a_highlevel_conversation_message to draft an outbound message pitching the service, referencing the newly created draft invoice.

The Result: Proactive revenue generation. The agent parses the billing history, crosses it with CRM tags, and stages the sales pipeline without human intervention.

Security and Access Control

Giving an AI agent access to your billing and client communication systems requires strict governance. Truto provides several architectural safeguards when generating an MCP token:

• Method Filtering: By defining config.methods: ["read"], you can create a strictly read-only MCP server. The agent can list invoices and read conversations, but the system will block any attempts to create, update, or delete records.
• Tag Filtering: You can restrict the server to specific operational domains by passing config.tags: ["invoices"]. If applied, the agent will not even know the conversation or contact endpoints exist.
• Require API Token Auth: Setting require_api_token_auth: true means the MCP URL alone is not enough to execute a tool. The client must also pass a valid Truto API token in the Authorization header, preventing leaked URLs from being abused.
• Expiration Constraints: You can set an expires_at timestamp. Once the timestamp passes, the token is purged from distributed KV storage and database records automatically via scheduled alarms, immediately revoking the agent's access.

A New Era for CRM Automation

Writing custom integration scripts for Highlevel used to mean spending weeks studying API documentation, managing OAuth flows, and writing brittle mapping code for deeply nested invoice objects. Every new workflow required a new script.

MCP fundamentally changes this architecture. By dynamically translating Highlevel's API into LLM-native tools, you offload the business logic to the model. You no longer write code to "find overdue invoices and send emails" - you simply connect the MCP server and write a prompt.

Truto handles the underlying complexity of the Highlevel API, ensuring that rate limit errors are properly normalized, OAuth tokens are refreshed, and massive JSON schemas are accurately communicated to the model.