Troubleshooting & FAQ
Connection problems
The browser shows "Only admins and managers can connect"
Your role on that business does not allow builder access. Ask an Admin of the business to change your role, or connect a business where you are an Admin or Manager.
"The new storefront is switched off. Turn it on in business settings first"
The business is still on the legacy storefront. Switch the new storefront on in the business settings, then connect again.
I keep returning to the business screen
Cashfin only completes a connection for the business you just picked, and the pick lasts 10 minutes. If you waited longer, opened the consent page from a bookmark or another tab, or switched business in another tab, pick the business again and approve straight away.
"Pick the business to connect on the Cashfin business screen first"
The approval was sent without a current business pick, usually because more than 10 minutes passed. Start the connection again from your assistant.
"Unknown client" or "Invalid redirect URI" on the consent screen
Your assistant's registration with Cashfin is missing or out of date. Remove the Cashfin connector from your assistant and add it again.
The assistant says it is not authorised (401)
- "Authorization required": the assistant has not signed in yet. Start the connection (Connect / Authenticate) from your assistant.
- "Invalid or expired access token": the token expired and could not be refreshed, or the connection was revoked. Reconnect.
- "Invalid MCP token" (URL tokens): the token was deleted, or the person who created it lost access to the business. Create a new one.
"The account that approved this connection no longer has access"
The person who approved the connection was removed from the business or lost builder access. Someone with access needs to connect instead.
Claude.ai or ChatGPT cannot reach the server
Both connect from their own servers, so the URL must be the public https://storefront.cashfin.africa/mcp. Check for typos and that there is no trailing space.
Working with the tools
My changes do not show on my live site
Changes are drafts until published. Ask the assistant to publish, or publish from the builder. See Publishing.
"… is synced from Cashfin Business and is read-only here"
The assistant tried to change your synced catalogue (products, categories and so on). Change the catalogue in your Cashfin dashboard. The storefront picks it up automatically. See Shop & catalogue.
The assistant edited the wrong business
A connection only ever works on the business picked when it was created. Check which business your connection is for in Integrations → MCP → Connections in that business's builder. To change it, disconnect and connect again, picking the right business.
The assistant is slow or stops mid-task
Ask for smaller steps: one page or section at a time. Large jobs work but use many tool calls. If the assistant was idle for over 30 minutes, it starts a new session automatically; just continue.
FAQ
Does this cost anything?
No. The MCP server is free. Usage counts against your AI assistant's own plan.
Does it use my Cashfin AI credits?
No. Cashfin AI credits are only used by the AI built into Cashfin.
Can it change my prices or products?
No. Your catalogue is read-only through MCP. See Shop & catalogue.
Can several people connect to the same business?
Yes. Each Admin or Manager can connect their own assistants. Each connection acts as its own person.
Can one assistant work on two businesses?
Add the server twice under different names, one connection per business. See Choosing your business.
Will my team see the assistant's changes?
Yes. Changes appear live in the storefront builder for anyone who has it open, and go live for customers when published.
Still stuck?
Email [email protected] with your assistant's name, the business, and the exact message you see.