zatca-mcp
An AI-native MCP server for Saudi e-invoicing that generates ZATCA-compliant invoices, QR codes, and XML from natural language, with validation and Phase 2 signing capabilities.
README
<div align="center">
πΈπ¦ ZATCA MCP
AI-native Saudi e-invoicing β generate ZATCA-compliant invoices from natural language.
</div>
<!-- TODO: Record a 30-second demo GIF of Claude Desktop generating a ZATCA invoice via natural language --> <!-- <p align="center"><img src="docs/demo.gif" width="700" alt="Generate a ZATCA-compliant invoice from natural language"></p> -->
<p align="center"><em>"Generate an invoice for 10 hours of consulting at 500 SAR to Al-Rajhi Corp"</em> β compliant XML + QR code in seconds</p>
Why ZATCA MCP?
Saudi Arabia's ZATCA mandate requires all businesses to issue structured electronic invoices β Phase 1 (generation) since December 2021, Phase 2 (integration) rolling out across taxpayer waves through 2025. This is a cornerstone of Vision 2030 digital transformation.
The problem: no open-source, AI-native tooling exists for ZATCA e-invoicing. Businesses either pay for proprietary ERP plugins or build compliance from scratch.
This project: the first open-source MCP server for Saudi e-invoicing β letting AI agents like Claude generate, validate, and manage ZATCA-compliant invoices through natural conversation.
Features
- 9 MCP Tools β generate, sign, validate, submit invoices + QR codes, CSR, compliance checks, HTML render
- 3 MCP Resources β validation rules, invoice types, sample invoice for AI reference
- 3 MCP Prompts β guided workflows for creating invoices, validating, and credit/debit notes
- UBL 2.1 XML β full namespace-compliant invoice generation per OASIS standard
- 16-Rule Validation Engine β BR-01 through BR-16 business rule checks
- XAdES-BES Digital Signing β ECDSA secp256k1 signatures with certificate embedding
- ZATCA API Integration β async client for compliance, reporting, and clearance endpoints
- Credit/Debit Notes β type codes 381/383 with BillingReference and InstructionNote
- TLV QR Encoding β Phase 1 + Phase 2 tag support (tags 1-8, cryptographic data)
- Fikra CLI β Claude Code-style conversational agent with HTML invoice output
- 127 Tests β unit, integration, signing, API client, resources/prompts, and edge-case coverage
- CI/CD Pipeline β ruff + mypy + pytest across Python 3.10/3.11/3.12 + Phase 2 job
- Arabic Support β full UTF-8 handling for seller/buyer names and addresses
- Decimal Precision β
DecimalwithROUND_HALF_UPfor all financial math - Multi-Rate VAT β per-line-item VAT rates (default 15%)
Architecture
graph TD
subgraph Clients
A[Claude Desktop]
B[Claude Code]
C[Fikra CLI]
end
subgraph MCP Server
D[generate_invoice]
E[generate_qr_code]
F[validate_invoice]
G[decode_qr]
D2[generate_csr]
D3[sign_invoice]
D4[submit_invoice]
D5[check_compliance]
end
subgraph Processing Engine
H[XML Builder<br/>UBL 2.1]
I[Validation Engine<br/>16 Business Rules]
J[TLV Encoder<br/>QR Phase 1 + 2]
S[Signing Engine<br/>XAdES-BES]
API[ZATCA API Client<br/>httpx async]
end
A -- MCP Protocol --> D
B -- MCP Protocol --> E
A -- MCP Protocol --> F
B -- MCP Protocol --> G
C -- Direct Call --> H
C -- Direct Call --> I
C -- Direct Call --> J
C -. HTML Pipeline .-> K[Browser Invoice<br/>with QR Image]
D --> H
D --> J
E --> J
F --> I
G --> J
D2 --> S
D3 --> S
D4 --> API
D5 --> API
Quick Start
Install
pip install zatca-mcp # Phase 1 (generation + validation)
pip install zatca-mcp[phase2] # Phase 2 (signing + ZATCA API)
Use with Claude Desktop
Add to ~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"zatca": {
"command": "zatca-mcp"
}
}
}
Restart Claude Desktop. You can now ask Claude to generate ZATCA-compliant invoices.
Fikra CLI
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
pip install zatca-mcp[phase2]
fikra # works from any directory
Fikra CLI
A Claude Code-style conversational agent that turns natural language into compliant invoices with professional HTML output.
Features:
- Gradient ASCII banner with
#c8e64abrand theming β―prompt with streaming responsesβΊtool-use indicators (mirrors Claude Code UX)- Auto-generates HTML invoices with embedded QR code images
- Opens invoices in your browser automatically
- Token usage display (
β³ input Β· output tokens) /help/clear/quitcommands
β
βββ
β ββββββββββββββ ββββββββββ ββββββ βββ βββ
β± β² ββββββββββββββ βββββββββββββββββββββββ βββ
β± β² ββββββ ββββββββββ ββββββββββββββββββββββββ
β°ββββ― ββββββ ββββββββββ ββββββββββββββββββββββββ
βββ ββββββ ββββββ ββββββ ββββββ βββ
βββ ββββββ ββββββ ββββββ ββββββ βββ
Model: claude-sonnet-4-20250514 | Tools: 8 ZATCA tools | Phase 2 β | cwd: ~/zatca-mcp
Tips: "I sold 10 laptops at 3000 SAR each to TechCo" to get started
/help for commands, /quit to exit
β― I just closed a deal with Al-Rajhi Corp for consulting β 10 hours at 500 SAR
βΊ generate_invoice
β Invoice saved & opened in browser
~/zatca-mcp/examples/invoices/INV-2026-001_20260217.html
Great news on closing the deal! I've generated a ZATCA-compliant invoice
for Al-Rajhi Corp β 10 hours of consulting at 500 SAR each.
**Invoice Summary:**
- Subtotal: 5,000.00 SAR
- VAT (15%): 750.00 SAR
- **Total: 5,750.00 SAR**
The HTML invoice with embedded QR code is open in your browser.
β³ 1,847 input Β· 312 output tokens
Tools API Reference
<details> <summary><code>generate_invoice</code> β Create a ZATCA-compliant UBL 2.1 XML e-invoice</summary>
Creates a complete XML invoice following Saudi Arabia's ZATCA e-invoicing standard. Supports Standard (B2B), Simplified (B2C), Credit Note, and Debit Note types. Automatically calculates VAT, line totals, and embeds QR code data.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
invoice_type |
string | Yes | "standard", "simplified", "credit_note", or "debit_note" |
invoice_number |
string | Yes | Unique identifier (e.g., "INV-2024-001") |
issue_date |
string | Yes | YYYY-MM-DD format |
seller_name |
string | Yes | Seller business name |
seller_vat |
string | Yes | 15-digit VAT number |
seller_address |
string | Yes | Seller street address |
seller_city |
string | Yes | Seller city |
buyer_name |
string | Yes | Buyer/customer name |
items |
string | Yes | JSON array: [{"name": "...", "quantity": 1, "unit_price": 100.00, "vat_rate": 0.15}] |
currency |
string | No | ISO currency code (default: "SAR") |
buyer_vat |
string | No | Required for standard (B2B) invoices |
buyer_address |
string | No | Buyer street address |
buyer_city |
string | No | Buyer city |
note |
string | No | Optional invoice note |
billing_reference_id |
string | No | Original invoice ID (required for credit/debit notes) |
billing_reference_date |
string | No | Original invoice date (for credit/debit notes) |
instruction_note |
string | No | Reason for credit/debit note |
Returns: Complete UBL 2.1 XML invoice string with embedded QR code.
</details>
<details> <summary><code>generate_qr_code</code> β Generate a TLV-encoded QR code</summary>
Creates a Base64-encoded QR code payload following ZATCA's Tag-Length-Value (TLV) format for Phase 1 and Phase 2 compliance.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
seller_name |
string | Yes | Business/taxpayer name (Arabic or English) |
vat_number |
string | Yes | 15-digit Saudi VAT number |
timestamp |
string | Yes | ISO 8601 format (e.g., "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z") |
total_amount |
string | Yes | Invoice total including VAT (e.g., "1150.00") |
vat_amount |
string | Yes | Total VAT charged (e.g., "150.00") |
Returns: JSON with qr_base64 and decoded_verification data.
</details>
<details> <summary><code>validate_invoice</code> β Check invoice XML against ZATCA business rules</summary>
Runs 16 business rule checks including required fields, VAT number format, mathematical accuracy of line totals and VAT calculations, credit/debit note references, and structural integrity of UBL 2.1 XML.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
invoice_xml |
string | Yes | Complete UBL 2.1 XML invoice string |
Returns: JSON with is_valid (boolean), errors (list), warnings (list), and checks_run (16).
</details>
<details> <summary><code>generate_csr</code> β Generate a ZATCA-compliant Certificate Signing Request</summary>
Generates an ECDSA secp256k1 key pair and a CSR with ZATCA-required subject fields. Requires cryptography (install with pip install zatca-mcp[phase2]).
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
common_name |
string | Yes | Certificate CN field |
organization |
string | Yes | Organization name |
organizational_unit |
string | Yes | Organization unit |
country |
string | No | Country code (default: "SA") |
serial_number |
string | No | ZATCA device serial number |
invoice_type |
string | No | ZATCA invoice type code (default: "1100") |
location |
string | No | Business location (default: "Riyadh") |
industry |
string | No | Business category (default: "IT") |
Returns: JSON with csr_pem, private_key_pem, warning, and next_step.
</details>
<details> <summary><code>sign_invoice</code> β Digitally sign an invoice with XAdES-BES</summary>
Injects an XAdES-BES digital signature into a UBL 2.1 invoice XML. Rebuilds the QR code with Phase 2 cryptographic tags (6-8). Requires cryptography.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
invoice_xml |
string | Yes | UBL 2.1 XML invoice string to sign |
certificate_pem |
string | Yes | PEM-encoded X.509 certificate |
private_key_pem |
string | Yes | PEM-encoded ECDSA private key |
Returns: JSON with signed_xml, invoice_hash, qr_base64, and is_phase2_compliant.
</details>
<details> <summary><code>submit_invoice</code> β Submit a signed invoice to the ZATCA API</summary>
Submits a signed invoice to the ZATCA Fatoora API for reporting (simplified) or clearance (standard). Requires httpx and pydantic.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
signed_invoice_xml |
string | Yes | Signed UBL 2.1 XML invoice |
invoice_hash |
string | Yes | Base64-encoded SHA-256 hash |
invoice_uuid |
string | Yes | Invoice UUID |
certificate |
string | Yes | Base64-encoded certificate |
secret |
string | Yes | API secret from CSID |
mode |
string | No | "reporting" (default) or "clearance" |
environment |
string | No | "sandbox" (default) or "production" |
Returns: ZATCA API response with status, validationResults, warnings, and errors.
</details>
<details> <summary><code>check_compliance</code> β Check invoice compliance with ZATCA servers</summary>
Submits an invoice to the ZATCA compliance endpoint for server-side validation. Requires httpx and pydantic.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
signed_invoice_xml |
string | Yes | Signed UBL 2.1 XML invoice |
invoice_hash |
string | Yes | Base64-encoded SHA-256 hash |
invoice_uuid |
string | Yes | Invoice UUID |
certificate |
string | Yes | Base64-encoded certificate |
secret |
string | Yes | API secret from CSID |
Returns: ZATCA compliance validation results.
</details>
<details> <summary><code>decode_qr</code> β Decode a ZATCA TLV-encoded QR code string</summary>
Extracts all encoded tag values from an existing ZATCA QR code for verification or inspection.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
qr_base64 |
string | Yes | Base64-encoded TLV string from a ZATCA QR code |
Returns: JSON with decoded tag names and their values.
</details>
Programmatic Usage
from zatca_mcp.utils.xml_builder import build_invoice_xml
from zatca_mcp.utils.tlv import encode_tlv
from zatca_mcp.utils.validation import validate_invoice_xml
# Generate invoice
xml = build_invoice_xml(
invoice_type="simplified",
invoice_number="INV-2024-001",
issue_date="2024-01-15",
seller_name="Fikrah Tech",
seller_vat="300000000000003",
seller_address="123 King Fahd Road",
seller_city="Riyadh",
buyer_name="Walk-in Customer",
line_items=[
{"name": "AI Consulting", "quantity": 10, "unit_price": 500.00},
{"name": "Setup Fee", "quantity": 1, "unit_price": 1000.00},
],
)
# Validate
result = validate_invoice_xml(xml)
print(f"Valid: {result['is_valid']}") # True
print(f"Checks: {result['checks_run']}") # 16
# Generate QR code
qr = encode_tlv(
seller_name="Fikrah Tech",
vat_number="300000000000003",
timestamp="2024-01-15T10:00:00Z",
total_amount="6900.00",
vat_amount="900.00",
)
print(f"QR: {qr}")
Phase 2: Digital Signing
from zatca_mcp.utils.signing import (
generate_private_key,
generate_csr,
inject_signature,
hash_invoice,
)
# Generate key pair and CSR
key = generate_private_key()
csr_pem = generate_csr(
key,
common_name="My Company",
organization="My Org",
organizational_unit="IT",
)
# Submit CSR to ZATCA to get a certificate, then sign:
# signed_xml = inject_signature(xml, cert_pem, key)
# invoice_hash = hash_invoice(xml)
ZATCA Compliance
Validation Rules (16 Business Rules)
| Rule | Check | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BR-01 | Invoice ID | cbc:ID is mandatory |
| BR-02 | Issue Date | cbc:IssueDate mandatory, YYYY-MM-DD format |
| BR-03 | Type Code | cbc:InvoiceTypeCode must be 388, 381, or 383 |
| BR-04 | Currency | cbc:DocumentCurrencyCode is mandatory |
| BR-05 | Seller Name | Seller RegistrationName is mandatory |
| BR-06 | Seller VAT | 15-digit VAT number, starts/ends with 3 |
| BR-07 | Buyer Name | Buyer RegistrationName is mandatory |
| BR-08 | Buyer VAT (B2B) | Required for standard invoice subtype 01* |
| BR-09 | β | Reserved |
| BR-10 | Line Items | At least one cac:InvoiceLine required |
| BR-11 | Line Math | qty Γ price = line extension amount (Β±0.01) |
| BR-12 | Tax Total | cac:TaxTotal/cbc:TaxAmount is mandatory |
| BR-13 | Payable Amount | cbc:PayableAmount is mandatory |
| BR-14 | Total Cross-Check | tax-exclusive + tax = tax-inclusive (Β±0.01) |
| BR-15 | Billing Reference | Credit/Debit notes must reference original invoice |
| BR-16 | Instruction Note | Credit/Debit notes should include a reason |
Invoice Types
| Type | Code | Subtype | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Tax Invoice | 388 | 0100000 | B2B transactions |
| Simplified Tax Invoice | 388 | 0200000 | B2C / POS transactions |
| Standard Credit Note | 381 | 0100000 | B2B returns/refunds |
| Simplified Credit Note | 381 | 0200000 | B2C returns/refunds |
| Standard Debit Note | 383 | 0100000 | B2B additional charges |
| Simplified Debit Note | 383 | 0200000 | B2C additional charges |
QR Code TLV Tags
| Tag | Name | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seller Name | 1 |
| 2 | VAT Registration Number | 1 |
| 3 | Timestamp | 1 |
| 4 | Invoice Total (with VAT) | 1 |
| 5 | VAT Amount | 1 |
| 6 | Invoice Hash | 2 |
| 7 | ECDSA Signature | 2 |
| 8 | ECDSA Public Key | 2 |
Tags 6-8 are populated by the
sign_invoicetool with real cryptographic data (SHA-256 hash, ECDSA signature, public key).
Engineering Quality
- 127 tests across 7 test modules (TLV, validation, invoice, signing, credit/debit, API client, resources/prompts)
- CI/CD β GitHub Actions: ruff lint + format check, mypy type checking, pytest with coverage across Python 3.10 / 3.11 / 3.12, plus a dedicated Phase 2 job
- Decimal precision β all financial calculations use
DecimalwithROUND_HALF_UP, never floating point - UBL 2.1 compliance β full OASIS namespace declarations (
ubl,cac,cbc,ext,ds,xades) - Arabic/UTF-8 β
ensure_ascii=Falsethroughout; Arabic seller/buyer names work correctly - Graceful degradation β Phase 2 tools return helpful errors if
cryptography/httpxnot installed
Project Structure
zatca-mcp/
βββ src/zatca_mcp/
β βββ server.py # MCP server β 9 tools, 3 resources, 3 prompts
β βββ cli.py # Fikra CLI β global `fikra` command
β βββ utils/
β β βββ xml_builder.py # UBL 2.1 XML invoice generator
β β βββ validation.py # 16-rule validation engine
β β βββ tlv.py # TLV QR encoder/decoder
β β βββ signing.py # XAdES-BES digital signing (Phase 2)
β βββ api/
β βββ __init__.py
β βββ client.py # ZATCA Fatoora API client (Phase 2)
β βββ models.py # Pydantic v2 API models (Phase 2)
βββ examples/
β βββ fikrah_agent.py # Legacy entry point (redirects to fikra command)
βββ tests/
β βββ test_invoice.py # Invoice generation tests
β βββ test_tlv.py # TLV encoding/decoding tests
β βββ test_validation.py # Validation engine tests
β βββ test_resources_prompts.py # MCP resources & prompts tests
β βββ test_signing.py # Digital signing tests (Phase 2)
β βββ test_credit_debit.py # Credit/debit note tests (Phase 2)
β βββ test_api_client.py # API client tests (Phase 2)
βββ .github/workflows/
β βββ test.yml # CI pipeline (Phase 1 + Phase 2 jobs)
βββ pyproject.toml
βββ LICENSE
Development
git clone https://github.com/DoubleH10/zatca-mcp.git
cd zatca-mcp
# Phase 1 only
pip install -e ".[dev]"
# Phase 1 + Phase 2 (signing, API)
pip install -e ".[dev,phase2]"
# Tests
pytest tests/ -v # All tests
pytest tests/ -v -m "not sandbox" # Skip live sandbox tests
# Linting & types
ruff check src/ tests/
mypy src/zatca_mcp/ --ignore-missing-imports
# MCP Inspector (interactive testing)
mcp dev src/zatca_mcp/server.py
Roadmap
- [x] TLV QR code generation (Phase 1 + Phase 2 tags)
- [x] UBL 2.1 XML invoice generation
- [x] 16-rule validation engine (BR-01 through BR-16)
- [x] MCP server with 8 tools
- [x] Fikra CLI (streaming, HTML invoices, QR images)
- [x] CI/CD pipeline (ruff + mypy + pytest matrix + Phase 2 job)
- [x] XAdES-BES digital signing (ECDSA secp256k1)
- [x] ZATCA API integration (sandbox + production)
- [x] Certificate management (CSR generation)
- [x] Credit/debit note support (381/383)
- [ ] PyPI package publishing
- [x] MCP Resources & Prompts
- [ ] HTTP/SSE transport
- [ ] Arabic RTL invoice template
Built with zatca-mcp
| Project | Description |
|---|---|
| Fikrah | Agentic AI workforce for financial operations β uses this server as its ZATCA compliance backbone |
Using zatca-mcp in your project? Open a PR to add it here.
Contributing
Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup instructions. Check the good first issues for a place to start.
License
Apache 2.0 β see LICENSE
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