list_items
List products/services (items) in the organization. Optionally search by name.
What list_items does
Returns a paginated list of items from the organization, with optional filters (status, date range, customer, search term).
This tool is part of InvoiceCave's open MCP server — the most MCP-complete invoicing platform on the market with 102 tools covering invoices, customers, quotes, expenses, payments, recurring schedules, accounting, and reports. Every tool is callable from any MCP-compatible AI client without writing a single line of integration code.
How an AI uses list_items
Use this when the AI needs to scan, count, or summarize items — for example, "show me everything overdue this week" or "how many items are open right now?". The AI can chain a list call with a follow-up get_* call to drill into a specific record.
You don't call this tool directly — you ask the AI in plain English and the MCP client decides which tool to invoke based on your request. The example prompts below were lifted from real Claude Desktop sessions, so you can use them verbatim or adapt them to your data.
Parameters
list_items accepts 1 parameter. The AI fills these in from your natural-language prompt; you never write them by hand.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| search | string | optional | Search term to filter items |
Request example
Under the hood, your AI client sends a JSON-RPC 2.0 tools/call request to InvoiceCave's MCP endpoint at https://www.invoicecave.com/api/mcp/mcp. Here's what a list_items call looks like:
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "list_items",
"arguments": {
"search": "Acme"
}
}
}You won't write this yourself — it's shown so developers can see exactly what the MCP client generates. The arguments object maps 1:1 to the parameters above. Authentication is handled by the Authorization: Bearer header with your API key.
Example AI prompts
Type any of these into Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Cursor — InvoiceCave's MCP server will route them to list_items automatically.
“Show me all my items.”
“How many items do I have right now? Summarize them.”
Use it in 30 seconds
Related tools
More from the Items & Catalog category.
create_itemCreate a new product or service item.
edit_itemUpdate an existing product or service item.
delete_itemDelete a product or service item.
add_line_itemAdd a new line item to an existing invoice. Automatically recalculates invoice totals. Description supports multi-line: first line = bold title, lines after \\n = sub-description.
remove_line_itemRemove a line item from an invoice by index (0-based) or by matching description text. Recalculates totals.
update_line_itemUpdate a line item on an invoice. Find by index (0-based) or searchDescription. Can change description, quantity, rate, tax. Use this to fix mistakes instead of creating new invoices. Recalculates totals.
get_itemGet full details for a single product/service item by ID.
FAQ — list_items
What is list_items?▾
list_items is one of 102 tools in InvoiceCave's MCP server. Returns a paginated list of items from the organization, with optional filters (status, date range, customer, search term). It's invoked automatically when an AI client like Claude or Cursor decides the user's request maps to this action.
Which AI clients can call list_items?▾
Any MCP-compatible client. We've tested it with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and Codex. The MCP protocol is open, so any AI tool that speaks MCP can call this endpoint with a valid InvoiceCave API key.
Is calling list_items secure?▾
Yes. Every call is authenticated by the API key you mint in the dashboard, scoped to a single organization, rate-limited per key, and recorded in the audit log with source='mcp'. Sensitive fields (SMTP passwords, encryption keys) are never returned to the AI client.
What parameters does list_items take?▾
list_items accepts 1 parameter, all optional. The AI populates these from your plain-English prompt — see the parameter table and request example above.
Does list_items count against any quota?▾
MCP tool calls are unmetered on the free plan up to a generous monthly limit. Once you connect Stripe and start charging your customers, every call still counts against the same per-key rate limit but doesn't add to your bill.
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