Connect Xero, step by step.
Connect Xero to Efficyon for cost-leak analysis across one or many entities. Read-only, multi-currency, multi-org. Setup takes ~5 minutes per organization; the first scan completes within 10–15 minutes.
✦ Before you start
What you'll need. Three things, all standard.
Most teams already have all three. If you don't, the setup will fail fast with a clear error rather than half-connecting and confusing the analysis.
- 01A Xero account with the role 'Adviser' or 'Standard' on every organization you want to connect.
- 02Active Xero subscription on Standard, Premium, or Ultimate plan (Starter and Ledger plans don't expose the bills API).
- 03If you run multi-currency: have your base/reporting currency set in Xero — we use whatever you've configured there.
✦ Permissions · Read-only
Exactly what Xero will ask you to authorize. No more, no less.
Every scope listed below is read-only. We can't write, modify, or delete anything — that's not a policy choice, it's encoded in the OAuth grant your account approves.
01 · accounting.transactions.readRead bills and invoices to identify recurring SaaS billings.
02 · accounting.contacts.readRead contact records to group bills by vendor.
03 · accounting.settings.readRead organization settings to confirm currency, VAT/GST/BAS preserve correctly.
04 · offline_accessStandard Xero scope — allows the OAuth token to refresh without the user re-authorizing every 30 minutes.
✦ The flow
4 steps, about 8–12 minutes total.
If you've connected an OAuth app before, this will look familiar. We've added detail on the parts that are specific to this provider.
- 01
Sign in to Efficyon and pick 'Connect Xero'
From the Integrations tab in your Efficyon dashboard, choose Connect Xero. We'll route you to Xero's official OAuth page.
- 02
Authorize on Xero's OAuth screen
Xero will show you the exact scopes we request (all read-only) and ask you to confirm. Click Allow Access.
- 03
Pick which organization(s) to connect
Xero shows every organization you have access to. You can connect a single org now and add more later, or connect several at once and we'll roll them up into a consolidated view (Growth plan and above).
- 04
First scan runs automatically
Efficyon pulls 13 months of bills, contacts, and settings. Multi-currency normalization runs alongside. Findings surface within 10–15 minutes for a single-entity scan; longer for multi-org rollups.
✦ What happens after
Tracking categories are preserved — your findings rows respect the dimensions you've configured (department, project, region). VAT, GST, and BAS treatments are kept on the source bills; we don't touch the books.
✦ How to revoke
Two ways: in Xero, go to Settings → Connected Apps → Efficyon → Disconnect. Or in Efficyon, Settings → Integrations → Xero → Revoke. Either method invalidates the OAuth token within 30 seconds.
✦ FAQ
The questions people actually ask.
Things people considering Xero + Efficyon ask, with honest answers — including where we say no, or where we'd rather wait until something is true.
Does Efficyon write anything back to Xero?
No. Every scope is read-only. We can't post bills, modify contacts, or change settings. Verify in Xero → Settings → Connected Apps → Efficyon → permissions.
How does multi-currency work in practice?
We read the source currency on each line, normalize to your Xero base currency for analysis, and preserve both on the findings detail page. So GBP-billed Microsoft 365 still shows as £X on the source, with the normalized value in your reporting currency.
Can I connect multiple Xero organizations?
Yes. Each org gets its own workspace. Growth plan and above support a consolidated view that rolls up findings across all connected orgs — useful for groups operating in multiple countries.
What about tracking categories?
We read them and respect them. Findings can be filtered by tracking category, and per-category reports use them as the grouping key. If your Xero is heavily structured around tracking categories, Efficyon adapts to it.
✦ Get started
Ready to connect Xero? The first scan is free.
No credit card. Read-only access. If we don't surface at least 5× our fee in the first 30 days, you don't pay.