Add custom fields to your inventory just by asking Claude
Adding extra detail to inventory is the kind of small, repetitive data entry that quietly eats your week. Lot numbers off a packing slip, expiry dates off a label, serial numbers off a box. Because Simple Inventory Management ships with a built-in MCP server, you can hand that work to Claude and just talk to your inventory instead.
What the MCP server lets Claude do with custom fields
Once you’ve connected Claude, it can work with your custom fields through a few dedicated tools:
- list_custom_fields – see which fields your company already uses, so naming stays consistent.
- set_inventory_item_custom_field – add or update a field’s value on an item, creating the field if it’s new.
- get_inventory_item_custom_fields – read the custom fields already set on an item.
- remove_inventory_item_custom_field – clear a field off an item.
It does all of this as you, scoped to the one company you connected, and secured with OAuth. No API keys to copy around.
Prompts to try
Once connected, these all just work:
- “Set the lot number on the saline to L-33027 and the expiry to 2026-09.”
- “Add a ‘Bin’ field to every item I just received and show it in the table.”
- “What custom fields do we already use? I don’t want to create a duplicate.”
- “Record serial SN-4471 on the cordless drill.”
- “Which items are missing an expiry date?”
A natural workflow: receiving
Receiving is where this shines. Read the lot and expiry off a delivery, tell Claude to set them on the matching items, and ask it to flag anything expiring within 90 days. You’ve captured the detail that matters at the exact moment you had it, without opening a single form. Pair it with the rest of your chat-driven inventory workflow and the busywork mostly disappears.
You stay in control
Claude only touches the company you connected, every change is written to your normal history, and you can revoke its access at any time. It’s an assistant doing the typing, not a back door. See how access is secured for the details.