Anna – AI Copilot & MCP Integration for Perfex CRM V2.0.0

Note: This is not a standalone module. It requires the Perfex CRM application, which can be purchased here.

Anna – AI Copilot & MCP Integration for Perfex CRM

Version 2.0 — Full Source Code, Completely Self-Hosted

Anna is an intelligent AI assistant built directly into your Perfex CRM. Ask questions, search records, create leads, manage tasks, connect external services, and automate your CRM workflows — all through a natural conversation. No clicking through menus. No training required. Just talk.

Version 2.0 is a complete rebuild. You get the full source code, run everything on your own server, bring your own API key from any supported provider, and connect Anna to virtually any external service through the Model Context Protocol.

Stop navigating your CRM. Start talking to it.

What’s New in Version 2.0

• Full source code included — no cloud dependency, no subscriptions, runs entirely on your server
• Bring your own AI provider — OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Mistral, or a local Ollama instance
• MCP Connections — connect Stripe, Xero, Slack, Notion, Linear, Brave Search, Google Maps, and more
• MCP Server — expose your Perfex CRM to Claude Desktop, Cursor, and any other MCP-compatible AI client
• Tools Control — enable or disable individual CRM tools to manage costs and permissions
• Human-in-the-loop approval — Anna asks for confirmation before creating or modifying any record
• Appearance customisation — 8 colour themes, 8 avatar presets, custom image upload, 6 chat button icons

Choose Your AI Provider

Anna works with all major AI providers. You bring your own API key and choose the model that fits your budget and needs. No middleman, no markup — you pay the provider directly at their published rates.

Supported Providers

• OpenAI — GPT-4o, GPT-4o mini, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-3.5 Turbo
• Anthropic (Claude) — Claude Opus 4, Claude Sonnet 4, Claude Haiku
• Google Gemini — Gemini 2.0 Flash, Gemini 1.5 Pro
• DeepSeek — DeepSeek Chat, DeepSeek Reasoner
• Mistral AI — Mistral Large, Mistral Small
• Ollama (local) — Llama 3, Qwen, Mistral, and any locally running model — completely free, no API key needed

You can also enter any custom model ID for providers that offer additional models beyond the presets.

MCP Connections — Connect Anna to Any External Service

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) lets Anna talk to external services and take actions on your behalf. Once connected, you simply tell Anna what you want — it figures out which service to use and does it for you.

Ready-to-Connect Integrations

• Stripe — look up customers, subscriptions, and payment history directly from your CRM conversations
• Xero — query invoices, contacts, and accounting data from your Xero account
• Slack — send messages and notifications to your Slack channels through natural language
• Notion — search and manage your Notion pages and databases alongside your CRM data
• Linear — view and manage issues and projects in Linear without leaving your CRM
• Brave Search — give Anna the ability to search the web for lead research or company intelligence
• Google Maps — validate and enrich customer address information
• Context7 — fetch up-to-date documentation for any library or framework on demand
• Custom HTTP / SSE — connect to any service that exposes an MCP-compatible HTTP or Server-Sent Events endpoint
• Custom Command — run any local MCP server via command line (stdio)

What This Looks Like in Practice

• “Check if the payment from ABC Company cleared in Stripe”
• “Pull the last three invoices from our Xero account for this customer”
• “Send a message to the sales channel in Slack that the deal is closed”
• “Create a Linear ticket for the bug John reported”
• “Search the web for information about this company before I call them”

MCP Server — Use Your CRM from Any AI Client

Anna does not just consume external MCP servers — it also acts as one. With the built-in MCP Server, your entire Perfex CRM becomes accessible from any AI client that supports the Model Context Protocol.

Connect Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any other MCP-compatible tool to your Perfex CRM and start managing your business from your favourite AI environment.

What you can do from an external MCP client

• Search customers, leads, invoices, tasks, and projects
• Create and update records with natural language instructions
• Ask your AI client to pull CRM data while working on something else

Setup takes seconds. Copy the endpoint URL and API key from the Anna settings page and paste them into your MCP client configuration.

Tools Control — Only Enable What You Need

Anna comes with 54 built-in CRM tools covering every core module. Every tool Anna has access to adds to the context sent to the AI model, which means more tools equals higher token consumption and cost per conversation.

The Tools tab lets you enable or disable each tool individually. Disable the ones your team does not need and keep usage lean.

Available Tool Categories

• Leads — search, get, create, update, delete, get sources, get statuses
• Customers — search, get, create, search contacts, create contacts
• Invoices — search, get, create
• Tasks — search, create, update
• Projects — search, get
• Proposals — search
• Estimates — search, create
• Staff — search
• Utilities — payment modes, tax rates, currencies

Tools that create or modify data are marked and always require your explicit approval before anything is changed in your CRM.

Human-in-the-Loop — Nothing Changes Without Your Approval

Whenever Anna is about to create, update, or delete a record, it stops and shows you exactly what it is about to do. You review the details and either approve or reject the action. Nothing is written to your database without your confirmation.

• Anna presents a clear summary of the pending action
• You click Approve or Reject
• On approval, the action is executed immediately
• On rejection, Anna is informed and the operation is cancelled

This applies to all write operations: creating leads, customers, invoices, tasks, estimates, and contacts, as well as updating or deleting records.

Chat Interfaces

Anna provides two chat interfaces that work side by side.

Floating Chat Widget

Available on every page of your Perfex CRM admin panel. Click the button in the bottom-right corner to open a drawer-style chat panel. Your conversation continues as you navigate between pages.

Full Chat Page with Sidebar

A dedicated full-screen chat experience with a conversation list in the sidebar. Switch between past conversations, start new ones, and read through complete chat histories.

Appearance Customisation

Make Anna feel like it belongs to your brand. Every visual element is configurable from the Appearance tab in settings — no code changes needed.

• 8 colour themes — Indigo, Violet, Blue, Sky, Teal, Emerald, Rose, Slate. The theme applies to the chat button, header, message bubbles, and input focus across both interfaces.
• 8 avatar presets — choose from Sparkle, Robot, Brain, Bolt, Bubble, Gem, Star, or CPU
• Custom avatar upload — upload your own image to use as the bot avatar (JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, SVG)
• 6 chat button icons — choose the icon shown on the floating action button

Real-World Use CasesFor Business Owners and Managers

• “What is our total revenue this month?”
• “Show me the top five customers by invoice value”
• “Check if the payment from this client has cleared in Stripe”

For Sales Teams

• “Find all leads that came in through the website this week”
• “Create a new lead for Sarah at Acme Corp, she called about the enterprise plan”
• “What is the status of the proposal I sent to Johnson Industries?”

For Project Managers

• “List all tasks that are overdue across all projects”
• “Create a task for John to follow up with the client by Friday”
• “Who is working on Project X and what is the current status?”

For Account Managers

• “Pull the last three invoices from our Xero account for this customer”
• “Which invoices are overdue by more than 30 days?”
• “Create a new invoice for ABC Company for the monthly retainer”

Setup in Minutes

1. Upload and activate the module in your Perfex CRM admin panel
2. Open Anna settings and select your AI provider
3. Paste your API key from the provider’s dashboard
4. Optionally choose a model, customise the appearance, and configure MCP connections
5. Start chatting — the floating button is already on every page

For Ollama users running a local model, no API key is needed at all. Point Anna to your Ollama instance and start using it for free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an OpenAI account specifically?
No. Anna supports six different providers. You can use whichever one you prefer. If you run Ollama locally, you do not need any paid API key at all.

Is any of my CRM data sent to a third-party server managed by you?
No. Anna runs entirely on your server. The only external communication is between your server and the AI provider you have chosen — the same way any AI-connected app works. We do not receive, see, or store any of your data.

Can I use multiple AI providers at the same time?
The settings allow one active provider at a time, but you can switch between providers whenever you want from the settings page.

What happens when Anna wants to create or change a record?
It stops and shows you exactly what it is about to do. You must approve the action before anything is written to your database.

What is MCP and do I need it?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard for connecting AI assistants to external tools and services. It is entirely optional. Anna works perfectly without any MCP connections. MCP is for teams that want to extend Anna’s reach into services like Stripe, Xero, Slack, or Notion.

Can I connect Anna to Claude Desktop or Cursor?
Yes. The MCP Server feature generates an endpoint that you can add to any MCP-compatible client. You will have full access to your Perfex CRM tools from within that client.

How do I control costs?
Use the Tools tab to disable any tools you do not need. Fewer tools means a shorter system prompt, which means lower token consumption per conversation. You can also choose a more cost-efficient model from your provider.

Is the full source code included?
Yes. Version 2.0 ships as a standard Perfex CRM module with full PHP source code. You can inspect, modify, and extend it as needed.

Is it mobile friendly?
Yes. Both the floating widget and the full chat page are fully responsive and work on desktop, tablet, and mobile.

Can multiple staff members use Anna simultaneously?
Yes. Each staff member has their own private conversation history. There are no per-user limits imposed by the module itself — limits depend only on your AI provider plan.

ChangelogVersion 2.0.0 — Current Release

• New: Full source code, completely self-hosted — no cloud backend or subscription required
• New: Multi-provider AI support — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Mistral, Ollama
• New: MCP Connections — connect Stripe, Xero, Slack, Notion, Linear, Brave Search, Google Maps, and custom endpoints
• New: MCP Server — expose your Perfex CRM as an MCP endpoint for Claude Desktop, Cursor, and other clients
• New: Tools Control — enable or disable individual CRM tools from the settings UI; per-group toggle for entire categories
• New: Human-in-the-loop confirmation for all write operations (create, update, delete)
• New: Appearance tab — 8 colour themes, 8 avatar presets, custom avatar image upload, 6 chat button icons
• New: Full chat page with conversation sidebar replacing the single-conversation layout
• New: 54 built-in CRM tools across Leads, Customers, Invoices, Tasks, Projects, Proposals, Items, Estimates, Staff, and Common
• Improved: Completely redesigned chat widget UI with modern message bubbles, gradient header, and inline send button
• Improved: Markdown rendering for AI responses (bold, lists, code blocks, headings)
• Improved: Role-based permissions (view, edit) per staff member

Version 1.0.0

• Initial release — cloud-hosted AI engine with Freemium and Professional plans
• Floating chat widget with natural language CRM queries
• Support for Leads, Customers, Invoices, Tasks, and Projects

Anna – Making CRM Simple Through Conversation.