Your firm already runs =on(spreadsheets).
Now it can ship software.
Kurt Krueger, CPA. Twenty-five years in the chair, eighteen months on Claude Code, and one appliance that installs the whole stack on a box in your own office. This is the playbook and the source code — pulled from a working firm in Missouri.
The whole stack, on one row each.
What is VibeMyFirm?
VibeMyFirm is a resource site from Kurt Krueger, CPA, for accounting firms learning to build software with Claude Code. It is also home to the Vibe suite: self-hosted apps for CPA and tax firms, including Vibe Trial Balance, Vibe MyBooks, Vibe 1099, Vibe Tax Research, Vibe Calculators, Vibe Payroll Time, Vibe Print, and Vibe AI Router, plus the desktop apps Vibe Files and ClientLedger.
Is there self-hosted trial balance software for CPA firms?
Yes. Vibe Trial Balance is a self-hosted trial balance and tax workpaper platform with 1,061 pre-built tax code mappings for UltraTax, Lacerte, GoSystem, and CCH Axcess across 1040, 1065, and 1120S entity types. It runs in Docker on your own hardware, and the mappings live in a Postgres database you can edit.
Does client data leave my office?
No. Every Vibe app is self-hosted on hardware your firm owns, so client data, workpapers, and books stay on your server. Kisaes does not host, access, or receive your client data. Your firm keeps control of security, backup, and compliance (GLBA, the FTC Safeguards Rule, and IRC §7216) for its own deployment.
How much do the Vibe apps cost?
The Vibe apps are free to self-host under the PolyForm Small Business License 1.0.0 for firms with fewer than 100 people and under $1M in revenue. Larger firms buy an annual commercial license per firm, starting at $750 per product per year, with unlimited users and client-portal access. See the License page.
What hardware do I need to run the Vibe Appliance?
A small firm runs comfortably on a refurbished mini PC with 16GB of RAM, a 500GB SSD, and wired ethernet, running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. One command installs the apps with a shared Postgres database, Redis, Caddy for HTTPS, and Tailscale or Cloudflare Tunnel for remote access. See the Appliance page.
What is Vibe Files?
Vibe Files is document management for small CPA and tax firms on Windows. Files stay ordinary PDFs and Office files in ordinary Windows folders; Vibe Files adds intake, scanning, OCR, full-text search, PDF tools, versions, an audit trail, retention and legal hold, and optional encrypted sync to your own Backblaze B2 bucket. It is open source under AGPL-3.0. See the Vibe Files page.
What is ClientLedger?
ClientLedger is free, fully offline desktop bookkeeping for US small business owners, built on the Vibe MyBooks engine. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with a bundled PostgreSQL database and needs no internet connection; accountants import its transfer file into MyBooks Online. See the ClientLedger page.
Can a CPA firm build its own software with Claude Code?
Yes, for the right problems. Start with tools that read or convert data rather than hold it, keep a CLAUDE.md of your firm's accounting rules, and put every tool under version control. The Resources page has free step-by-step tutorials and templates, including when not to build it yourself.
Questions firms ask first.
1
Q1
What is VibeMyFirm?
VibeMyFirm is a resource site from Kurt Krueger, CPA, for accounting firms learning to build software with Claude Code. It is also home to the Vibe suite: self-hosted apps for CPA and tax firms, including Vibe Trial Balance, Vibe MyBooks, Vibe 1099, Vibe Tax Research, Vibe Calculators, Vibe Payroll Time, Vibe Print, and Vibe AI Router, plus the desktop apps Vibe Files and ClientLedger.
2
Q2
Is there self-hosted trial balance software for CPA firms?
Yes. Vibe Trial Balance is a self-hosted trial balance and tax workpaper platform with 1,061 pre-built tax code mappings for UltraTax, Lacerte, GoSystem, and CCH Axcess across 1040, 1065, and 1120S entity types. It runs in Docker on your own hardware, and the mappings live in a Postgres database you can edit.
3
Q3
Does client data leave my office?
No. Every Vibe app is self-hosted on hardware your firm owns, so client data, workpapers, and books stay on your server. Kisaes does not host, access, or receive your client data. Your firm keeps control of security, backup, and compliance (GLBA, the FTC Safeguards Rule, and IRC §7216) for its own deployment.
4
Q4
How much do the Vibe apps cost?
The Vibe apps are free to self-host under the PolyForm Small Business License 1.0.0 for firms with fewer than 100 people and under $1M in revenue. Larger firms buy an annual commercial license per firm, starting at $750 per product per year, with unlimited users and client-portal access. See the License page.
5
Q5
What hardware do I need to run the Vibe Appliance?
A small firm runs comfortably on a refurbished mini PC with 16GB of RAM, a 500GB SSD, and wired ethernet, running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. One command installs the apps with a shared Postgres database, Redis, Caddy for HTTPS, and Tailscale or Cloudflare Tunnel for remote access. See the Appliance page.
6
Q6
What is Vibe Files?
Vibe Files is document management for small CPA and tax firms on Windows. Files stay ordinary PDFs and Office files in ordinary Windows folders; Vibe Files adds intake, scanning, OCR, full-text search, PDF tools, versions, an audit trail, retention and legal hold, and optional encrypted sync to your own Backblaze B2 bucket. It is open source under AGPL-3.0. See the Vibe Files page.
7
Q7
What is ClientLedger?
ClientLedger is free, fully offline desktop bookkeeping for US small business owners, built on the Vibe MyBooks engine. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with a bundled PostgreSQL database and needs no internet connection; accountants import its transfer file into MyBooks Online. See the ClientLedger page.
8
Q8
Can a CPA firm build its own software with Claude Code?
Yes, for the right problems. Start with tools that read or convert data rather than hold it, keep a CLAUDE.md of your firm's accounting rules, and put every tool under version control. The Resources page has free step-by-step tutorials and templates, including when not to build it yourself.
// from cell A1
// — Kurt