Read the Shiftbase schedule per department from Claude

17 October 2026 · Shiftbase MCP server

You can read the Shiftbase schedule from Claude or ChatGPT. The AI lists the shifts of a department for a week, shows who works when and for how many hours, and finds the open shifts and the absences. When you ask, it moves a shift. To start, add https://shiftbase.usefulapi.io/mcp to your AI client as a connector.

Which prompt do I start with?

Show next week's schedule for the Amsterdam department per day, with employee, team, start and end time. Add the total hours per employee and list the open shifts and approved absences.

What does the AI do, step by step?

1. It lists the departments with shiftbase_list_departments and the teams with shiftbase_list_teams.
2. It lists the scheduled shifts for a date range of at most 62 days with shiftbase_list_rosters: date, times, break, employee, team and hours.
3. It maps the user ids to names with shiftbase_list_users.
4. It lists the open shifts with shiftbase_list_open_shifts and the absences with shiftbase_list_absences.
5. When you ask, it moves a shift to another date, time or employee with shiftbase_update_roster.

Can the AI change the schedule by mistake?

• The tools in steps 1 to 4 only read data.
• shiftbase_update_roster changes a shift. For a recurring shift, it changes this date only, this date and all later ones, or the whole series. Tell the AI which one you want.
• shiftbase_create_roster adds a shift. It notifies the employee only when the call asks for it.
• Your AI client can ask you to approve each call that creates or changes data. This depends on the client and its settings. The tools themselves do not ask.

What do I need?

A Shiftbase API key. Create it in Shiftbase under Settings → App center → Public API → Add. The API needs the App Center Plus add-on. Open shifts and absences also need the Shiftbase Basic plan or higher. See the setup steps for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other clients.