Read time entries, projects, clients, tasks and invoices; log and update tracked time. For freelancers, agencies and project teams who track time and invoice clients in Harvest. Hosted by usefulapi — connect from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any MCP client.
Team and Enterprise: an Owner adds the connector for the organization first.
Run this command, then run /mcp in Claude Code to log in:
Add to Cursor or add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"harvest": {
"url": "https://harvest.usefulapi.io/mcp"
}
}
}Add to VS Code or add this to .vscode/mcp.json:
{
"servers": {
"harvest": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://harvest.usefulapi.io/mcp"
}
}
}No Add custom MCP server option? It depends on your account or workspace settings: see OpenAI's guide.
Run these commands. The second one opens the login page:
Other MCP clients (Windsurf, Cline, Zed and more): add the URL as a remote MCP server (Streamable HTTP). The client then opens the login page in your browser. Do not add an Authorization header: see Before you connect.
The AI lists time entries filtered by user, project, client, task or date range and adds them up, so you see who logged how many hours and where.
harvest_list_time_entries harvest_list_projects
The AI lists invoices filtered by client, project, state or date range and opens one to show its line items, so you know what is still open.
harvest_list_invoices harvest_get_invoice harvest_list_clients
The AI lists expenses filtered by billed status, client, project or date range and totals them, so you can see what is ready to bill.
harvest_list_expenses
The AI finds your project and task assignments, then creates a time entry with hours or a start time, or starts a running timer. You can stop or restart it later.
Changes data · harvest_list_project_assignments harvest_create_time_entry harvest_stop_time_entry harvest_restart_time_entry
The AI finds a time entry and changes its hours, notes, date, project or task. It can also delete the entry for good when you ask.
Changes data · harvest_list_time_entries harvest_update_time_entry harvest_delete_time_entry
The login page asks for your Harvest personal access token and Harvest Account ID.
Create a token at id.getharvest.com → Developers; the Account ID is shown next to it. Your credentials are used only to call the API on your behalf and to derive a private account id; they are never shown to anyone.
Add only the URL. Do not add an Authorization header or an API key to the client config. The server signs you in with OAuth: the login page asks for your Harvest personal access token and Harvest Account ID. If the config has such a header, remove it: some clients then send that header instead of the login token, and every call fails with 401.
Turn on the Harvest connector, then ask in plain words. The AI picks the tools.
| Tool | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
harvest_list_time_entries | read | List time entries List time entries, optionally filtered by user, project, client, task, date range, running/billed status, or updated-since. Paginated. Harvest REST: GET /time_entries. |
harvest_get_time_entry | read | Get time entry Retrieve a single time entry by id. Harvest REST: GET /time_entries/{id}. |
harvest_list_projects | read | List projects List projects, optionally filtered by active status or client, or updated-since. Paginated. Harvest REST: GET /projects. |
harvest_get_project | read | Get project Retrieve a single project by id. Harvest REST: GET /projects/{id}. |
harvest_list_clients | read | List clients List clients, optionally filtered by active status or updated-since. Paginated. Harvest REST: GET /clients. |
harvest_get_client | read | Get client Retrieve a single client by id. Harvest REST: GET /clients/{id}. |
harvest_list_tasks | read | List tasks List tasks (the billable/non-billable work categories that can be assigned to projects), optionally filtered by active status or updated-since. Paginated. Harvest REST: GET /tasks. |
harvest_list_users | read | List users List users in the account, optionally filtered by active status or updated-since. Paginated. Harvest REST: GET /users. |
harvest_get_current_user | read | Get current user Retrieve the currently authenticated user (whom the access token belongs to). Harvest REST: GET /users/me. |
harvest_list_project_assignments | read | List my project assignments List the authenticated user's active project assignments — the projects and their assignable tasks the current user can log time against (use this to find the project_id + task_id for harvest_create_time_entry). Paginated. Harvest REST: GET /users/me/project_assignments. |
harvest_list_invoices | read | List invoices List invoices, optionally filtered by client, project, state, date range, or updated-since. Paginated. Harvest REST: GET /invoices. |
harvest_get_invoice | read | Get invoice Retrieve a single invoice by id, including its line items. Harvest REST: GET /invoices/{id}. |
harvest_list_estimates | read | List estimates List estimates, optionally filtered by client, state, date range, or updated-since. Paginated. Harvest REST: GET /estimates. |
harvest_list_expenses | read | List expenses List expenses, optionally filtered by user, client, project, date range, billed status, or updated-since. Paginated. Harvest REST: GET /expenses. |
harvest_get_company | read | Get company Retrieve the company/account settings for the authenticated account (name, currency, time/date formats, week start, feature flags). Harvest REST: GET /company. |
harvest_create_time_entry | write | Create time entry Create a time entry. Requires project_id, task_id and spent_date. Provide `hours` to log a specific duration; OR provide `started_time` (+ optional `ended_time`) for a timestamped entry; OR omit both to start a running timer (on a timestamp-tracking account). Use harvest_list_project_assignments to find valid project_id + task_id. Harvest REST: POST /time_entries. WRITE — creates data. |
harvest_update_time_entry | write | Update time entry Update an existing time entry's hours, notes, spent date, or project/task. Only the fields you provide are changed. Harvest REST: PATCH /time_entries/{id}. WRITE — modifies data. |
harvest_stop_time_entry | write | Stop running time entry Stop a currently running time entry (no-op error if it is already stopped). Harvest REST: PATCH /time_entries/{id}/stop. WRITE — modifies data. |
harvest_restart_time_entry | write | Restart stopped time entry Restart a previously stopped time entry, resuming its timer (error if it is already running). Harvest REST: PATCH /time_entries/{id}/restart. WRITE — modifies data. |
harvest_delete_time_entry | write | Delete time entry Permanently delete a time entry by id. This cannot be undone. Harvest REST: DELETE /time_entries/{id}. WRITE — destroys data. |
harvest_usage_status | Usage status (free-tier meter) Report the caller's current usage: the plan, calls used this month, the limit of the plan (the free monthly cap or the Pro fair use limit), remaining, and whether the limit is reached. Read-only; does not count against the meter. | |
harvest_request_feature | Request a missing feature Tell usefulapi that the user needs something the Harvest tools cannot do yet (a missing tool, field or filter). Call it only when the user asks for something none of the tools can do, and tell the user that you send the request. Do not call it for errors or for normal requests. Do not include personal data, credentials or customer records. Stored with the product name and the client type (for example Claude or Cursor), without the user's account. At most 5 requests per day. Does not count against the meter. | |
harvest_upgrade | Upgrade to Pro (unlimited*) Get Pro: unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 10,000 a month) on Harvest (the free tier caps monthly usage). Plans: "monthly" — $9/month; "yearly" — $90/year (2 months free). Cancel any time: Pro then runs to the end of the paid period, so it also suits a one-time job. *A fair use limit applies. For heavy use (near Pro's limit): "plus" or "plus_yearly" — Pro+, $39/month or $390/year, unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 100,000 a month); an existing Pro subscription changes to Pro+ in place (needs confirm: true; the price difference for the rest of the period is charged at once). Otherwise returns a short link to open in your browser (it opens Stripe Checkout); after payment the account upgrades automatically. Does not count against the meter. | |
harvest_cancel_subscription | Cancel the Pro subscription Cancel the caller's Harvest Pro subscription at the end of the paid period (no refund for the current period; Pro continues until then, then the free tier applies). Requires confirm: true. Run harvest_upgrade later to undo the cancel before the period ends. Does not count against the meter. |
| Plan | Price | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 50 tool calls / month |
| Pro | $9/mo · $90/yr | Unlimited* |
*Pro fair use limit: 10,000 tool calls a month on this server. For more, write to [email protected].
Pro covers this Harvest server only. Subscribe with harvest_upgrade (it returns a Stripe Checkout link). Cancel any time with harvest_cancel_subscription: Pro continues to the end of the paid period, with no refund for the current period, and running harvest_upgrade before then undoes the cancel. Or write to [email protected].
Summarize hours logged by project, client or person. Find unpaid invoices for a client. List expenses that are not yet billed. Log hours or start, stop and restart a timer. Fix or delete a wrong time entry. See what you can do for the details.
No. usefulapi is an independent service. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Harvest. The server calls the Harvest API with your own Harvest access, so it sees only the data that your account can see.
Yes. In Claude, add this server's URL as a custom connector. In ChatGPT, add it as a custom MCP server in Plugins. Then log in once. Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code and Codex work too. See the setup steps.
The login page asks for your Harvest personal access token and Harvest Account ID. See Before you connect for where to find them.
No. Add only the URL. Do not add an Authorization header or an API key to the client config. The server signs you in with OAuth: the login page asks for your Harvest personal access token and Harvest Account ID. If the config has such a header, remove it: some clients then send that header instead of the login token, and every call fails with 401.
The login stores them encrypted in the authorization grant of your connection. The server uses them to call the Harvest API for you and to derive a private account id for usage metering. usefulapi does not show them on any page or in any reply. To stop all access, remove the connector and change or delete these credentials in Harvest.
Yes, if you approve it. 5 of the 20 Harvest tools can create or change data. The other 15 are marked read-only. Most MCP clients ask you to approve a tool call before it runs.
The Free plan gives 50 tool calls / month. Pro costs $9/mo or $90/yr, with unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 10,000 tool calls a month), for this Harvest server only. Cancel any time: Pro then runs to the end of the paid period. Run harvest_usage_status to see how many calls you used.
Ask the AI to run harvest_upgrade: it returns a Stripe Checkout link. To cancel, run harvest_cancel_subscription. Pro continues to the end of the paid period.
Tell the AI what you wanted to do. It can send the request with harvest_request_feature. We store the text with the server name, the type of AI client and the tool you tried, not with your account, and read every request when we plan new tools. You can send up to 5 requests per day.
Any client that supports remote MCP servers (Streamable HTTP) with OAuth login: Claude (web and desktop), Claude Code, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf and others.
This is a Model Context Protocol endpoint — meant to be connected from an AI client, not opened in a browser. An invalid_token response at the URL is the auth gate working as designed; clients authenticate automatically.
Need a tool this server does not have, or a connection to another system? We build custom integrations and MCP servers.