MCP server for SmartHR — employees, departments, dependents and employee invitations. For HR teams with authorized SmartHR tenant API access. 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": {
"smarthr": {
"url": "https://smarthr.usefulapi.io/mcp"
}
}
}Add to VS Code or add this to .vscode/mcp.json:
{
"servers": {
"smarthr": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://smarthr.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.
List employees and inspect a selected employee’s work information, status and organizational placement.
smarthr_list_employees smarthr_get_employee
Read departments, positions and business establishments to check how the organization is structured.
smarthr_list_departments smarthr_list_positions smarthr_list_business_establishments
List an employee’s dependents and maternity or childcare leave records using the token’s permissions.
smarthr_list_dependents smarthr_list_maternity_childcare_leaves
Create an employee or update a department when requested. These tools save changes in SmartHR.
Changes data · smarthr_create_employee smarthr_update_department
The login page asks for your SmartHR subdomain and SmartHR access token.
The subdomain is the first part of your SmartHR address (https://yourcompany.smarthr.jp). An authorized administrator or responsible user issues a dedicated access token in Common settings → External system integration → Access tokens; copy it when it is shown, it cannot be displayed again. The token acts with its own permissions and can be revoked there at any time. If your tenant restricts API access by IP address, it must allow this service. Use only the read/write permissions you need. Requested employee, dependent and organizational data passes to your chosen AI client and its LLM provider. Employee/dependent outputs exclude bank, insurance, salary and identification-image fields. Write tools create/update employees and departments or add dependents; inviting an employee sends an email. Revoke this token in SmartHR to stop vendor access. Billing follows your tenant subdomain and survives token rotation.
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 SmartHR subdomain and SmartHR access token. 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 SmartHR connector, then ask in plain words. The AI picks the tools.
| Tool | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
smarthr_list_employees | read | List employees List employees (従業員) of the SmartHR tenant, with filters: free-text name/department/position search, status (employed, absent, retired), employee number, employment type, department, position, hire and resignation date ranges. Returns a compact record per employee; use `fields` for more. Sensitive data (bank accounts, insurance numbers, residence cards, salary, ID images) is never returned. |
smarthr_get_employee | read | Get an employee Get one employee (従業員) by id. Returns a compact record; use `fields` for more (address, phone, birth date, custom fields, contract dates). Sensitive data is never returned. |
smarthr_list_dependents | read | List an employee's dependents List the dependents (家族情報) registered for one employee: name, relation, birth date, living arrangement and support status. Pension numbers, income and documents are not returned. |
smarthr_list_maternity_childcare_leaves | read | List an employee's maternity and childcare leaves List the maternity and childcare leave records (産休育休) of one employee: expected birth, leave start/end and scheduled return dates. Bank, insurance and memo data are not returned. |
smarthr_list_departments | read | List departments List departments (部署) with their hierarchy (parent, children), code and company. |
smarthr_get_department | read | Get a department Get one department (部署) by id, with its parent and children. |
smarthr_list_positions | read | List positions List positions / job titles (役職) with their rank and code. |
smarthr_list_employment_types | read | List employment types List employment types (雇用形態), e.g. full-timer, part-timer, contract worker, with their ids for filtering and writes. |
smarthr_list_grades | read | List grades List grades (等級) with their rank. |
smarthr_list_job_categories | read | List job categories List job categories (職種). |
smarthr_list_companies | read | List companies List the companies (会社) of the tenant: name, code, corporate number, address, phone. |
smarthr_list_business_establishments | read | List business establishments List business establishments (事業所): name, social insurance and labor insurance registration data, company. |
smarthr_list_employee_custom_fields | read | List employee custom field definitions List the definitions of the tenant's custom employee fields (カスタム従業員項目): name, type and, for dropdowns, the choices. Use them to read the values in custom_fields. |
smarthr_list_dependent_relations | read | List dependent relations List the relation types for dependents (続柄: spouse, child, parent...) with their ids, needed by smarthr_create_dependent. |
smarthr_list_users | read | List users List SmartHR users (login accounts): email, administrator flag, role, linked employee, and the invitation status (created, opened, accepted, answered). Use it to find the administrator id for smarthr_invite_employee. |
smarthr_list_employee_input_forms | read | List employee input forms List the employee information collection forms (従業員情報収集フォーム) that an invitation can use. |
smarthr_list_webhooks | read | List webhooks List the configured webhooks (target URL, which employee and dependent events notify). Read-only; secret tokens and the query string of the target URL are never shown. |
smarthr_create_employee | write | Create an employee WRITE: Register a new employee (従業員) in SmartHR. Nothing is sent to the employee; to invite them to fill in their own data use smarthr_invite_employee afterwards. Only the fields you give are set. The tenant plan may cap the number of employees (error plan_limit_exceeded). Returns the created employee as a compact record. |
smarthr_update_employee | write | Update an employee WRITE: Change fields of one existing employee (partial update: only the fields you give change; others stay). Typical uses: set the status to absent or retired with the resignation date, correct a name, email or phone, move the employee to other departments (department_ids replaces the current list), change positions. SmartHR does not allow clearing a name that is already filled in. Returns the updated employee as a compact record. |
smarthr_create_department | write | Create a department WRITE: Create a department (部署). Give the parent department id to nest it. Returns the created department. |
smarthr_update_department | write | Update a department WRITE: Rename or move one department (partial update: only the fields you give change). Returns the updated department. |
smarthr_create_dependent | write | Create a dependent WRITE: Register a dependent (家族情報) for an employee. Needs the relation id from smarthr_list_dependent_relations. Returns the created dependent without pension number, income or documents. |
smarthr_invite_employee | write | Invite an employee by email WRITE, SENDS AN EMAIL: Invite an employee to SmartHR. SmartHR emails the address stored on the employee (the employee must have one) an invitation to create their login and, with an input form, to fill in their own data. Asking again re-sends it (and updates the invited address if it changed). An employee who already accepted cannot be invited again. Confirm with the user before calling. |
smarthr_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. | |
smarthr_request_feature | Request a missing feature Tell usefulapi that the user needs something the SmartHR 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. | |
smarthr_upgrade | Upgrade to Pro (unlimited*) Get Pro: unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 10,000 a month) on SmartHR (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. | |
smarthr_cancel_subscription | Cancel the Pro subscription Cancel the caller's SmartHR 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 smarthr_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 |
| Proper SmartHR tenant | $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 SmartHR server only. Subscribe with smarthr_upgrade (it returns a Stripe Checkout link). Cancel any time with smarthr_cancel_subscription: Pro continues to the end of the paid period, with no refund for the current period, and running smarthr_upgrade before then undoes the cancel. Or write to [email protected].
Review employee changes. Understand the organization. Review employee dependents and leave. Maintain employee and department records. See what you can do for the details.
No. usefulapi is an independent service. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by SmartHR. The server calls the SmartHR API with your own SmartHR 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 SmartHR subdomain and SmartHR access token. 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 SmartHR subdomain and SmartHR access token. 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 SmartHR 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 SmartHR.
Yes, if you approve it. 6 of the 23 SmartHR tools can create or change data. The other 17 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 SmartHR server only. Cancel any time: Pro then runs to the end of the paid period. Run smarthr_usage_status to see how many calls you used.
Ask the AI to run smarthr_upgrade: it returns a Stripe Checkout link. To cancel, run smarthr_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 smarthr_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.