How to integrate Timely MCP with Claude Code

Manage your Timely directly from Claude Code with zero worries about OAuth hassles, API-breaking issues, or reliability and security concerns. You can do this in two different ways: Via Composio Connect - Direct and easiest approach Via Composio SDK - Programmatic approach with more control

Timely logoTimely
Oauth2

Timely is an automatic time-tracking platform that seamlessly records work across apps, calendars, and devices. It helps you create detailed timesheets and gain productivity insights without manual input.

41 Tools

Introduction

Manage your Timely directly from Claude Code with zero worries about OAuth hassles, API-breaking issues, or reliability and security concerns.

You can do this in two different ways:

  1. Via Composio Connect - Direct and easiest approach
  2. Via Composio SDK - Programmatic approach with more control

Also integrate Timely with

Why use Composio?

  • Only one MCP URL to connect multiple apps with Claude Code with zero auth hassles.
  • Programmatic tool calling allows LLMs to write its code in a remote workbench to handle complex tool chaining. Reduces to-and-fro with LLMs for frequent tool calling.
  • Handling Large tool responses out of LLM context to minimize context rot.
  • Dynamic just-in-time access to 20,000 tools across 1000+ other Apps for cross-app workflows. It loads the tools you need, so LLMs aren't overwhelmed by tools you don't need.

Connecting Timely to Claude Code using Composio

1. Add the Composio MCP to Claude

Terminal

2. Start Claude Code

bash
claude

3. Open your MCP list

bash
/mcp

4. Select Composio and click on Authenticate

Select Composio and click Authenticate

5. This will redirect you to the Composio OAuth page. Complete the flow by authorizing Composio and you're all set.

Composio OAuth authorization page
Composio authorization complete
Ask Claude to connect to your account and authenticate via the link

What is the Timely MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Timely MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Timely account. It provides structured and secure access to your time-tracking data, so your agent can perform actions like retrieving account information, managing webhooks, and integrating time logs with other workflows on your behalf.

  • Account information retrieval: Instantly fetch up-to-date details about your Timely account, including billing, activity, and user info, for streamlined reporting or troubleshooting.
  • Automated webhook setup: Direct your agent to create new webhooks for your account, enabling real-time integration with external apps and automated event notifications.
  • Seamless workflow automation: Connect Timely events to other services or agents by configuring webhooks, so you can automate time-tracking updates or project triggers.
  • Centralized time management: Allow your agent to coordinate between Timely and your other productivity tools by securely accessing and sharing account data as needed.

Connecting Timely via Composio SDK

Composio SDK is the underlying tech that powers Rube. It's a universal gateway that does everything Rube does but with much more programmatic control. You can programmatically generate an MCP URL with the app you need (here Timely) for even more tool search precision. It's secure and reliable.

How the Composio SDK works

The Composio SDK follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Discovery: Searches for tools matching your task and returns relevant toolkits with their details.
  2. Authentication: Checks for active connections. If missing, creates an auth config and returns a connection URL via Auth Link.
  3. Execution: Executes the action using the authenticated connection.

Step-by-step Guide

Step by step10 STEPS
1

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • Claude Pro, Max, or API billing enabled Anthropic account
  • Composio API Key
  • A Timely account
  • Basic knowledge of Python or TypeScript
2

Install Claude Code

bash
# macOS, Linux, WSL
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows PowerShell
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

# Windows CMD
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

To install Claude Code, use one of the following methods based on your operating system:

3

Set up Claude Code

bash
cd your-project-folder
claude

Open a terminal, go to your project folder, and start Claude Code:

  • Claude Code will open in your terminal
  • Follow the prompts to sign in with your Anthropic account
  • Complete the authentication flow
  • Once authenticated, you can start using Claude Code
Claude Code initial setup showing sign-in prompt
Claude Code terminal after successful login
4

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here

Create a .env file in your project root with the following variables:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio (get it from Composio dashboard)
  • USER_ID identifies the user for session management (use any unique identifier)
5

Install Composio library

npm install @composio/core dotenv

Install the Composio TypeScript library to create MCP sessions.

  • @composio/core provides the core Composio functionality
  • dotenv loads environment variables from your .env file
6

Generate Composio MCP URL

import 'dotenv/config';
import { Composio } from '@composio/core';

const { COMPOSIO_API_KEY, USER_ID } = process.env;

if (!COMPOSIO_API_KEY || !USER_ID) {
  throw new Error('COMPOSIO_API_KEY and USER_ID required in .env');
}

const composioClient = new Composio({ apiKey: COMPOSIO_API_KEY });

const composioSession = await composioClient.create(USER_ID, {
  toolkits: ['timely'],
});

const composioMcpUrl = composioSession?.mcp.url;

console.log(`MCP URL: ${composioMcpUrl}`);
console.log(`\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:`);
console.log(`claude mcp add --transport http timely-composio "${composioMcpUrl}" --headers "X-API-Key:${COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"`);

Create a script to generate a Composio MCP URL for Timely. This URL will be used to connect Claude Code to Timely.

What's happening

  • We import the Composio client and load environment variables
  • Create a Composio instance with your API key
  • Call create() to create a Tool Router session for Timely
  • The returned mcp.url is the MCP server URL that Claude Code will use
  • The script prints this URL so you can copy it
7

Run the script and copy the MCP URL

node --loader ts-node/esm generate_mcp_url.ts
# or if using tsx
tsx generate_mcp_url.ts

Run your TypeScript script to generate the MCP URL.

  • The script connects to Composio and creates a Tool Router session
  • It prints the MCP URL and the exact command you need to run
  • Copy the entire claude mcp add command from the output
8

Add Timely MCP to Claude Code

bash
claude mcp add --transport http timely-composio "YOUR_MCP_URL_HERE" --headers "X-API-Key:YOUR_COMPOSIO_API_KEY"

# Then restart Claude Code
exit
claude

In your terminal, add the MCP server using the command from the previous step. The command format is:

  • claude mcp add registers a new MCP server with Claude Code
  • --transport http specifies that this is an HTTP-based MCP server
  • The server name (timely-composio) is how you'll reference it
  • The URL points to your Composio Tool Router session
  • --headers includes your Composio API key for authentication

After running the command, close the current Claude Code session and start a new one for the changes to take effect.

9

Verify the installation

bash
claude mcp list

Check that your Timely MCP server is properly configured.

  • This command lists all MCP servers registered with Claude Code
  • You should see your timely-composio entry in the list
  • This confirms that Claude Code can now access Timely tools

If everything is wired up, you should see your timely-composio entry listed:

Claude Code MCP list showing the toolkit MCP server
10

Authenticate Timely

The first time you try to use Timely tools, you'll be prompted to authenticate.

  • Claude Code will detect that you need to authenticate with Timely
  • It will show you an authentication link
  • Open the link in your browser (or copy/paste it)
  • Complete the Timely authorization flow
  • Return to the terminal and start using Timely through Claude Code

Once authenticated, you can ask Claude Code to perform Timely operations in natural language. For example:

  • "Get my Timely account billing details"
  • "Set up webhook for new time entries"
  • "Retrieve account info for client project"

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Timely and Claude Code:

import 'dotenv/config';
import { Composio } from '@composio/core';

const { COMPOSIO_API_KEY, USER_ID } = process.env;

if (!COMPOSIO_API_KEY || !USER_ID) {
  throw new Error('COMPOSIO_API_KEY and USER_ID required in .env');
}

const composioClient = new Composio({ apiKey: COMPOSIO_API_KEY });

const composioSession = await composioClient.create(USER_ID, {
  toolkits: ['timely'],
});

const composioMcpUrl = composioSession?.mcp.url;

console.log(`MCP URL: ${composioMcpUrl}`);
console.log(`\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:`);
console.log(`claude mcp add --transport http timely-composio "${composioMcpUrl}" --headers "X-API-Key:${COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"`);

Conclusion

You've successfully integrated Timely with Claude Code using Composio's MCP server. Now you can interact with Timely directly from your terminal using natural language commands.

Key features of this setup:

  • Terminal-native experience without switching contexts
  • Natural language commands for Timely operations
  • Secure authentication through Composio's managed MCP
  • Tool Router for dynamic tool discovery and execution

Next steps:

  • Try asking Claude Code to perform various Timely operations
  • Add more toolkits to your Tool Router session for multi-app workflows
  • Integrate this setup into your development workflow for increased productivity

You can extend this by adding more toolkits, implementing custom workflows, or building automation scripts that leverage Claude Code's capabilities.

TOOLS

Supported Tools

Every Timely action and event your agent gets out of the box.

Create Client

Tool to create a new client in the specified Timely account.

Create Day Locking

Tool to create a day locking entry that prevents editing of time entries for specific dates and users.

Create Label

Tool to create a new label in the specified Timely account.

Create report

Tool to generate reports for a Timely account with optional filters.

Create Team

Tool to create a new team in the specified Timely account.

Create Webhook

Tool to create a new webhook for the specified account.

Delete a label

Tool to delete a label by ID from a Timely account.

Delete a team

Tool to delete a team by its ID.

Delete Webhook

Tool to delete an existing webhook by its ID.

Filter reports

Tool to filter Timely reports based on date range, users, projects, labels, teams, and billing status.

Get activities

Tool to retrieve all activities (audit trail) for a Timely account.

Get Client

Tool to retrieve details of a specific client by its ID.

Get current user's permissions

Tool to retrieve the current user's permissions for a specified account.

Get current user

Tool to retrieve the currently authenticated user.

Retrieve a label

Tool to retrieve a label by ID from a Timely account.

Get project

Tool to retrieve a single project by its ID.

Retrieve a team

Tool to retrieve details of a specific team by its ID.

Retrieve a user

Tool to retrieve a user by ID from a Timely account.

Get user capacities

Tool to retrieve capacity information for a specific user in a Timely account.

Get user permissions

Tool to retrieve a user's permissions by their ID.

Get Webhook

Tool to retrieve a specific webhook by its ID.

List accounts

Retrieve all accessible Timely accounts for the authenticated user.

List clients

Tool to list all clients in a Timely account with optional filtering and sorting.

List events

Tool to list all events (time entries) in a Timely account with optional filtering by date range, users, and projects.

List forecasts

Tool to list all forecasts (tasks) in a Timely account with optional date filtering.

List labels

Tool to list all labels in a Timely account.

List project events

Tool to list all events (time entries) for a specific project in Timely.

List projects

Tool to list all projects in a Timely account with optional filtering and sorting.

List roles

Tool to list all available roles in a Timely account.

List teams

Tool to list all teams in the specified Timely account.

List user events

Tool to list all events (time entries) for a specific user in Timely.

List users

Tool to list all users in a Timely account with optional filtering and pagination.

List Webhooks

Tool to list all webhooks in the specified account.

Process bulk events

Tool to create, update, or delete multiple events in a single bulk operation.

Retrieve an account

Tool to retrieve details of a specific account by its ID.

Update a client

Tool to update an existing client by ID in Timely.

Update day locking settings

Tool to update day locking settings for specified users and dates.

Update a label

Tool to update a label by ID in a Timely account.

Update a project

Tool to update a project by ID in a Timely account.

Update a user

Tool to update a user by ID in a Timely account.

Update Webhook

Tool to update an existing webhook by ID.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

With a standalone Timely MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Timely tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Timely and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Yes, you can. Claude Code fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Timely tools.

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Timely scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Timely data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

Start with Timely.It takes 30 seconds.

Managed auth, hosted MCP servers, and every Timely tool your agent needs.Free to start.

Start building