Purpose
Harvest MCP Server is an unofficial third-party Model Context Protocol (MCP) server used to connect the Harvest time tracking API v2 to MCP-compatible applications. It is not an official Harvest or Forecast project, and has not been endorsed or sponsored by them.
Main Capabilities
The server claims to provide more than 40 (the official introduction also says more than 60) tools, covering the main endpoints of the Harvest API. Based on the tools listed in the repository, the functionality can be divided into:
- Time tracking: list, get, create, update, and delete time entries; start, stop, and restart timers.
- Project and task management: manage projects, tasks, and project task assignments, including listing, creating, updating, and deleting.
- Client and user management: manage clients and account users, including current user information.
- Expenses and finance: manage expenses, expense categories, invoices, estimates, and reports.
- Reporting: generate time reports, expense reports, project budget reports, and uninvoiced reports.
Project features include: full TypeScript support and Zod validation, async/await and rate limiting, unit/integration/contract testing, structured logging, automatic retry with exponential backoff, and compatibility with MCP clients such as Claude Desktop.
Usage
Before use, you need: a Harvest account with API access enabled, and an MCP-compatible client (such as Claude Desktop).
To obtain Harvest API credentials: go to Harvest -> Settings -> Developers -> Personal Access Tokens, create a new token, and record the Account ID (which can be found in the URL or in settings). Then configure the server in the MCP client, and you can use the above tools in an MCP-compatible client.
The repository also provides environment configuration instructions and lists API requirements: you must comply with the Harvest API terms of service and rate limits (100 requests every 15 seconds).
Use Cases
Suitable for querying or managing time tracking and project financial data in Harvest through an MCP client in natural language, such as viewing this week's time entries, starting a task timer, counting project hours, managing projects and clients, and generating expense and invoice reports.
Limitations
This is an unofficial third-party integration and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Harvest or Forecast. Users need to have their own Harvest account and obtain API access, and must comply with the Harvest API terms of service and rate limits. Specific installation and configuration steps, pricing, or fee information are not yet provided.