Basecamp MCP Server
# Basecamp MCP Integration
A modern **TypeScript MCP server** for Basecamp 3, providing seamless integration with Claude Desktop and Cursor IDE through the Model Context Protocol. Built with the official @modelcontextprotocol/sdk and ready for NPX installation.
ā
**TypeScript-First:** Modern, type-safe implementation with full async/await support
š **NPX Ready:** Install and run with `npx @basecamp/mcp-server`
ā” **46 API Tools:** Complete Basecamp 3 integration with all major features
## Quick Setup
### NPX Installation (Recommended)
```bash
# Install and set up in one command
npx jhliberty/basecamp-mcp-server setup
# Authenticate with Basecamp
npx jhliberty/basecamp-mcp-server auth
# Configure for your AI assistant
npx jhliberty/basecamp-mcp-server config claude # For Claude Desktop
npx jhliberty/basecamp-mcp-server config cursor # For Cursor IDE
```
### Prerequisites
- **Node.js 18+** (required for ES modules)
- A Basecamp 3 account
- A Basecamp OAuth application (create one at https://launchpad.37signals.com/integrations)
## Local Development Setup
### For Development
1. **Clone and build the project:**
```bash
git clone <repository-url>
cd basecamp-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build
```
2. **Run setup script:**
```bash
npm run setup
```
The setup script automatically:
- ā
Installs all TypeScript dependencies
- ā
Builds the project to `dist/`
- ā
Creates `.env` template file
- ā
Tests MCP server functionality
3. **Configure OAuth credentials:**
Edit the generated `.env` file:
```bash
BASECAMP_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id_here
BASECAMP_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret_here
BASECAMP_ACCOUNT_ID=your_account_id_here
USER_AGENT="Your App Name (your@email.com)"
```
4. **Authenticate with Basecamp:**
```bash
npm run auth
```
Visit http://localhost:8000 and complete the OAuth flow.
5. **Generate configurations:**
```bash
npm run config:cursor # For Cursor IDE
npm run config:claude # For Claude Desktop
```
6. **Restart your AI assistant completely** (quit and reopen)
7. **Verify in your AI assistant:**
- **Cursor**: Go to Settings ā MCP, look for "basecamp" with a green checkmark
- **Claude Desktop**: Look for tools icon (š) in chat interface
- Available tools: **46 tools** for complete Basecamp control
### Test Your Setup
```bash
# Quick test the MCP server
echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2025-06-18","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"test","version":"1.0"}}}
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"notifications/initialized","params":{}}
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/list","params":{}}' | node dist/index.js
# Run automated tests
npm test
# Run tests with UI
npm run test:ui
```
## For Claude Desktop Users
Based on the [official MCP quickstart guide](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/quickstart/server), Claude Desktop integration follows these steps:
### Setup Steps
1. **Complete the basic setup** (steps 1-4 from development setup above):
```bash
git clone <repository-url>
cd basecamp-mcp-server
npm install
npm run setup
# Configure .env file with OAuth credentials
npm run auth
```
2. **Generate Claude Desktop configuration:**
```bash
npm run config:claude
```
3. **Restart Claude Desktop completely** (quit and reopen the application)
4. **Verify in Claude Desktop:**
- Look for the "Search and tools" icon (š) in the chat interface
- You should see "basecamp" listed with all 46 tools available
- Toggle the tools on to enable Basecamp integration
### Claude Desktop Configuration
The configuration is automatically created at:
- **macOS**: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
- **Windows**: `~/AppData/Roaming/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
- **Linux**: `~/.config/claude-desktop/claude_desktop_config.json`
Example configuration generated:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"basecamp": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/your/project/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"BASECAMP_ACCOUNT_ID": "your_account_id"
}
}
}
}
```
### Usage in Claude Desktop
Ask Claude things like:
- "What are my current Basecamp projects?"
- "Show me the latest campfire messages from the Technology project"
- "Create a new card in the Development column with title 'Fix login bug'"
- "Get all todo items from the Marketing project"
- "Search for messages containing 'deadline'"
### Troubleshooting Claude Desktop
**Check Claude Desktop logs** (following [official debugging guide](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/quickstart/server#troubleshooting)):
```bash
# macOS/Linux - Monitor logs in real-time
tail -n 20 -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log
# Check for specific errors
ls ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-basecamp.log
```
**Common issues:**
- **Tools not appearing**: Verify configuration file syntax and restart Claude Desktop
- **Connection failures**: Check that Node.js path and script path are absolute paths
- **Authentication errors**: Ensure OAuth flow completed successfully (`oauth_tokens.json` exists)
## Available MCP Tools
Once configured, you can use these tools in Cursor:
- `get_projects` - Get all Basecamp projects
- `get_project` - Get details for a specific project
- `get_todolists` - Get todo lists for a project
- `get_todos` - Get todos from a todo list
- `search_basecamp` - Search across projects, todos, and messages
- `get_comments` - Get comments for a Basecamp item
- `get_campfire_lines` - Get recent messages from a Basecamp campfire
- `get_daily_check_ins` - Get project's daily check-in questions
- `get_question_answers` - Get answers to daily check-in questions
- `create_attachment` - Upload a file as an attachment
- `get_events` - Get events for a recording
- `get_webhooks` - List webhooks for a project
- `create_webhook` - Create a webhook
- `delete_webhook` - Delete a webhook
- `get_documents` - List documents in a vault
- `get_document` - Get a single document
- `create_document` - Create a document
- `update_document` - Update a document
- `trash_document` - Move a document to trash
### Card Table Tools
- `get_card_table` - Get the card table details for a project
- `get_columns` - Get all columns in a card table
- `get_column` - Get details for a specific column
- `create_column` - Create a new column in a card table
- `update_column` - Update a column title
- `move_column` - Move a column to a new position
- `update_column_color` - Update a column color
- `put_column_on_hold` - Put a column on hold (freeze work)
- `remove_column_hold` - Remove hold from a column (unfreeze work)
- `watch_column` - Subscribe to notifications for changes in a column
- `unwatch_column` - Unsubscribe from notifications for a column
- `get_cards` - Get all cards in a column
- `get_card` - Get details for a specific card
- `create_card` - Create a new card in a column
- `update_card` - Update a card
- `move_card` - Move a card to a new column
- `complete_card` - Mark a card as complete
- `uncomplete_card` - Mark a card as incomplete
- `get_card_steps` - Get all steps (sub-tasks) for a card
- `create_card_step` - Create a new step (sub-task) for a card
- `get_card_step` - Get details for a specific card step
- `update_card_step` - Update a card step
- `delete_card_step` - Delete a card step
- `complete_card_step` - Mark a card step as complete
- `uncomplete_card_step` - Mark a card step as incomplete
### Example Cursor Usage
Ask Cursor things like:
- "Show me all my Basecamp projects"
- "What todos are in project X?"
- "Search for messages containing 'deadline'"
- "Get details for the Technology project"
- "Show me the card table for project X"
- "Create a new card in the 'In Progress' column"
- "Move this card to the 'Done' column"
- "Update the color of the 'Urgent' column to red"
- "Mark card as complete"
- "Show me all steps for this card"
- "Create a sub-task for this card"
- "Mark this card step as complete"
## Architecture
The project uses the **official @modelcontextprotocol/sdk** for maximum reliability and compatibility:
1. **MCP Server** (`src/index.ts`) - Official MCP SDK with 46 tools, compatible with both Cursor and Claude Desktop
2. **OAuth App** (`src/lib/oauth-app.ts`) - Handles OAuth 2.0 flow with Basecamp
3. **Token Storage** (`src/lib/token-storage.ts`) - Securely stores OAuth tokens
4. **Basecamp Client** (`src/lib/basecamp-client.ts`) - Basecamp API client library
5. **Type Definitions** (`src/types/basecamp.ts`) - Complete TypeScript interfaces
6. **Configuration Scripts**:
- NPM scripts for setup, authentication, and config generation
- Built-in TypeScript compilation and testing
## Troubleshooting
### Common Issues (Both Clients)
- š“ **Red/Yellow indicator:** Run `npm run setup` to build the project and dependencies
- š“ **"0 tools available":** Project not built or dependencies missing - run setup script
- š“ **"Tool not found" errors:** Restart your client (Cursor/Claude Desktop) completely
- ā ļø **Missing BASECAMP_ACCOUNT_ID:** Add to `.env` file, then re-run the config generator
### Quick Fixes
**Problem: Server won't start**
```bash
# Test if MCP server works:
node dist/index.js
# If this fails, run: npm run build
```
**Problem: Wrong Node.js version**
```bash
node --version # Must be 18+
# If too old, install newer Node.js and re-run setup
```
**Problem: Authentication fails**
```bash
# Check OAuth flow:
npm run auth
# Visit http://localhost:8000 and complete login
```
### Manual Configuration (Last Resort)
**Cursor config location:** `~/.cursor/mcp.json` (macOS/Linux) or `%APPDATA%\Cursor\mcp.json` (Windows)
**Claude Desktop config location:** `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` (macOS)
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"basecamp": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/full/path/to/your/project/dist/index.js"],
"cwd": "/full/path/to/your/project",
"env": {
"BASECAMP_ACCOUNT_ID": "your_account_id"
}
}
}
}
```
## Finding Your Account ID
If you don't know your Basecamp account ID:
1. Log into Basecamp in your browser
2. Look at the URL - it will be like `https://3.basecamp.com/4389629/projects`
3. The number (4389629 in this example) is your account ID
## Security Notes
- Keep your `.env` file secure and never commit it to version control
- The OAuth tokens are stored locally in `oauth_tokens.json`
- This setup is designed for local development use
## Acknowledgments
This TypeScript implementation was inspired by and built upon the excellent foundation provided by the original **Python [Basecamp MCP Server](https://github.com/georgeantonopoulos/Basecamp-MCP-Server)**.
**Thank you** to the original Python project maintainers for creating a solid foundation that enabled this TypeScript adaptation! š
## License
This project is licensed under the MIT License.
TDQS
Scored across 33 tools
Most tools have distinct purposes targeting specific Basecamp resources (e.g., cards, columns, documents, webhooks), but there is some overlap between 'global_search' and 'search_basecamp' which could cause confusion as both appear to handle search functionality across projects. Otherwise, the tool set is well-differentiated.
Tool names follow a highly consistent verb_noun pattern throughout (e.g., create_card, get_cards, update_column). All tools use snake_case with clear, descriptive verbs, making the naming predictable and easy to understand.
With 33 tools, the count is borderline high for a project management server, potentially overwhelming for agents. While Basecamp has many features, this many tools might indicate over-fragmentation (e.g., separate tools for similar operations like get_card and get_cards).
The tool set provides comprehensive coverage for Basecamp's domain, including CRUD operations for cards, columns, documents, webhooks, and search, along with specific features like campfire messages and daily check-ins. No obvious gaps are present; agents can perform full lifecycle management.