Kimai MCP Server

A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for integrating with the Kimai time-tracking API. This server allows AI assistants like Claude to efficiently interact with Kimai instances to manage time tracking, projects, activities, customers, users, teams, absences, and more.

🚀 Quick Start

Local Installation (Single User)

# Install from PyPI
pip install kimai-mcp

# Run with your Kimai credentials
kimai-mcp --kimai-url=https://your-kimai.com --kimai-token=your-token

# Or use the interactive setup wizard
kimai-mcp --setup

🌐 Remote Server Deployment (Recommended for Teams)

For enterprise/team environments: Deploy the server once and let all users connect remotely!

Server Types

Deprecation notice: The SSE server (kimai-mcp-server) is deprecated and not functional (the SSE transport was removed from the MCP specification). It prints a startup warning. Use the Streamable HTTP server (kimai-mcp-streamable) instead.

Quick Start with Docker (Streamable HTTP + OAuth)

Since v2.12.0 the Streamable HTTP server includes an OAuth 2.1 authorization server. Users authenticate with a user slug and a per-user auth_secret instead of a secret URL.

# 1. Generate a random slug and an auth_secret per user
python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_urlsafe(16))"   # slug
python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_urlsafe(32))"   # auth_secret

# 2. Create config file
mkdir config
cat > config/users.json << 'EOF'
{
  "xK9mP2qW7vL4aB8c": {
    "kimai_url": "https://your-kimai.com",
    "kimai_token": "your-api-token",
    "auth_secret": "long-random-oauth-login-secret"
  }
}
EOF

# 3. Start server
docker-compose up -d

Security Warning: Use random slugs, NOT usernames! The server warns at startup about low-entropy slugs (shorter than 16 characters or plain lowercase words). Slugs may only contain letters, digits, - and _.

Claude.ai Connectors Integration (OAuth)

The Streamable HTTP server works with Claude.ai custom connectors:

1. Set an auth_secret for each user in users.json (see above)

2. Run the server behind an HTTPS reverse proxy:

   kimai-mcp-streamable \
     --users-config ./config/users.json \
     --public-url https://mcp.example.com \
     --trusted-proxy 127.0.0.1 \
     --oauth-state-file ./config/oauth_clients.json \
     --disable-legacy-slugs

3. In Claude.ai: Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector

4. Enter URL: https://mcp.example.com/mcp (no slug in the URL)

5. Claude.ai registers itself automatically (Dynamic Client Registration). When connecting, a login page appears — enter your user slug and auth_secret.

Access tokens are valid for 1 hour and refreshed automatically (refresh tokens up to 30 days). Tokens are kept in memory, so users must reconnect after a server restart.

Legacy endpoints: The previous per-user URLs /mcp/{slug} still work but are deprecated. Migrate to the OAuth endpoint /mcp and start the server with --disable-legacy-slugs.

OIDC federated login (optional)

Instead of the built-in slug + auth_secret form, the Streamable HTTP server can delegate user authentication to any standard OpenID Connect provider (Microsoft Entra ID / Azure AD, Keycloak, Auth0, Google, Okta, …). The server stays the OAuth 2.1 authorization server toward Claude.ai (same opaque tokens, DCR and PKCE); it only federates the login step: /authorize redirects to your OIDC provider, the id_token is verified (signature via JWKS, iss/aud/exp/nonce), and the resulting identity is mapped to a configured user.

kimai-mcp-streamable \
  --users-config ./config/users.json \
  --public-url https://mcp.example.com \
  --auth-backend oidc \
  --oidc-issuer https://login.microsoftonline.com/<tenant-id>/v2.0 \
  --oidc-client-id <client-id>
# Confidential clients: set KIMAI_MCP_OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET (env preferred over the CLI flag).

Map each OIDC identity to a Kimai user by adding the oidc_identity field (matched case-insensitively against --oidc-identity-claim, default email):

{
  "x7Kp2mQ9wL4r": {
    "kimai_url": "https://kimai.example.com",
    "kimai_token": "api_token_for_alice",
    "oidc_identity": "alice@example.com"
  }
}

Register <public-url>/oauth/oidc/callback as the redirect URI at your OIDC provider. Requires the [server] extra (pip install "kimai-mcp[server]", which pulls in PyJWT[crypto]). The built-in slug login form is not exposed while the OIDC backend is active.

When mapping by email, the id_token must also assert email_verified: true, otherwise the email claim is ignored — so a provider that lets users self-assert an unverified address cannot impersonate a mapped user. For providers that do not emit email_verified but are trusted to only issue verified emails, pass --oidc-allow-unverified-email (or KIMAI_MCP_OIDC_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED_EMAIL=true).

📖 See full deployment guide →

Related MCP server: OpenProject MCP Server

Command Line Options

Options for the local server (kimai-mcp):

Options for the Streamable HTTP server (kimai-mcp-streamable):

🛠️ Available Tools

Core Management Tools

1. Entity Tool (entity) - Universal CRUD operations for projects, activities, customers, users, teams, tags, invoices, holidays

2. Timesheet Tool (timesheet) - Complete timesheet management (list, create, update, delete, export, batch operations)

3. Timer Tool (timer) - Active timer operations (start, stop, restart, view active/recent)

4. Rate Tool (rate) - Rate management across all entity types

5. Team Access Tool (team_access) - Team member and permission management

6. Absence Tool (absence) - Complete absence workflow (create, approve, reject, list, attendance, batch operations, auto-split)

7. Calendar Tool (calendar) - Unified calendar data access

8. Meta Tool (meta) - Custom field management for customers, projects, activities, timesheets, and invoices (invoice meta requires Kimai 2.56+)

9. User Current Tool (user_current) - Current user information

10. Project Analysis Tool (analyze_project_team) - Advanced project analytics

11. Config Tool (config) - Server configuration (timesheet settings, color codes, plugins, version info)

12. Comment Tool (comment) - Comments on projects and customers: list, create, delete, pin (requires Kimai 2.57+)

Complete Kimai Integration

• Timesheet Management - Create, update, delete, start/stop timers, view active timers

• Project & Activity Management - Browse and view projects and activities

• Customer Management - Browse and view customer information

• User Management - List, view, create, update user accounts, and configure work contracts (preferences)

• Team Management - Create teams, manage members, control access permissions

• Absence Management - Create, approve, reject, and track absences

• Tag Management - Create and manage tags for better organization

• Invoice Queries - View invoice information and status

• Comments - Manage pinned and regular comments on projects and customers (Kimai 2.57+)

Advanced Features

• Real-time Timer Control - Start, stop, and monitor active time tracking

• Comprehensive Filtering - Advanced filters for all data types

• Permission Management - Respect Kimai's role-based permissions

• Error Handling - API errors are reported with status code and validation details; 403 responses include a permission hint (Kimai 2.57/2.58 enforce API permissions more strictly)

• Flexible Configuration - Multiple configuration methods (CLI args, .env files, environment variables)

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+

• A Kimai instance with API access enabled

• API token from your Kimai user profile

Install from PyPI (Recommended)

pip install kimai-mcp

Install from Source (Development)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/glazperle/kimai_mcp.git
cd kimai_mcp

# Install in development mode
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Configuration

Getting Your Kimai API Token

1. Log into your Kimai instance

2. Go to your user profile (click your username)

3. Navigate to the "API" or "API Access" section

4. Create a new API token or copy an existing one

5. Note your Kimai instance URL (e.g., https://kimai.example.com)

Claude Desktop Integration

Step 1: Configure Claude Desktop

Add the Kimai MCP server to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

On macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

On Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Step 2: Add Configuration

Add the following to your Claude Desktop configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kimai": {
      "command": "kimai-mcp",
      "args": [
        "--kimai-url=https://your-kimai-instance.com",
        "--kimai-token=your-api-token-here"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Important Notes:

• Replace https://your-kimai-instance.com with your actual Kimai URL

• Replace your-api-token-here with your API token from Kimai

• The kimai-mcp command is available after pip install kimai-mcp

Alternative: If kimai-mcp is not in your PATH, use python -m kimai_mcp.server instead:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kimai": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "-m", "kimai_mcp.server",
        "--kimai-url=https://your-kimai-instance.com",
        "--kimai-token=your-api-token-here"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Restart Claude Desktop

After saving the configuration file, restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect.

Alternative Configuration Methods

Method 1: Using a .env File (Recommended for Development)

If you prefer using a .env file for configuration, create a .env file in your project directory:

# .env file in the kimai_mcp directory
KIMAI_URL=https://your-kimai-instance.com
KIMAI_API_TOKEN=your-api-token-here
KIMAI_SSL_VERIFY=true  # or path to CA certificate

Then use this Claude Desktop configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kimai": {
      "command": "kimai-mcp",
      "cwd": "/path/to/your/kimai_mcp/directory"
    }
  }
}

Important Notes for .env Configuration:

• Replace /path/to/your/kimai_mcp/directory with the actual path to your kimai_mcp directory

• The cwd parameter ensures the .env file is found in the correct directory

• Keep your .env file secure and never commit it to version control

• On Windows, use forward slashes in the path or escape backslashes

Example Windows Path:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kimai": {
      "command": "kimai-mcp",
      "cwd": "C:/Users/YourName/Projects/kimai_mcp"
    }
  }
}

Method 2: Using Environment Variables (System-wide)

If you prefer system environment variables, you can set:

export KIMAI_URL="https://your-kimai-instance.com"
export KIMAI_API_TOKEN="your-api-token-here"

Then use this Claude Desktop configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kimai": {
      "command": "kimai-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Usage Examples

Timesheet Management

List Timesheets

{
  "tool": "timesheet",
  "parameters": {
    "action": "list",
    "filters": {
      "project": 17,
      "user_scope": "self"
    }
  }
}

Create a Timesheet Entry

{
  "tool": "timesheet",
  "parameters": {
    "action": "create",
    "data": {
      "project": 1,
      "activity": 5,
      "description": "Working on API integration",
      "begin": "2024-08-03T09:00:00",
      "end": "2024-08-03T10:30:00"
    }
  }
}

Start a Timer

{
  "tool": "timer",
  "parameters": {
    "action": "start",
    "data": {
      "project": 1,
      "activity": 5,
      "description": "Working on API integration"
    }
  }
}

Stop a Timer

{
  "tool": "timer",
  "parameters": {
    "action": "stop",
    "id": 12345
  }
}

Project & Activity Management

List Projects

{
  "tool": "entity",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "project",
    "action": "list",
    "filters": {"customer": 1}
  }
}

Get Project Details

{
  "tool": "entity",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "project",
    "action": "get",
    "id": 17
  }
}

List Activities

{
  "tool": "entity",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "activity",
    "action": "list",
    "filters": {"project": 17}
  }
}

User & Team Management

List Users

{
  "tool": "entity",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "user",
    "action": "list"
  }
}

Create a Team

{
  "tool": "entity",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "team",
    "action": "create",
    "data": {
      "name": "Development Team",
      "color": "#3498db"
    }
  }
}

Add Team Member

{
  "tool": "team_access",
  "parameters": {
    "action": "add_member",
    "team_id": 1,
    "user_id": 5
  }
}

Absence Management

Create an Absence

{
  "tool": "absence",
  "parameters": {
    "action": "create",
    "data": {
      "comment": "Vacation in the mountains",
      "date": "2024-02-15",
      "end": "2024-02-20",
      "type": "holiday"
    }
  }
}

List Absences

{
  "tool": "absence",
  "parameters": {
    "action": "list",
    "filters": {
      "user": "5",
      "status": "all"
    }
  }
}

Check Attendance (Who is Present Today)

{
  "tool": "absence",
  "parameters": {
    "action": "attendance",
    "date": "2024-12-29"
  }
}

Returns a report showing present and absent employees with absence reasons.

Batch Operations

Batch operations allow executing multiple API calls in parallel for efficient bulk processing.

Batch Delete Absences

{
  "tool": "absence",
  "parameters": {
    "action": "batch_delete",
    "ids": [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
  }
}

Batch Approve Absences

{
  "tool": "absence",
  "parameters": {
    "action": "batch_approve",
    "ids": [10, 11, 12, 13]
  }
}

Batch Delete Timesheets

{
  "tool": "timesheet",
  "parameters": {
    "action": "batch_delete",
    "ids": [100, 101, 102, 103]
  }
}

Batch Export Timesheets

{
  "tool": "timesheet",
  "parameters": {
    "action": "batch_export",
    "ids": [200, 201, 202]
  }
}

Batch Delete Entities

{
  "tool": "entity",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "project",
    "action": "batch_delete",
    "ids": [5, 6, 7]
  }
}

Rate Management

List Customer Rates

{
  "tool": "rate",
  "parameters": {
    "entity": "customer",
    "action": "list",
    "entity_id": 1
  }
}

Comments (Kimai 2.57+)

List Project Comments

{
  "tool": "comment",
  "parameters": {
    "entity": "project",
    "entity_id": 17,
    "action": "list"
  }
}

Add a Pinned Customer Comment

{
  "tool": "comment",
  "parameters": {
    "entity": "customer",
    "entity_id": 5,
    "action": "create",
    "data": {
      "message": "Billing contact changed, see email from 2026-06-01",
      "pinned": true
    }
  }
}

Current User Information

Get Current User

{
  "tool": "user_current"
}

Smart Features

Automatic Absence Splitting

The MCP automatically handles Kimai's limitations when creating absences:

Year-Boundary Splitting: Kimai doesn't allow absences spanning multiple years. The MCP automatically splits them.

{
  "tool": "absence",
  "parameters": {
    "action": "create",
    "data": {
      "date": "2025-09-01",
      "end": "2026-03-31",
      "type": "parental",
      "comment": "Parental leave"
    }
  }
}

This automatically becomes two entries:

• 2025-09-01 to 2025-12-31

• 2026-01-01 to 2026-03-31

30-Day Limit Splitting: Kimai limits absences to 30 days maximum. Longer absences are automatically split into 30-day chunks.

{
  "tool": "absence",
  "parameters": {
    "action": "create",
    "data": {
      "date": "2025-09-01",
      "end": "2025-11-29",
      "type": "parental",
      "comment": "Parental leave (90 days)"
    }
  }
}

This automatically becomes three 30-day entries with output:

Created 3 absence(s) for parental
Period: 2025-09-01 to 2025-11-29 (90 days)
IDs: 123, 124, 125
(Automatically split due to Kimai limitations)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Connection Problems

1. Verify Kimai URL: Ensure your Kimai URL is correct and accessible

2. Check API Token: Verify your API token is valid and not expired

3. API Access: Ensure your Kimai instance has API access enabled

4. Network: Check if there are any firewall or network restrictions

Permission Errors

• Creating timesheets for other users requires admin permissions

• Managing users and teams requires appropriate role permissions

• Some absence operations require manager permissions

Configuration Issues

1. Claude Desktop Config: Verify the JSON syntax is correct

2. Path Issues: Ensure Python can find the kimai_mcp module

3. Arguments: Check that command-line arguments are properly formatted

SSL Certificate Errors (Self-Hosted Instances)

If you're running a self-hosted Kimai instance with a custom CA certificate (e.g., self-signed certificates), you may encounter this error:

[SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED] certificate verify failed: self-signed certificate in certificate chain

Solution 1: Use the --ssl-verify CLI option

# Point to your CA certificate file
kimai-mcp --kimai-url=https://kimai.example.com --kimai-token=your-token --ssl-verify=/path/to/ca-bundle.crt

# Or disable verification (not recommended for production)
kimai-mcp --kimai-url=https://kimai.example.com --kimai-token=your-token --ssl-verify=false

Solution 2: Use environment variables

# Using httpx's built-in SSL environment variables
SSL_CERT_DIR=/etc/ssl/certs kimai-mcp --kimai-url=... --kimai-token=...

# Or using the KIMAI_SSL_VERIFY environment variable
KIMAI_SSL_VERIFY=/path/to/ca-bundle.crt kimai-mcp --kimai-url=... --kimai-token=...

Claude Desktop configuration with custom certificates:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kimai": {
      "command": "kimai-mcp",
      "args": [
        "--kimai-url=https://kimai.example.com",
        "--kimai-token=your-token",
        "--ssl-verify=/path/to/ca-bundle.crt"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Or using the environment variable:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kimai": {
      "command": "kimai-mcp",
      "args": ["--kimai-url=...", "--kimai-token=..."],
      "env": {
        "KIMAI_SSL_VERIFY": "/path/to/ca-bundle.crt"
      }
    }
  }
}

Debug Mode

For debugging, you can run the server directly:

# Using command line arguments
kimai-mcp --kimai-url=https://your-kimai.com --kimai-token=your-token

# Using .env file (make sure you're in the directory with the .env file)
kimai-mcp

# Alternative: using Python module execution
python -m kimai_mcp.server --kimai-url=https://your-kimai.com --kimai-token=your-token

Logging

The server includes comprehensive logging. Check the logs for detailed error information.

Security Considerations

• API Token Security: Keep your API token secure and never commit it to version control

• Network Security: Use HTTPS for your Kimai instance

• Permission Management: Use appropriate Kimai roles and permissions

• Regular Updates: Keep the MCP server and dependencies updated

Development

Project Structure

kimai_mcp/
├── src/
│   ├── kimai_mcp/
│   │   ├── __init__.py
│   │   ├── server.py                  # Local MCP server (stdio)
│   │   ├── streamable_http_server.py  # Streamable HTTP server with OAuth (Claude.ai)
│   │   ├── sse_server.py              # SSE server (deprecated, non-functional)
│   │   ├── oauth.py                   # Embedded OAuth 2.1 authorization server
│   │   ├── user_config.py             # users.json / env multi-user configuration
│   │   ├── security.py                # Rate limiting, security headers, enumeration protection
│   │   ├── client.py                  # Kimai API client
│   │   ├── models.py                  # Data models
│   │   └── tools/                     # MCP tool implementations
│   │       ├── entity_manager.py
│   │       ├── timesheet_consolidated.py  # timesheet + timer tools
│   │       ├── rate_manager.py
│   │       ├── team_access_manager.py
│   │       ├── absence_manager.py
│   │       ├── calendar_meta.py           # calendar, meta, user_current tools
│   │       ├── comment_tool.py            # project/customer comments
│   │       ├── project_analysis.py
│   │       ├── config_info.py
│   │       ├── user_discovery.py          # shared user resolution helper
│   │       ├── batch_utils.py
│   │       ├── absence_analytics.py
│   │       └── timesheet_analytics.py
├── tests/
├── README.md
├── pyproject.toml
└── .gitignore

Running Tests

pytest tests/ -v

Contributing

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a feature branch

3. Make your changes

4. Add tests for new functionality

5. Submit a pull request

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Licensing Information

• Kimai MCP Server: MIT License (this project)

• Kimai Core: AGPL-3.0 License (separate project)

• Model Context Protocol: Open standard by Anthropic

This MCP server is an independent integration tool that communicates with Kimai via its public API. It is not a derivative work of Kimai itself and can be freely used under the MIT license terms.

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

Development Setup

1. Clone the repository

2. Install development dependencies: pip install -e ".[dev]"

3. Run tests: pytest tests/ -v

4. Follow the existing code style and add tests for new features

📞 Support

• Issues: Please use the GitHub issue tracker

• Documentation: Check the examples in the examples/ directory

• Kimai Documentation: Visit kimai.org for Kimai-specific questions

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Anthropic for creating the Model Context Protocol

• Kimai Team for the excellent time-tracking software and API

• MCP Community for examples and best practices