EARLY MCP Server¶

An unofficial Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides AI assistants with structured access to the EARLY app time tracking API.

Overview¶

EARLY is a time tracking application with a comprehensive public API. This MCP server enables AI assistants to interact with time tracking data, manage activities, and generate reports through the EARLY API using the standardized MCP protocol.

Key Features:

6 Time Tracking Tools - Complete CRUD operations for time entries and activities
4 Data Resources - Structured access to time data via MCP resources
Real-time Timer Management - Start and stop timers with live API integration
Production Ready - Full error handling, authentication, and testing
Claude Desktop Compatible - Easy integration with Claude and other MCP clients

Quick Start¶

Installation¶

No installation required! Use npx to run the server:

npx @janfincke/early-mcp-server

Claude Desktop Configuration¶

Add this to your Claude Desktop config file:

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "early-time-tracker": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@janfincke/early-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "EARLY_API_KEY": "your-early-api-key-here",
        "EARLY_API_SECRET": "your-early-api-secret-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Get API Credentials

Open the EARLY app → Settings → Developer → API Keys

That's it! Restart Claude Desktop and start tracking time with natural language.

Quick Links¶

Getting Started

Install, configure, and run the server in minutes

Start here
Tools Reference

Complete documentation for all 6 time tracking tools

Browse tools
Integration Guide

Connect with Claude Desktop and other MCP clients

Integration
Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions

Get help

Implementation Status¶

Production Ready MCP Server¶

The server is fully functional with:

MCP Protocol Implementation - Full compliance with MCP specification
EARLY API v4 Integration - Proper authentication and error handling
Comprehensive Type System - Full TypeScript implementation
Test Suite - 24 tests passing across 4 test suites
Claude Desktop Ready - Tested integration

Available Tools¶

Tool	Status	Description
`create_time_entry`	COMPLETE	Create time entries with flexible time parameters
`edit_time_entry`	COMPLETE	Edit existing time entries
`get_time_entries`	COMPLETE	Get time entries for date ranges
`list_activities`	COMPLETE	Get all activities with filtering
`start_timer`	COMPLETE	Start time tracking for activities
`stop_timer`	COMPLETE	Stop currently running timer

Available Resources¶

Resource	Description
`early://time-entries/today`	Today's time entries with detailed JSON data
`early://time-entries/week`	Current week's time entries
`early://activities`	All activities (active + inactive + archived)
`early://activities/active`	Only active activities

EARLY API Integration¶

Base URL: https://api.early.app
API Version: v4
Authentication: API Key + Secret flow
Documentation: EARLY Developers

Next Steps¶

Get Started - Install and configure the server
Explore Tools - Learn about available functionality
Integration - Connect with Claude Desktop or other clients
Architecture - Understand the technical design

Contributing¶

Interested in contributing? Check out the GitHub repository for development setup, testing, and contribution information.

License¶

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.