Tools Reference¶

The EARLY MCP Server provides 12 time tracking and management tools that enable comprehensive time management through the MCP protocol. All tools are fully implemented and production-ready.

Quick Reference¶

Tool Categories¶

Time Entry Management¶

Core CRUD operations for time entries:

• create_time_entry - Create time entries with flexible parameters (duration, time ranges)
• edit_time_entry - Update existing time entries (time, activity, description)
• get_time_entries - Query time entries with date ranges and filtering
• delete_time_entry - Delete a time entry by ID

Timer Operations¶

Real-time time tracking:

• start_timer - Start tracking time for an activity
• stop_timer - Stop the currently running timer
• get_active_timer - Get information about the currently running timer
• update_active_timer - Update the description of the currently running timer

Activity Management¶

Work with EARLY activities/projects:

• list_activities - Get all activities with optional filtering
• create_activity - Create a new activity (project)
• update_activity - Update an existing activity
• archive_activity - Archive or delete an activity

User & Reports¶

• generate_report - Generate a summary report of time entries
• get_current_user - Get information about the currently authenticated user

Common Usage Patterns¶

Daily Time Tracking Workflow¶

1. Start your day: list_activities → start_timer
2. Track work: stop_timer → start_timer (new activity)
3. Or use update_active_timer to change the note while working
4. Review: get_time_entries for today
5. Adjust: edit_time_entry or delete_time_entry for corrections

Retrospective Time Entry¶

1. Get activities: list_activities
2. Create entries: create_time_entry with specific time ranges
3. Review and adjust: get_time_entries → edit_time_entry

Project Management¶

1. Setup: create_activity for new projects
2. Maintenance: update_activity to rename or change settings
3. Cleanup: archive_activity for completed projects

Parameter Types¶

Common Parameter Patterns¶

• Activity IDs: Get from list_activities tool first
• Time Formats: ISO 8601 timestamps (2025-10-14T08:00:00Z)
• Date Formats: Simple dates for ranges (2025-10-14)
• Durations: Minutes as numbers (45)

Required vs Optional¶

Error Handling¶

All tools provide consistent error handling:

• Authentication Errors - Check your API credentials
• Validation Errors - Review required parameters
• API Errors - Network or EARLY API issues
• Resource Not Found - Invalid IDs or deleted items

Common error resolution steps: 1. Verify API credentials in environment variables 2. Check parameter types and requirements 3. Ensure resource IDs exist (use list_activities to verify) 4. Review network connectivity

Integration Examples¶

Claude Desktop¶

Ask Claude naturally:

"Start a timer for my development work"
"Show me today's time entries" 
"Create a 2-hour time entry for the client meeting this morning"
"Delete that last time entry"
"Create a new project called 'Website Redesign'"

Direct MCP Calls¶

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call", 
  "params": {
    "name": "create_time_entry",
    "arguments": {
      "projectId": "12345",
      "description": "Code review",
      "duration": 30
    }
  }
}

Next Steps¶

• New to MCP? Start with list_activities to get familiar
• Want to track time? Try start_timer and stop_timer
• Need to log past work? Use create_time_entry
• Ready for integration? See the Integration Guide for setup details