BambooHR MCP servers: which one to use
Use BambooHR's own hosted server if your admin allows it. Use a community server only if you want a local setup with an API key.
- Servers
- 6
- active
- Official
- 1
- by BambooHR
- Hosted
- 2
- nothing to install
- Local
- 4
- runs on your machine
- OAuth
- 1
- sign in, no key
BambooHR hosts its own MCP server, now in beta, and it powers the BambooHR connectors for Claude and ChatGPT. You sign in with your BambooHR account, and the assistant sees only what your account can already see. An admin must first turn on the AI Connectors app in Settings, then Apps. The community servers run on your computer with a BambooHR API key. They add tools for areas such as training and webhooks, and the key carries the permissions of the user who made it.
Good for
- HR teams who want Claude or ChatGPT to answer questions about time off, goals and hiring
- Managers who want to check their team's time off and directory details
- BambooHR admins who control who may connect an AI tool
- Developers who prefer a local server with an API key
Which BambooHR MCP server to use
Use the official BambooHR server unless your admin has not enabled AI Connectors. Pick hurtener if you want a local server that cannot write until you switch writes on.
| Server | Runs | Sign-in | Can change data | Tools | GitHub stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For BambooHR | |||||
| BambooHR MCP ServerThis page | Hosted | Account | Yes | – | – |
| twentytwokhz bamboohr-mcp | Local | API key | Yes | 71 | 1 |
| hurtener mcp-bamboohr | Local | API key | Off by default | 28 | 0 |
| Other tools for the same job | |||||
| acalder bamboohr-mcp | Local | API key | Yes | 74 | 15 |
All BambooHR MCP servers
6 active · 1 official · official first, then by GitHub stars
- BambooHR MCP ServerOfficialHostedOAuth
BambooHR's hosted MCP server (beta) at your company subdomain: lets AI assistants read and act on BambooHR data with OAuth sign-in, after an admin enables AI Connectors.
- bamboohr-mcp
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) library for BambooHR, built with Node.js and TypeScript.
4 GitHub stars - bamboohr-mcpLocal
Production-ready MCP server for BambooHR API - Full CRUD operations for employees, time off, goals, training, files, ATS, benefits, time tracking, and certification assessments
1 GitHub stars 
BamboohrHosted or LocalBambooHR MCP Pack — wraps the BambooHR API v1
0 GitHub stars- mcp-bamboohrLocal
Model Context Protocol server for BambooHR with stdio and streamable HTTP transport
0 GitHub stars - mcparmory-bamboohrLocal
Manage employee records, time off, benefits, and payroll data
Questions
Is there an official BambooHR MCP server?
Yes. BambooHR hosts it at https://{your-subdomain}.bamboohr.com/api/mcp, where the subdomain is the part before .bamboohr.com in your BambooHR address. It is in beta, and there is nothing to install.
What do I need before I can connect the official server?
A BambooHR admin has to enable the AI Connectors app under Settings, then Apps, and your access level must be in the audience they chose. Then you sign in on BambooHR's own login screen and approve what the connector asks for.
Does it work in Claude and ChatGPT?
Yes, with different setups. The Claude connector works in Claude on the web and in the desktop apps. ChatGPT is a closed beta that uses developer mode on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Education plans, with credentials from BambooHR, and BambooHR suggests starting with Claude.
Can I use it with other MCP clients?
Yes, if the client can complete an OAuth sign-in. You create an application in the BambooHR developer portal and request the mcp scope. BambooHR calls this a beta, best-effort path.
Can it change or delete HR data?
The official server can. Most of its tools only read, but some are marked Write and a few permanently delete. In Claude you can click Configure on the connector and turn off the tools you do not want. Of the community servers, hurtener keeps writes off until you turn on its mutations setting, and twentytwokhz asks for confirm: true before deletes.
Which BambooHR server is safest for HR data?
The official one is the better default. It runs as you under BambooHR permissions, uses a one-hour sign-in token, and signs in with OAuth instead of an API key. A community server uses an API key, which carries the permissions of the user who created it, so make the key from a limited user.
Why does it return fewer people than I expect?
The official server hides what you are not allowed to see, and some tools do not say so. BambooHR warns that two people can run the same query and get different counts, so read a short or empty result as "nothing this account can see".
Do the community servers need an API key?
Yes. The acalder, twentytwokhz and hurtener READMEs each ask for a BambooHR API key and your subdomain. In BambooHR you create the key from your profile icon under API Keys.