BambooHR MCP Server

BambooHR is a human resources information system (HRIS) for managing employee data, time off, benefits, performance, and HR workflows.

Tools

Last Updated

Apr 7, 2026

What is the BambooHR MCP Server?

The BambooHR MCP server gives AI agents structured, permission-aware access to BambooHR through the Model Context Protocol. With 27 pre-built actions, agents can read, create, and update BambooHR data on behalf of authorized users.

Willow ships the BambooHR MCP server as part of an enterprise control plane. Every call runs behind SSO (Okta, Azure AD), enforces RBAC and least-privilege at runtime, writes to a full audit trail, and integrates with Splunk and Loki for SIEM visibility. Connect from Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code, n8n, or any custom agent. Install once, distribute org-wide, and see exactly how BambooHR is being used by every AI agent in your stack.

Tools

List Employees Directory

Get a list of employees in the company directory with basic information. Returns employee ID, display name, first name, last name, job title, work phone, and other directory fields. Note: The directory can be disabled in company settings, so the custom reports API may be more reliable for bulk employee retrieval.

Get Employee

Retrieve detailed information about a specific employee by their ID. You can specify which fields to return using the 'fields' parameter. Returns current values for standard fields and the latest values for historical fields like job title or compensation. Use the Get Employee Fields tool to discover available field names.

Get Employee Fields

Discover all available employee fields and their metadata in your BambooHR account. Returns field ID, name, type, and other properties. Use this to understand what fields you can query or update when working with employee data. Essential for building dynamic queries.

Create Employee

Add a new employee to BambooHR. At minimum, you must provide firstName and lastName. You can optionally include other fields like email, phone, hireDate, department, jobTitle, etc. For employees on Trax Payroll, additional required fields include: employeeNumber, dateOfBirth, ssn, gender, maritalStatus, address, city, state, country, employmentHistoryStatus, exempt, payType, payRate, payPer, location, department, and division.

Update Employee

Update an existing employee's information. Only include the fields you want to change; all other fields will remain unchanged. You can update any standard or custom employee field. Use the Get Employee Fields tool to discover available field names.

Get Changed Employees

Get a list of employees who have had data changes since a specified date. Useful for syncing employee data with external systems or tracking recent updates. Returns employee IDs and the timestamp of their last change.

Request Custom Employee Report

Generate a custom report with specified employee fields and filters. This is the most flexible and reliable way to retrieve bulk employee data. You can specify which fields to include, filter by various criteria, and choose the output format (JSON, CSV, PDF, XLS, XML). Returns employee data based on your specifications.

Get Time Off Requests

Retrieve time off requests with optional filtering by date range, status, employee ID, or time off type. Returns details including employee, dates, status (approved/denied/requested/canceled), amount, and notes. Useful for generating time off reports, tracking approvals, or monitoring team availability.

Get Employee Time Off Policies

View all time off policies assigned to a specific employee, including current balances, accrual rates, and policy details. Shows available vacation days, sick days, and other time off types. Essential for checking if an employee has sufficient balance before approving time off requests.

Request Time Off

Submit a time off request for an employee. Specify the employee, time off type, start and end dates, amount, and optional notes. The request will go through the company's approval workflow. Can be used to request vacation, sick days, or other time off types configured in the system.

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Set Up Your BambooHR MCP Server in Minutes

Add the following configuration to your MCP client. Authentication is handled via OAuth. Compatible with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code, n8n, and any MCP-compatible agent.

Claude Desktop

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "willow-bamboohr": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://<org>.mcp-s.com/mcp/mcp/bamboohr"
    }
  }
}

Cursor

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "willow-bamboohr": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://<org>.mcp-s.com/mcp/mcp/bamboohr"
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

CLI

claude mcp add willow-bamboohr --transport http https://<org>.mcp-s.com/mcp/mcp/bamboohr

n8n

HTTP Request Node

{
  "url": "https://<org>.mcp-s.com/mcp/mcp/bamboohr",
  "method": "POST"
}

Or click "Install with Willow" above to set up automatically with SSO and RBAC preconfigured.

Enterprise Governance for BambooHR

Willow adds the layer BambooHR and every other SaaS doesn't ship out of the box: every call runs behind SSO (Okta, Azure AD), enforces RBAC and least-privilege at runtime, writes to full audit logs, and detects shadow AI usage across your stack. One MCP gateway. Any agent. Every tool.

BambooHR MCP Server FAQ

What is the BambooHR MCP server?

The BambooHR MCP server is a Model Context Protocol implementation that lets AI agents like Claude, Cursor, and ChatGPT read and write BambooHR data through a standardized interface. Willow hosts and governs this server so enterprises can roll it out without a security review backlog.

How is Willow's BambooHR MCP server different from the official one?

The official BambooHR MCP server is scoped to a single user's account and does not include enterprise governance. Willow's version adds SSO, RBAC, audit logging, shadow AI detection, and centralized control over which actions agents can take across the entire org.

Which AI clients work with the BambooHR MCP server?

Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code with MCP support, n8n, and any custom agent built with OpenAI Agents SDK, LangChain, Vercel AI SDK, or Anthropic SDK.

Is the BambooHR MCP server secure? How does Willow handle authentication?

Every call runs behind your existing SSO (Okta, Azure AD). Per-user OAuth scopes the agent to exactly what that user can do in BambooHR, nothing more. No credentials reach the LLM. Every action writes to an audit trail.

Can I limit which BambooHR actions agents can take?

Yes. Willow lets you scope agents to specific actions, specific projects, or specific environments. Toggle actions on or off in the dashboard, or enforce policy via infrastructure-as-code through GitHub.

How do I detect shadow BambooHR MCP servers in my org?

Willow's browser extension and discovery service surface unmanaged MCP servers, skills, and AI agents across the org. If a developer installed an unapproved BambooHR MCP locally, you'll see it.

What does the BambooHR MCP server cost?

Pricing depends on org size and deployment model (SaaS, dedicated cloud, self-host). See withwillow.ai/pricing or contact sales for a quote.

How do I install the BambooHR MCP server with Willow?

Install via the Willow Connect Panel in one click, or paste the JSON snippet above into your Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Claude Code config. SSO and RBAC inherit from your existing Willow setup.