Early MCP Server

Complete MCP server for Early (Timeular) time tracking - 46 tools for tracking, entries, activities, folders, tags, reports. Created with Claude

Local serverstdioPython

What is the Early MCP server?

Early MCP server exists for a simple reason — assistants are far more useful when they can act on Early directly instead of describing what you should do. Complete MCP server for Early (Timeular) time tracking - 46 tools for tracking, entries, activities, folders, tags, reports. Created with Claude.

What you get

Use natural language to track time, manage activities, generate reports, and more—directly from Claude.

What the assistant can call

Once Early is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

  • EARLY_API_V4_REFERENCE.md — Markdown reference covering all endpoints, parameters, and response formats
  • early_api_v4_collection.json — Full Postman collection export

Setting it up

The server ships on npm as @modelcontextprotocol/inspector, so your MCP client can launch it on demand — there is no separate build step. Add the server block to your client's configuration, restart it, and the tools register themselves.

Configuration and credentials

You will need 3 environment variables: EARLY_API_KEY, EARLY_API_SECRET, MENTION_ID. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

Choosing this one

This sits in the developer tooling group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Early's toolset — EARLY_API_V4_REFERENCE.md, early_api_v4_collection.json — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow.

This entry was verified against Early's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.

Before you rely on it

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the early mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
EARLY_API_V4_REFERENCE.mdMarkdown reference covering all endpoints, parameters, and response formats
early_api_v4_collection.jsonFull Postman collection export

How to install the Early MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "https-github-com-weichselbaum-early": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"],
      "env": {
        "EARLY_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "EARLY_API_SECRET": "your-value",
        "MENTION_ID": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
EARLY_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
EARLY_API_SECRETCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
MENTION_IDConfiguration value read at startup.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • Use Early to EARLY API V4 REFERENCE.md.
  • Use Early to early api v4 collection.json.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Early to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 2 tools (EARLY_API_V4_REFERENCE.md, early_api_v4_collection.json) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Early directly.