Integration · Payroll & HR

Connect Claude & ChatGPT to Buddy Punch

Ask your AI who is missing a punch, how many hours someone worked this pay period, or to approve a time-off request in Buddy Punch. It can read employees, time cards, punches and schedules, clock people in and out, fix punch times, and create and publish shifts. Timesheet questions get answered without opening each card.

Connect Buddy Punch free

Free plan, no credit card. Takes about a minute.

Try asking

“How many hours did Emma work in the current pay period?”
The AI finds the pay period and Emma's time card, and reads the totals and approval status.
“Jonas forgot to clock out yesterday. Set his punch-out to 17:00.”
It finds his time card and punch, then changes the punch-out time.
“Approve Sara's time-off request for next Friday.”
It lists her time-off requests for that date and approves the matching one.

What your AI can do

Time cards and punches

List time cards per pay period, read punches and entries, clock employees in and out, add, fix or delete punches, and approve time cards.

Time off

List requests and balances, request time off for an employee, and approve or reject requests.

Employees and schedules

Create and update employees, list locations and positions, and create, update, delete and publish shifts.

“Schedule Anna and Mikkel for the morning shift at the warehouse, Monday to Friday next week.”
It looks up the location and employees and creates the shifts with start and end times.
“Publish next week's schedule and notify everyone.”
It publishes the schedule for that date range and can notify employees by email or push.
“How much PTO does Lars have left?”
It reads Lars's time-off accrual balances.

30 tools for Buddy Punch

These tools are switched on when you connect. You can switch any of them off, or require your approval before it runs.

approve_time_cardVisible to othersApprove (or set the approval `status` of) a time card by `time_card_id`, with an optional note.
approve_time_offVisible to othersApprove a time-off request by `time_off_id`.
clock_inChanges dataClock an employee in by `employee_id`, optionally with location, position, department, note and time.
clock_outChanges dataClock an employee out by `employee_id`, optionally with a note and time.
create_employeeChanges dataAdd an employee with `first_name`, `last_name`, `email` and `username`, plus optional phone and employee number.
create_punchChanges dataAdd a manual punch to a time card: `employee_id`, `time_card_id`, `punch_in_datetime` and optional punch-out time, location, position and note.
create_shiftChanges dataCreate a scheduled shift for `staff_ids` with start and end times, location, position, notes and optional repeat rules.
create_time_offChanges dataRequest time off for an employee with hours per date (`pto_hours_tuples`).
delete_punchDeletesPermanently delete a punch by `punch_id`.
delete_shiftDeletesDelete a scheduled shift by `shift_id`.
end_breakChanges dataEnd the current break for an employee.
get_employeeGet one employee by `employee_id`.
get_time_cardGet one time card by `time_card_id`, including totals and approval status.
get_time_off_balancesGet an employee's time-off accrual balances by `employee_id`.
list_employeesList employees, with sorting and cursor paging. Use to find an employee ID.
list_locationsList locations employees can clock in at.
list_pay_periodsMoves moneyList pay periods. A pay period ID is needed to list time cards.
list_positionsList positions (roles) used on punches and shifts.
list_punchesList punches on a time card by `time_card_id`.
list_scheduleList scheduled shifts, filtered by end date, employees, locations or positions.
list_time_card_entriesList the time rows (punches, breaks, time off) on a time card by `time_card_id`.
list_time_cardsList time cards in a pay period by `pay_period_id`.
list_time_offList time-off requests, filtered by employee and date range.
publish_scheduleVisible to othersPublish the schedule for a date range (`start_date`, `end_date`), optionally for certain employees; can notify employees by email or push.
reject_time_offVisible to othersReject a time-off request by `time_off_id` with an optional note; `send_email` controls whether the employee is emailed.
start_breakChanges dataStart a break for an employee with a `break_rule_id`.
update_employeeChanges dataUpdate an employee's name, email, phone, manager flag or active status by `employee_id`.
update_punch_inVisible to othersChange the punch-in time (and optionally location, position or note) of a punch by `punch_id`.
update_punch_outVisible to othersChange the punch-out time of a punch by `punch_id`.
update_shiftChanges dataUpdate a scheduled shift by `shift_id` (times, staff, location, position, notes, repeats).

Set up in three steps

1
Pick the app
Create a free PipMCP account and choose Buddy Punch from the app list.
2
Paste your key
Paste a Buddy Punch API key (starts with bp_live_). It needs the Pro or Advanced plan and an Administrator login. In Buddy Punch go to Settings → Integrations, find the Developer API card and click Manage API Keys, then Create New API Key. Pick Read or Write permission per resource and copy the key, which is shown only once. If the card is missing, ask Buddy Punch support to enable the Developer API.
3
Add the link to your AI
You get a personal MCP link. Add it to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor:
1. Click your name, then Settings › Connectors › Add custom connector.
2. Paste your link as the Remote MCP server URL.
3. Switch it on from the + menu in a chat.

Questions

What can the AI do in Buddy Punch?

The AI can read employees, pay periods, time cards, punches, time-off requests and balances, schedules, locations and positions. It can create and update employees, clock people in and out, start and end breaks, add, change or delete punches, approve time cards, handle time off, and create, change, delete and publish shifts.

Does the AI see my Buddy Punch API key?

No. Your Buddy Punch API key is encrypted at rest and never shown to the AI. After you save it, it is not shown again, not even to you. The AI only sees the results of the tools it calls.

Can I control what the AI is allowed to do?

Yes. You choose which tools are switched on, so you can start read-only. Approving time cards and time off, changing punch times, publishing the schedule and deleting punches or shifts can require your approval before they run. Every tool call is logged.

Does it work with ChatGPT?

Yes. In ChatGPT go to Settings › Apps & Connectors › Advanced and turn on Developer mode, then add your PipMCP link. Developer mode needs a paid ChatGPT plan: Plus, Pro, Business or Enterprise. The same link also works in Claude (Settings › Connectors › Add custom connector), Cursor and other MCP clients.

What does it cost?

PipMCP has a free plan with no credit card required. Paid plans bill per completed task. You also need your own Buddy Punch account on a plan with the Developer API.

Can I limit the Buddy Punch key itself?

Yes. When you create the key in Buddy Punch, you pick Read or Write permission for each resource. Buddy Punch then blocks anything outside those permissions, on top of the tools you switch on in PipMCP.