---
name: bamboohr-hello-world
description: "Create a minimal working BambooHR example \u2014 fetch employee directory\
  \ and single employee.\nUse when starting a new BambooHR integration, testing your\
  \ setup,\nor learning basic BambooHR REST API patterns.\nTrigger with phrases like\
  \ \"bamboohr hello world\", \"bamboohr example\",\n\"bamboohr quick start\", \"\
  simple bamboohr code\", \"first bamboohr call\".\n"
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash(curl:*)
version: 1.0.0
license: MIT
author: Jeremy Longshore <jeremy@intentsolutions.io>
tags:
- saas
- hr
- bamboohr
- quickstart
compatibility: Designed for Claude Code
---
# BambooHR Hello World

## Overview

Minimal working examples for the three most common BambooHR API operations: fetch the employee directory, get a single employee by ID, and run a custom report.

## Prerequisites

- Completed `bamboohr-install-auth` setup
- `BAMBOOHR_API_KEY` and `BAMBOOHR_COMPANY_DOMAIN` env vars set

## Instructions

### Step 1: Fetch Employee Directory

```typescript
import 'dotenv/config';

const COMPANY = process.env.BAMBOOHR_COMPANY_DOMAIN!;
const API_KEY = process.env.BAMBOOHR_API_KEY!;
const BASE = `https://api.bamboohr.com/api/gateway.php/${COMPANY}/v1`;
const AUTH = `Basic ${Buffer.from(`${API_KEY}:x`).toString('base64')}`;

// GET /employees/directory — returns all active employees
const dirRes = await fetch(`${BASE}/employees/directory`, {
  headers: { Authorization: AUTH, Accept: 'application/json' },
});
const directory = await dirRes.json();

console.log(`Company has ${directory.employees.length} employees`);
for (const emp of directory.employees.slice(0, 5)) {
  console.log(`  ${emp.displayName} — ${emp.jobTitle} (${emp.department})`);
}
```

**Directory response shape:**

```json
{
  "fields": [
    { "id": "displayName", "type": "text", "name": "Display Name" },
    { "id": "jobTitle", "type": "text", "name": "Job Title" }
  ],
  "employees": [
    {
      "id": "123",
      "displayName": "Jane Smith",
      "firstName": "Jane",
      "lastName": "Smith",
      "jobTitle": "Software Engineer",
      "department": "Engineering",
      "location": "Remote",
      "workEmail": "jane@acme.com",
      "photoUrl": "https://..."
    }
  ]
}
```

### Step 2: Get a Single Employee

```typescript
// GET /employees/{id}/?fields=firstName,lastName,jobTitle,department,hireDate,workEmail
const empRes = await fetch(
  `${BASE}/employees/123/?fields=firstName,lastName,jobTitle,department,hireDate,workEmail,status`,
  { headers: { Authorization: AUTH, Accept: 'application/json' } },
);
const employee = await empRes.json();

console.log(`${employee.firstName} ${employee.lastName}`);
console.log(`  Title: ${employee.jobTitle}`);
console.log(`  Dept:  ${employee.department}`);
console.log(`  Hired: ${employee.hireDate}`);
console.log(`  Email: ${employee.workEmail}`);
```

**Common employee fields you can request:**

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `firstName`, `lastName`, `displayName` | Name fields |
| `jobTitle`, `department`, `division` | Position |
| `workEmail`, `homeEmail`, `mobilePhone` | Contact |
| `hireDate`, `originalHireDate` | Dates |
| `status` | `Active` or `Inactive` |
| `employeeNumber`, `location`, `supervisor` | Org data |
| `payRate`, `payType`, `exempt` | Compensation (admin only) |

### Step 3: Run a Custom Report

```typescript
// POST /reports/custom?format=JSON
const reportRes = await fetch(`${BASE}/reports/custom?format=JSON`, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    Authorization: AUTH,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    Accept: 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    title: 'Hello World Report',
    fields: ['firstName', 'lastName', 'department', 'jobTitle', 'hireDate'],
    filters: {
      lastChanged: { includeNull: 'no', value: '2024-01-01T00:00:00Z' },
    },
  }),
});
const report = await reportRes.json();

console.log(`Report: ${report.title} — ${report.employees.length} rows`);
for (const row of report.employees) {
  console.log(`  ${row.firstName} ${row.lastName} | ${row.department}`);
}
```

### Python Equivalent

```python
import os, requests
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()
COMPANY = os.environ["BAMBOOHR_COMPANY_DOMAIN"]
API_KEY = os.environ["BAMBOOHR_API_KEY"]
BASE = f"https://api.bamboohr.com/api/gateway.php/{COMPANY}/v1"

# Employee directory
r = requests.get(f"{BASE}/employees/directory",
                 auth=(API_KEY, "x"),
                 headers={"Accept": "application/json"})
directory = r.json()
for emp in directory["employees"][:5]:
    print(f"  {emp['displayName']} — {emp['jobTitle']}")

# Single employee
r = requests.get(f"{BASE}/employees/123/",
                 params={"fields": "firstName,lastName,department,hireDate"},
                 auth=(API_KEY, "x"),
                 headers={"Accept": "application/json"})
print(r.json())
```

## Output

- Employee directory listing with names, titles, and departments
- Single employee detail response
- Custom report with filtered results
- Console output confirming working connection

## Error Handling

| Error | Cause | Solution |
|-------|-------|----------|
| 401 Unauthorized | Bad API key | Check `BAMBOOHR_API_KEY` value |
| 404 Not Found | Wrong employee ID or company domain | Verify ID exists; check `BAMBOOHR_COMPANY_DOMAIN` |
| 400 Bad Request | Invalid field name in request | Check field name list in docs |
| Empty `employees` array | No active employees or permissions | Verify API key has read access |

## Resources

- [BambooHR Field Names Reference](https://documentation.bamboohr.com/docs/list-of-field-names)
- [BambooHR API Technical Overview](https://documentation.bamboohr.com/docs/api-details)

## Next Steps

Proceed to `bamboohr-local-dev-loop` for development workflow setup.