# Timebook CLI Command-line client and **MCP server** for [Timebook](https://usetimebook.com) — track time, manage timers, and expose your Timebook account to AI agents (Claude, Codex, Cursor, …) over the [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io). [](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@squidcode/timebook) [](./LICENSE) [](https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/squidcode/timebook-cli) ## Install ```bash # one-off npx @squidcode/timebook login # globally npm install -g @squidcode/timebook timebook --help ``` Requires Node.js **18.17+**. ## Authenticate `timebook login` opens your browser, you log into Timebook (or use an existing session) and pick a scope (which clients/projects this token can touch). The browser delivers the token back to a short-lived loopback HTTP listener, which the CLI then writes to a config file with `0600` permissions. ```bash timebook login ``` The token is stored at: - macOS: `~/Library/Preferences/timebook/config.json` - Linux: `~/.config/timebook/config.json` - Windows: `%APPDATA%\timebook\Config\config.json` The token never leaves your machine after login. To revoke it server-side, visit `https://usetimebook.com/settings/api-tokens`. ## Use it as a CLI ```bash timebook whoami timebook projects # list projects timebook clients # list clients timebook start -p "Acme website" -d "Wireframes" timebook status # show running timer timebook stop # manual entries timebook log -p "Acme website" -t 1h30m -d "Code review" timebook log -p PROJ_ID --start 2026-05-04T09:00 --end 2026-05-04T10:30 timebook entries --project "Acme website" -n 10 # edit / delete (any combination of fields; unset ones stay as-is) timebook entries edit ENTRY_ID -t 2h -d "code review + tests" timebook entries edit ENTRY_ID --start 2026-05-04T09:00 --end 2026-05-04T11:00 timebook entries edit ENTRY_ID -d "" # clear description timebook entries delete ENTRY_ID ``` Duration formats accepted: `1h`, `45m`, `1h30m`, `1.5h`, `1:30`, or a bare number (interpreted as minutes — e.g. `90` → 1h 30m). **Edit / delete authorization:** an API token can only modify entries it created itself. JWT sessions (the web UI) and admin tokens bypass this rule. Invoiced entries are locked for everyone via the API. A 403 with a friendly message is returned on a denied attempt — fix the entry from the web UI or with the token that created it. ## Use it as an MCP server The same binary speaks MCP over stdio when invoked with `timebook mcp`. Drop it into any MCP-aware host (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Cursor, …): ### Claude Code / Claude Desktop ```json { "mcpServers": { "timebook": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@squidcode/timebook", "mcp"] } } } ``` Or, if installed globally: ```json { "mcpServers": { "timebook": { "command": "timebook", "args": ["mcp"] } } } ``` The MCP server reuses the token saved by `timebook login` — run `timebook login` once in a terminal before starting the agent. ### Use it as a remote MCP (Claude.ai web) Timebook also runs as a hosted Streamable-HTTP MCP server at **`https://usetimebook.com/mcp`** with full OAuth 2.0 (Dynamic Client Registration + PKCE + refresh-token rotation). No CLI install required — Claude.ai discovers it via the standard well-known endpoints: - Auth-server metadata: `https://usetimebook.com/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server` - Resource metadata: `https://usetimebook.com/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource/mcp` Connect from Claude.ai → Settings → Connectors → Add → paste `https://usetimebook.com/mcp`. You'll be redirected to Timebook's consent page once, then Claude can use all the same tools listed below. Same OAuth-style permissions you'd see for any first-class connector. The HTTP endpoint also accepts `Authorization: Bearer tbk_*` (your existing API token) for any client that prefers token-paste over OAuth — including server-to-server use. ### Tools exposed to the model | Tool | What it does | | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `whoami` | Current authenticated user (read-only) | | `list_projects` | All projects in scope (read-only) | | `list_clients` | All clients in scope (read-only) | | `get_active_timer` | The running timer, or `null` (read-only) | | `start_timer` | Start a timer on a project | | `stop_timer` | Stop the running timer | | `log_time` | Log a manual entry (`duration` OR `startTime`+`endTime`) | | `list_entries` | Recent entries (default 50, max 500), project + date filters | | `update_entry` | Edit one or more fields on an entry (description, duration, startTime, endTime, project, rate). Token must own the entry. | | `delete_entry` | Delete an entry. Token must own it. Invoiced entries are locked. | ### Try it with prompts Once the MCP server is connected, ask the model in plain English: - _"Start a timer on my Acme website project for landing-page wireframes."_ - _"How much time did I log on the Recycler project last week?"_ - _"Log 1 hour 30 minutes against ChatNexus from 9am this morning at the Software Development rate, with description 'code review of the auth refactor'."_ - _"What am I currently working on?"_ — invokes `get_active_timer`. - _"Stop my timer."_ - _"My last entry on Recycler should be 2 hours, not 1h45m. Fix it."_ — invokes `list_entries` then `update_entry`. - _"Delete the entry I just made by mistake."_ — invokes `delete_entry`. Will 403 if the entry was created by a different token (web UI, another agent) — say so to the model so it doesn't keep retrying. The model picks the right tool, asks `list_projects` first if it needs to disambiguate a name, and writes through `start_timer` / `log_time` / `stop_timer`. ## Privacy Timebook CLI runs on your machine and only talks to your Timebook account. - **Authentication**: `timebook login` mints a personal API token via Timebook's OAuth-style consent screen. The token is stored locally with `0600` permissions (`~/Library/Preferences/timebook/config.json` on macOS, `~/.config/timebook/config.json` on Linux, `%APPDATA%\timebook\Config\config.json` on Windows). It is never transmitted anywhere except `https://usetimebook.com` (or your override) on outgoing API calls. - **Telemetry**: none. Neither the CLI nor the MCP server reports usage, errors, or analytics anywhere. - **MCP host data**: when you use `timebook mcp` from inside Claude / Cursor / etc., the MCP host (not Timebook) controls what the model sees. Tool inputs and outputs flow through the host's normal model-context pipeline. - **Revoking access**: visit https://usetimebook.com/settings/api-tokens to revoke the token at any time. For Timebook's product-level privacy policy, see https://usetimebook.com/privacy. ## Configuration Override the API/web hosts (useful for self-hosted Timebook or local dev): ```bash TIMEBOOK_API_URL=https://api.example.com \ TIMEBOOK_WEB_URL=https://example.com \ timebook login ``` You can also pass `--api-url` and `--web-url` to `timebook login` once; subsequent commands re-use the saved values. If `timebook login` errors with `State mismatch` or you want to see exactly which requests reach the loopback callback, run with `--debug`: ```bash timebook login --debug ``` ## Develop ```bash git clone https://github.com/squidcode/timebook-cli cd timebook-cli npm install npm run dev -- --help # tsx-powered hot-loop npm run build # emits dist/ npm run lint && npm run typecheck && npm run test ``` Pre-commit hooks (ESLint + Prettier via `lint-staged`) are wired up by `husky` on `npm install`. ## Release `prepublishOnly` runs lint + typecheck + tests + build, then: ```bash npm publish --access public ``` ## License MIT © Squidcode LLC. See [LICENSE](./LICENSE).