Approve ClockShark time off requests against the schedule

1. Time off needs the Pro plan, a Pay Period, Enable Time Off under Admin > Company Settings > Time Off, and at least one policy under Time > Policies.
2. Go to Time > Requests and click a request to review it.
3. Open SCHEDULES for the same dates and check which job the employee is on and who else is booked there.
4. Back on the request, click Approve, or type a Note with the reason and click Decline.
5. Repeat for every pending request. A decline cannot be undone in ClockShark, so one wrong click means the employee has to send a new request.

Approve every pending ClockShark time off request that does not take someone off a scheduled shift, and ask me about the rest.

1. 01

   Collect the pending queue

   list_time_off_requests returns the pending requests. Requests whose dates are already past are listed apart, because answering them changes a balance, not next week.

2. 02

   Lay each request over the schedule

   For each request the agent calls list_shifts for that employee and those days, drafts included. No shift on the requested days means no conflict.

3. 03

   Judge coverage, not just overlap

   When the employee is booked, the agent looks at the same job on those days. Other crew still scheduled there makes the request coverable; being the only person on the job makes it a conflict.

4. 04

   Approve the clear ones, hold the rest

   Clear and coverable requests go to respond_time_off_request as approve, each waiting for your OK unless you switched that off. Conflicts are never declined on their own: the agent drafts a decline note and waits, since a decline is final.

5. 05

   Name the shifts that now need a person

   Answering a request does not touch the schedule, so every approved request that overlaps a shift is listed with the job and time, ready for you or the scheduling job to reassign.

Pending time off: 4 requests
Approved: Luis Ortega, Vacation, 19 to 20 Oct, 16 h, no shifts those days
Approved: Ana Silva, Sick, Fri 17 Oct, 8 h, two others still on 42 Oak Street
Waiting for you: Mike Torres, Vacation, 20 to 24 Oct, only framer on Elm Ave that week
Waiting for you: Jen Park, Personal, Tue 7 Oct, date already past
Shift to reassign: Ana Silva, Fri 17 Oct, 42 Oak Street, 7:00 to 15:30

• ClockShark time off requests exist only on the Pro plan, and time off policies need a Pay Period under Admin > Company > Payroll and Overtime first.
• ClockShark emails the employee on both approve and decline, and approved hours are deducted from the balance of that policy.
• A ClockShark approval made by mistake can still be turned into a decline, but a decline cannot be undone and the employee must request again.
• A ClockShark manager answers requests only with Manage Time Off ticked in Manager Settings, and only for their own team.
• When an approved ClockShark request is later canceled or declined, the hours are refunded and the refund is recorded in the Audit Log.

respond_time_off_request asks for your OK by default. To run it daily without you, switch confirmation off for that tool in your dashboard.

Sources: ClockShark: Approve or decline requested time off · ClockShark: Set up time off policies · ClockShark: Roles and manager permissions · ClockShark: Audit Log FAQ

curl https://cotlet.dev/api/v1/clockshark/respond_time_off_request \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $COTLET_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"request_id":"r_20871","decision":"approve"}'

{
  "request_id": "r_20871",
  "employee": "Luis Ortega",
  "decision": "approve",
  "status": "approved"
}

MCP: add https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1 with the same key; the tool is clockshark_respond_time_off_request. Example data.

• Approve ClockShark timesheets before payroll
• Fix missed clock outs in ClockShark every morning
• Schedule a crew on a new job in ClockShark
• ClockShark API and MCP server: every tool
• All use cases