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Shiftbase API and MCP server

Shiftbase has no official way for AI agents to approve hours, leave or shift swaps, and its Public API needs a token and your own code. Sign in to Shiftbase once in your own Cloud Browser, and your AI agent does the work there for you. The same tools work over MCP for agents and as a REST API for scripts.

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Not affiliated with Shiftbase.

Shiftbase has no API for this. So we run one for you.

Shiftbase's own API, a GitHub MCP server and Cotlet compared
What you need Shiftbase's APIGitHub MCP serverCotlet
Timesheet approvals, leave decisions, shift exchanges No No Yes, 13 tools
Acts as you, signed in 24/7 No No Yes, Cloud Browser
Fixed for you when Shiftbase changes N/A No Yes, tested every 6h
Runs with your laptop off N/A No Yes, hosted

Checked Oct 22, 2026. Sources: Shiftbase Help: Full API access · Shiftbase developer docs · Shiftbase: build on the API as a technology partner

Your own Cloud Browser, on 24/7. Sign in once. We keep it connected.

  1. 01Sign in to Shiftbase in your own Cloud Browser

  2. 02Connect it for your agents

  3. 03Cotlet keeps it signed in and working

How do I connect Shiftbase to Claude, ChatGPT or my code?

AI agents connect over MCP, scripts call the REST API. Both reach the same 13 tools with one API key.

For AI agents: MCP

Add Cotlet to your agent once. Shiftbase and every other app you connect show up as its tools.

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • OpenClaw
  • Hermes
  • GrokBot
  • Cursor
  • n8n
  • Any MCP client
  1. 1

    Add Cotlet to your agent

    Claude Code
    claude mcp add --transport http cotlet \
  https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1 \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $COTLET_API_KEY"
    Cursor
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "cotlet": {
      "url": "https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${COTLET_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}
    Codex
    # ~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.cotlet]
url = "https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1"
bearer_token_env_var = "COTLET_API_KEY"

    Paste the snippet for your client. The same server and key serve every app you connect, so you do this once.

For scripts: REST API

Every tool is an endpoint under /api/v1/shiftbase with its own method and path, such as PUT /api/v1/shiftbase/timesheet-status, with the same API key. Our open-source repo has ready scripts to start from.

REST API docs

What can the Shiftbase API and MCP server do?

13 tools on your own Shiftbase account. Agents call them as operations of the MCP tools shiftbase_read and shiftbase_write; scripts call each one at its own REST endpoint, with the same inputs and answers.

API reference
Shiftbase tools in Cotlet's MCP server and REST API
Tool What it does Access
list_departments List the departments and teams of the account. read
list_employees List employees, with their department and contract type. read
list_shifts List scheduled shifts for a date range. read
list_open_shifts List open shifts that no employee holds yet. read
list_timesheet_entries List worked hours from the Timesheet tab. read
list_absence_requests List absence and leave requests. read
list_exchange_requests List shift exchanges that wait for approval. read
add_worked_hours Add a timesheet entry for an employee. writeasks first
set_timesheet_status Approve, decline or restore timesheet entries to pending. writeasks first
approve_absence_request Approve a pending absence or leave request. writeasks first
decline_absence_request Decline a pending absence or leave request. writeasks first
approve_exchange_request Approve an accepted shift exchange. writeasks first
decline_exchange_request Decline an accepted shift exchange. writeasks first

Scroll the table for all 13 tools.

Ask in plain words. Your agent does the rest.

All Shiftbase use cases

Is it safe to connect Shiftbase?

You sign in yourself in your own Cloud Browser, we never save your password, and anything that reaches your readers waits for your OK. The browser profile is encrypted in the EU. Independent scanners grade cotlet.dev A+.

Security overview

How much do the Shiftbase API and MCP server cost?

One price for both: a tool call costs the same over MCP or REST. Free 7-day trial with 2,000 credits, no card needed. Then one-time credit packs, no subscription, valid 12 months. Most calls use 25 credits, and your Cloud Browser uses 50 credits a day while Shiftbase is enabled for agents, so 20 calls a day come to 550 credits.

See full pricing
Cotlet credit packs: price, credits and calls at 25 credits each
Credits Price, one time Calls at 25 credits Per 1,000 credits
5,000 $29 200 $5.80
15,000 $79 600 $5.27
32,000 $149 1,280 $4.66
60,000 $249 2,400 $4.15

Only successful calls use credits; failed calls and timeouts cost nothing. At a balance of 0 calls pause, never a surprise charge. Authenticate with the Authorization: Bearer header.

Questions

Does Shiftbase have an API?

Shiftbase has a Public API for employees, schedules, time registration, clocks and reports, but no official MCP server (checked 22 Oct 2026). An admin installs the Public API tile in the App center to get a token, and every integration is code you write and run yourself.

How do I get access?

Sign up free, open Shiftbase under Integrations in the console and press Request access. Your free trial starts with your account, no card needed.

Is the MCP server different from the API?

No, only the way in. Cotlet builds each integration as a REST API and puts an MCP server on top, so both have the same 13 tools, the same inputs and answers, one API key and one price. AI agents such as Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor use MCP; scripts, cron jobs and HTTP steps in n8n, Make or Zapier use the REST API.

What is the Cloud Browser?

Your own Chrome that Cotlet runs for you in the EU, around the clock. You open it from the console, sign in to Shiftbase yourself and press Enable for agents. Your agent's calls go through it, from its IP with its cookies, so Shiftbase sees the browser you signed in with. Password saving is off and the profile is stored encrypted with AES-256-GCM.

Can my agent act without asking me?

Not on anything that reaches other people: add_worked_hours, set_timesheet_status, approve_absence_request, decline_absence_request, approve_exchange_request, decline_exchange_request wait for your OK by default. You can switch that off per tool for scheduled runs.

Which Shiftbase role does my agent need?

The role you sign in with. Approving hours needs the right to approve in the Timesheet tab, approving exchanges needs the Approve exchanges permission (the Planner has it by default), and Planners can approve absence requests. A call without the right fails with a permission error.

Does Cotlet need the Shiftbase Public API token?

No. The Public API needs a token that an admin installs from Settings > App center > Public API. Cotlet works in your signed-in account instead, so no token is created or stored.

Should I use a Shiftbase MCP server from GitHub instead?

Pick one if you want the code on your own computer and do not mind the upkeep: you install it, sign it in and fix it when Shiftbase changes. Pick Cotlet if you want it hosted and kept working for you.

Can I use it in n8n, Make or Zapier?

Yes. Add https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1 in n8n's MCP Client node, or call the REST endpoints from an HTTP step in Make or Zapier.

Who runs Cotlet?

Cotlet is run by Take Group, a Polish software company working since 2019. Take Group runs about 3,200 websites on its own systems and has its own DevOps team for infrastructure security. We built and used integrations like this inside the company for years before opening them as Cotlet.

Is Cotlet affiliated with Shiftbase?

No. Cotlet is independent and not affiliated with Shiftbase.

Give your agent access to Shiftbase.

Free 7-day trial with 2,000 credits, no card needed.

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