usefulapiNamely MCP server
Read Namely employee profiles, groups, teams, jobs and reports; update profiles, post to the feed. Hosted by usefulapi: connect it to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP client.
What can I ask?
Turn on the Namely connector, then ask in plain words. The AI picks the tools.
- Who reports to Jane Smith, and what are their job titles?
- List everyone in the Sales department with their start dates.
- Which employees have a work anniversary or birthday coming up?
- Post an announcement welcoming our new hire to the company feed.
What you can do with Namely in Claude and ChatGPT
For HR teams who keep employee profiles and company news in Namely.
Find who reports to a manager
The AI lists employee profiles with job title, manager and status, and shows who reports to a person.
List everyone in a department or office
The AI lists groups such as departments and offices, and the members of one group with their details.
See birthdays and work anniversaries in the feed
The AI lists company feed events, such as birthdays, work anniversaries and new arrivals, and reads the comments on one.
Run a saved report
The AI runs a saved Namely report by id and returns its columns and rows. It can sum up the result.
Post an announcement or comment on the feed
The AI posts a markdown announcement to the company feed, optionally mentioning people, or comments on a feed event.
Changes dataUpdate an employee profile
The AI changes standard profile fields such as name, emails, start date, manager or job title. It writes live HR data, so confirm first.
Changes dataHow do I connect Namely?
Before you connect
The login page asks for your Namely site name and Personal Access Token.
The site name is the first part of your Namely address: acme for acme.namely.com. In Namely open the API menu (ask your Namely administrator if you do not see it), tab Personal Access Tokens, and create a token. The token acts with the permissions of the profile that created it, so use an account that may see the HR data you want to ask about; it is valid for 2 years. It is used only to call the Namely API on your behalf and is never shown to anyone.
Claude claude.ai · Desktop
- Open Customize → Connectors, then click + Add → Add custom connector.
- Enter the name Namely and this URL, then click Add:https://
namely. usefulapi. io/ mcp - Claude opens the login page: enter your Namely site name and Personal Access Token.
- In a chat, click + → Connectors and turn on Namely.
Team and Enterprise: an Owner adds the connector for the organization first.
ChatGPT chatgpt.com
- Open Plugins, click +, then Add custom MCP server.
- Enter the name Namely and this URL, choose OAuth as the authentication, confirm the warning and create it:https://
namely. usefulapi. io/ mcp - ChatGPT opens the login page: enter your Namely site name and Personal Access Token.
- In Plugins, install Namely, then choose it in a chat.
No Add custom MCP server option? It depends on your account or workspace settings: see OpenAI's guide.
Claude Code
Run this command, then run /mcp in Claude Code to log in:
Cursor
Add to Cursor or add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"namely": {
"url": "https://namely.usefulapi.io/mcp"
}
}
} VS Code
Add to VS Code or add this to .vscode/mcp.json:
{
"servers": {
"namely": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://namely.usefulapi.io/mcp"
}
}
} Codex
Run these commands. The second one opens the login page:
Other clients
Windsurf, Cline, Zed and other MCP clients: add this URL as a remote MCP server (Streamable HTTP). The client then opens the login page in your browser.
Add only the URL. Do not add an Authorization header or an API key to the client config. The server signs you in with OAuth: the login page asks for your Namely site name and Personal Access Token. If the config has such a header, remove it: some clients then send that header instead of the login token, and every call fails with 401.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 50 tool calls / month |
| Proper user | $9/mo · $90/yr | 10,000 tool calls / month |
| Pro+per user | $39/mo · $390/yr | 100,000 tool calls / month |
Each paid plan covers this Namely server only. Ask your AI to run namely_upgrade and choose Pro or Pro+, billed monthly or yearly (it returns a Stripe Checkout link). If you already have Pro, ask to change it to Pro+. The change requires your confirmation, keeps your billing interval and charges the price difference for the rest of the period immediately. Cancel any time with namely_cancel_subscription: your paid plan continues to the end of the paid period, with no refund for the current period, and asking to resume the same plan with namely_upgrade before then undoes the cancel. Or write to support@usefulapi.io.
Tools 21
Show all 21 tools (the AI picks them for you)
Read only · 14
- Get my profile
namely_get_meGet the profile of the user the connected token belongs to (name, email, job title, manager, access role). - List employee profiles
namely_list_profilesList employee profiles (active, pending and inactive unless filtered) with paging, sorting and filters. Returns {profiles, meta:{count}, linked}. Use format=short for a smaller record (ids, names, email, status, job title); the full record includes every custom field the token may see (compensation, addresses and other sensitive HR data). An empty page means the end. Namely API: GET /profiles (limit 100 requests per minute). - Get employee profile
namely_get_profileGet one employee's full profile by id: personal and job data, manager, groups, teams and the custom fields the token may see (can include compensation and other sensitive HR data). - List profile fields
namely_list_profile_fieldsList the fields of the employee profile as configured at this company (standard and custom), with their labels, sections and the valid format of each value. - List groups
namely_list_groupsList all groups (departments, office locations and other company groups). Every group belongs to one group type. - Get group
namely_get_groupGet one group by id, with the profiles (members) linked to it. - List group types
namely_list_group_typesList the group types (the containers of groups, such as Department or Office). - List teams
namely_list_teamsList all teams with their team categories. - Get team
namely_get_teamGet one team by id, with the profiles (members) linked to it. - List job titles
namely_list_job_titlesList all job titles; each belongs to one job tier. - List job tiers
namely_list_job_tiersList all job tiers (the levels that group job titles). - List feed events
namely_list_eventsList events of the company home feed (announcements, birthdays, work anniversaries, new arrivals), newest first by default, with limit and after (an event id) for paging. - List event comments
namely_list_event_commentsList the comments on a feed event. - Get report
namely_get_reportRun a saved Namely report by id and return its columns and rows (live data; each row is a list in column order). Find the id in the URL of the report in Namely. Reports can contain sensitive HR data such as salary history.
Changes data · 3
- Update employee profile
namely_update_profileChange standard fields of an employee profile (name, emails, start date, status, manager, job title). WRITES live HR data. Send only the fields to change. Setting user_status to pending needs a personal_email. - Post announcement
namely_create_announcementPost an announcement to the company home feed, visible to every employee. Markdown; to mention a person write [Full Name](/people/<profile_id>). With is_appreciation, mentioned people are appreciated. email_all=true ALSO EMAILS every active employee at their company address (needs the permission) and cannot be undone: set it only when the user explicitly asks. - Comment on event
namely_create_event_commentAdd a comment to a feed event, posted as the token's user and visible to employees who see the event. Markdown; mention a person with [Full Name](/people/<profile_id>).
Your usefulapi plan · 4
- Usage status (free-tier meter)
namely_usage_statusReport the caller's current usage: the plan, calls used this month, the limit of the plan (the free monthly cap or the Pro fair use limit), remaining, and whether the limit is reached. Read-only; does not count against the meter. - Request a missing feature
namely_request_featureTell usefulapi that the user needs something the Namely tools cannot do yet (a missing tool, field or filter). Call it only when the user asks for something none of the tools can do, and tell the user that you send the request. Do not call it for errors or for normal requests. Do not include personal data, credentials or customer records. Stored with the product name and the client type (for example Claude or Cursor), without the user's account. At most 5 requests per day. Does not count against the meter. - Upgrade to Pro or Pro+
namely_upgradeGet a paid plan for Namely (the free tier caps monthly usage). Pro: 10,000 tool calls a month, for normal use — plan "monthly" ($9/month) or "yearly" ($90/year, 2 months free). Pro+: 100,000 tool calls a month, for automations and heavy use — plan "plus" ($39/month) or "plus_yearly" ($390/year). Without a plan it returns both Pro and Pro+, each with a payment link, for the user to choose; with a plan, one link. An existing Pro subscription changes to Pro+ in place: call without confirm first, as the reply states the exact charge for this account (the price difference for the rest of the period, or in a free Pro trial the full Pro+ price, as the trial ends); then call with confirm: true. Cancel any time: the plan then runs to the end of the paid period, so it also suits a one-time job. A link opens Stripe Checkout in the browser; after payment the account upgrades automatically. Does not count against the meter. - Cancel the Pro subscription
namely_cancel_subscriptionCancel the caller's Namely Pro subscription at the end of the paid period (no refund for the current period; Pro continues until then, then the free tier applies). Requires confirm: true. Run namely_upgrade later to undo the cancel before the period ends. Does not count against the meter.
FAQ
What can I do with Namely in Claude or ChatGPT?
Find who reports to a manager. List everyone in a department or office. See birthdays and work anniversaries in the feed. Run a saved report. Post an announcement or comment on the feed. Update an employee profile. See what you can do for the details.
Is this an official Namely product?
No. usefulapi is an independent service. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Namely. The server calls the Namely API with your own Namely access, so it sees only the data that your account can see.
Can I connect Namely to Claude or ChatGPT?
Yes. In Claude, add this server's URL as a custom connector. In ChatGPT, add it as a custom MCP server in Plugins. Then log in once. Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code and Codex work too. See the setup steps.
What do I need to connect?
The login page asks for your Namely site name and Personal Access Token. See Before you connect for where to find them.
Do I put my Namely key or an Authorization header in the client config?
No. Add only the URL. Do not add an Authorization header or an API key to the client config. The server signs you in with OAuth: the login page asks for your Namely site name and Personal Access Token. If the config has such a header, remove it: some clients then send that header instead of the login token, and every call fails with 401.
How do you keep my Namely credentials?
The login stores them encrypted in the authorization grant of your connection. The server uses them to call the Namely API for you and to derive a private account id for usage metering. usefulapi does not show them on any page or in any reply. To stop all access, remove the connector and change or delete these credentials in Namely.
Can the AI change my Namely data?
Yes, if you approve it. 3 of the 17 Namely tools can create or change data. The other 14 are marked read-only. Most MCP clients ask you to approve a tool call before it runs.
What does it cost?
The Free plan gives 50 tool calls / month. Pro costs $9/mo or $90/yr, with 10,000 tool calls / month. Pro+ costs $39/mo or $390/yr, with 100,000 tool calls / month. Each subscription covers this Namely server only. Cancel any time: your paid plan then runs to the end of the paid period. Run namely_usage_status to see how many calls you used.
How do I subscribe or cancel?
Ask the AI to run namely_upgrade and choose Pro or Pro+, billed monthly or yearly: it returns a Stripe Checkout link. If you already have Pro, ask to change it to Pro+. After you confirm, your existing subscription changes in place, keeps its billing interval and charges the price difference for the rest of the period immediately. To cancel, run namely_cancel_subscription. Your paid plan continues to the end of the paid period.
What if a Namely tool that I need is missing?
Tell the AI what you wanted to do. It can send the request with namely_request_feature. We store the text with the server name, the type of AI client and the tool you tried, not with your account, and read every request when we plan new tools. You can send up to 5 requests per day.
Which AI clients can I use?
Any client that supports remote MCP servers (Streamable HTTP) with OAuth login: Claude (web and desktop), Claude Code, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf and others.
This is a Model Context Protocol endpoint — meant to be connected from an AI client, not opened in a browser. An invalid_token response at the URL is the auth gate working as designed; clients authenticate automatically.
Need a tool this server does not have, or a connection to another system? We build custom integrations and MCP servers.