Timely

@timely retrieve the details for account id 364 and summarize the current subscription tier and active user count

Retrieved account 364 from Timely. This account is on the Premium tier with 12 active users. The account was created in March 2023 and has time tracking enabled across 8 projects. Current billing cycle renews on the 15th of next month. No outstanding invoices or subscription issues detected.

This example shows read-only account inspection. You must already know the account ID (Timely doesn't provide a list-all-accounts tool in this MCP). Useful for auditing subscription status or confirming account configuration before making changes elsewhere.

@timely create a webhook pointing to https://api.myapp.com/timely-events that fires on time_entry.created and time_entry.updated events

Webhook created successfully for the specified account. The webhook will now send POST requests to https://api.myapp.com/timely-events whenever a time entry is created or updated. Webhook ID: wh_9x7k2m. Remember to validate the webhook signature in your endpoint to confirm authenticity of incoming events.

This is a write action with side effects: once created, the webhook will fire on every matching event until deleted via Timely's web UI or API. Call this tool only once per configuration to avoid duplicate webhooks. Requires a publicly accessible HTTPS endpoint and appropriate OAuth scopes for webhook management.

@timely set up a webhook for project milestone events at https://hooks.slack.com/services/T00/B00/XX and explain what data I'll receive

Timely's available webhook events are time_entry.created, time_entry.updated, time_entry.deleted, and project.archived—there is no dedicated 'milestone' event. I can create a webhook for project.archived events, which would notify you when a project is archived (often used as a proxy for completion). The payload will include project ID, name, archived timestamp, and the user who performed the action. If you need milestone tracking, consider using time_entry events and filtering by project tags or descriptions in your webhook handler.

This example demonstrates the AI reasoning about tool limitations. The MCP only exposes two tools, so the AI must explain what's possible within Timely's actual event schema. Useful for understanding how to bridge the gap between what you want and what the integration supports—often requiring custom logic in your webhook receiver.

When Timely's webhook MCP streamlines invoicing for consultancies

A 6-person consulting shop bills clients by the hour and needs time entries to flow into their invoicing system without manual export. The Timely MCP is the right call here because the webhook tool lets you push completed time entries to your billing stack in real time. You configure the webhook once to target your invoice automation endpoint, subscribe to time-entry events, and you're done. The account-retrieval tool is mostly for debugging (checking which workspace the webhook is attached to). This works cleanly for teams under 15 people where everyone logs time consistently. If your team is larger or tracks sporadically, you'll want a batch-export MCP instead—webhooks fire per event and can flood your system. For small shops with disciplined time tracking, this MCP cuts the invoicing lag from days to minutes.

Using Timely webhooks to flag over-budget projects mid-sprint

A 10-person creative agency runs fixed-bid projects and needs to know when a project is burning hours faster than planned. The Timely MCP's webhook tool can trigger alerts when cumulative time crosses thresholds, feeding a Slack channel or dashboard. You set up the webhook to listen for time-entry events, then your alerting service calculates burn rate against the project budget. The account-retrieval tool is secondary—it's there to confirm workspace metadata if you're managing multiple client accounts. This setup works well for agencies running 5-15 concurrent projects where early warnings matter. If you need historical analysis or forecasting, this MCP is too narrow; you'd want a read-heavy integration with reporting tools. For real-time budget guardrails on active work, the webhook approach keeps project managers ahead of overruns without daily spreadsheet checks.

When Timely's MCP supports labor-law documentation for distributed workforces

A 20-person remote startup in a regulated industry needs to prove hours worked for compliance audits without giving auditors direct access to the time-tracking system. The Timely MCP's webhook tool pushes time entries to an immutable audit log (like an S3 bucket or compliance platform) as they're recorded. You configure the webhook once to send all time-entry events to your archive endpoint, and the account-retrieval tool lets you verify which legal entity the data belongs to. This works for teams where compliance is non-negotiable and you can't rely on manual exports. If your audit requirements are annual and low-stakes, this is overkill—just export a CSV quarterly. For companies facing regular labor audits or client contract disputes, this MCP creates a tamper-evident record that satisfies auditors without ongoing manual effort.