Productivity & Project Management · Float + Claude
Float MCP with Claude: Plan Team Capacity and Project Staffing in Plain Language
The short answer
Claude works with Float through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a secure standard that lets Claude read and act inside Float with permissions you control. Once connected, people can ask Claude about availability, propose project assignments and request utilisation reports in everyday language, with approvals kept in place.
What is Float?
Float is a resource management and project planning platform. Scheduling teams, project managers, operations leads and resourcing managers use it to plan work across people and projects, see who has capacity, track time and report how much of each team's time is being used. It replaces many spreadsheets that teams otherwise maintain by hand to keep projects properly staffed.
How Claude connects to Float through MCP
The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that acts like a universal adapter between Claude and other software. It lets Claude securely use a tool, reading information and taking actions, with permissions the organisation sets. For Float, the connection is made using an API key, so access is tied to a defined account.
Once connected, Claude can typically read project schedules, look up team members, check who is free over a given period and review utilisation figures. It can also help draft changes to assignments, such as moving a person onto a new project, so a planner can review the picture quickly without clicking through several screens.
Permissions and approvals keep people in charge. Access can be limited to the views and actions each role needs. Consequential changes, such as reassigning a senior person or altering a live schedule, can be set to require a manager's confirmation before Claude carries them out, and activity can be logged for review.
What you can automate
Weekly capacity check
Before a Monday planning meeting, a resourcing manager asks Claude which team members have more than twenty percent free capacity next month. Claude summarises availability by team and role, flags over-committed people and suggests where spare hours could support a delayed project. The manager gets a clear view in minutes instead of compiling it from several sources.
New project staffing
When a new client project is confirmed, a project lead asks Claude to propose a team that matches the required skills and available hours. Claude lists suitable candidates from Float, shows their current loads and drafts the assignments for approval. The lead reviews the proposal, adjusts it and confirms, keeping control of every decision.
Utilisation reporting
A department head needs a monthly utilisation report for leadership. Claude pulls utilisation figures by team, compares them with the previous month and highlights teams running well above or below target. The result is a short summary the department head can review and share, without building charts by hand.
Leave and absence cover
When a team member goes on leave, an operations manager asks Claude which project tasks will need cover and who has room to take them over. Claude identifies affected assignments and suggests options, and the manager approves the changes. This avoids gaps in delivery during holiday periods.
Schedule clean-up
Each quarter, a planning coordinator asks Claude to find assignments that no longer match active projects or that overlap in ways that look like errors. Claude lists them with reasons, so the coordinator can correct records and keep the plan accurate.
An end-to-end workflow: New client onboarding and staffing
TriggerA deal is marked as won in the company's CRM, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Salesforce, and a new project is created.
Claude reads the project brief and required skills from the CRM record and the project folder in Microsoft 365.
Claude checks Float for team members with matching skills and enough free capacity over the project's dates.
Claude drafts a proposed team with planned hours per person and shows any clashes with existing work.
The project lead reviews the draft and approves or edits it, and a manager signs off any senior assignments.
Once approved, Claude creates the assignments in Float and posts a summary to the project channel in Microsoft Teams.
Monthly, Claude includes the project's planned versus actual hours in the utilisation report.
OutcomeProjects are staffed faster with fewer double-bookings, and leadership sees planned and actual effort from the first week, with a person approving every assignment.
How we set it up
Free automation audit
We review how your team plans work today, including Float, your spreadsheets and your other systems, and identify the workflows worth automating first.
Secure connection
We connect Claude to your Float account using an API key, scoped to the access your team needs. Keys are stored securely and can be rotated or revoked at any time.
Workflow design
We design the end-to-end process across Float and your other systems, deciding which actions Claude can take directly and which need a person's approval.
Testing and launch
We test the workflow against real past projects and schedules, then launch with monitoring and audit logs so you can see every action Claude takes.
Team training
We train planners, managers and department heads on asking Claude questions, reviewing proposals and handling exceptions, so the team is confident from day one.
Who benefits
- Resourcing manager
- Sees team availability and over-commitment at a glance, without rebuilding spreadsheets each week.
- Project manager
- Gets proposed staffing for new projects quickly, with clear visibility of who is free and when.
- Department head
- Receives utilisation summaries ready for leadership reviews, without manual reporting effort.
- Operations lead
- Spots cover gaps during leave and absence early, protecting delivery timelines.
Security and control
- Access is limited to the Float views and actions each role needs, using the API key's scope.
- Consequential changes, such as reassigning senior staff or altering live schedules, require a named person's approval.
- Every action Claude takes is logged, giving you a full audit trail of what changed and when.
- Access can be revoked or the API key rotated at any time if a change in team or policy requires it.
- Claude proposes changes but does not make them without the review steps you have agreed.
For teams in the US, UK, India and the Middle East
Organisations in the United States and the United Kingdom can host the Claude workflow in their chosen region to align with their internal data policies. Companies in India must consider the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, when handling staff data, and we design the workflow with that in mind. Organisations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia must meet local data protection laws, and we choose a hosting region that helps meet those requirements. Hosting location is selected during the audit to suit each organisation's obligations.
Learn more about Claude and MCP
Anthropic's AI model and assistant.
Secure links between Claude and business tools.
How engineers build and change software with Claude.
Hosted agents that run multi-step work.
The open standard Claude uses to connect to tools.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Float MCP server do?
The Float MCP server acts as a secure bridge between Claude and your Float account. It lets Claude read schedules, check capacity and, where permitted, update assignments in response to natural language requests. Float also offers a direct API, and we choose the most suitable route for your setup during the audit.
Is connecting Float to Claude secure?
Security depends on how the connection is set up. We use an API key scoped to the access your team needs, store it securely and limit what Claude can do. Consequential actions can require approval, and every action is logged so you can review activity at any time.
What can Claude do with Float once connected?
Typically, Claude can check team availability, summarise project schedules, review utilisation figures and draft assignment changes. Anything that changes live plans can be set to require a person's confirmation before it is carried out.
How long does setup take?
Many organisations are set up within a few weeks, though timing depends on how many systems are involved and how complex your planning rules are. The free automation audit gives a clearer timeline for your situation before any work begins.
Which Float plan or permissions do I need?
In general, you need an account with API access and an API key tied to a user whose permissions cover the views and changes you want Claude to support. The exact requirements depend on your Float setup, and we confirm them during the audit so you know what to check beforehand.