Productivity & Project Management · Hub Planner + Claude
Hub Planner MCP with Claude: Smarter Resource Scheduling and Timesheets
The short answer
Claude works with Hub Planner through the Model Context Protocol, an open standard that lets Claude securely use the tool. Once connected with an API key, Claude can read project and resource information and carry out approved actions, such as assigning people to projects, logging timesheets and generating reports, all from natural language requests.
What is Hub Planner?
Hub Planner is a resource management and scheduling platform used by teams to plan projects, allocate people and track time. It helps global organisations see who is available, where capacity is spare and how projects are progressing. Project managers, resource managers, PMO teams and finance staff typically use it to keep schedules realistic and reporting accurate across several offices and time zones.
How Claude connects to Hub Planner through MCP
The Model Context Protocol, or MCP, is an open standard that lets Claude use other software securely. Think of it as a universal adapter between Claude and your tools. Your organisation decides exactly what Claude can access, and the connection is set up so that Claude only uses the permissions you grant.
Once Claude is connected to Hub Planner, it can typically read project plans, resource availability and timesheet data. It can also carry out actions you have approved, such as proposing a resource assignment, logging hours on behalf of a team member or pulling a utilisation report. Requests can be written in ordinary sentences, so a manager does not need to navigate several screens to get an answer.
People stay in charge throughout. Access is limited to what the API key allows, and consequential changes such as reassigning a senior consultant or altering a project budget can be routed for human approval before they take effect. Every action can be logged, so your team can review what was done, when and by whom.
What you can automate
Weekly resource allocation review
Before each Monday planning meeting, a resource manager asks Claude which team members have spare capacity in the next four weeks and which projects are short of people. Claude gathers availability from Hub Planner and summarises the gaps, so the manager spends the meeting deciding rather than searching through spreadsheets.
Timesheet reminders and checks
At the end of each week, Claude can review which staff have not yet submitted timesheets and draft a summary for the operations lead. Where a team member asks for help, Claude can log hours from their confirmed notes, reducing the chase emails that delay invoicing and payroll.
Project status reports for leadership
A PMO lead asks for a plain-English status update across active projects. Claude pulls progress, hours booked against plan and upcoming milestones from Hub Planner, then drafts a report that highlights projects running over budget or behind schedule.
New project staffing requests
When sales wins a new engagement, the account lead describes the skills and start date needed. Claude suggests suitable people based on their availability and skills recorded in Hub Planner, and the resource manager approves the final assignments.
Utilisation and billing insight
Finance teams can ask Claude which billable resources were under-utilised last quarter or how hours compare with the forecast for each client. Claude produces the breakdown from Hub Planner data, helping leaders spot margin risks early.
An end-to-end workflow: Project staffing to invoicing
TriggerA new client project is approved in the CRM and marked as won.
Claude reads the project brief from the CRM and identifies required roles, skills and start date.
Claude checks Hub Planner for team members with matching skills and free capacity over the project period.
Claude drafts a proposed resource plan in Hub Planner and sends it to the resource manager for approval.
Once approved, Claude creates the project and assignments in Hub Planner and notifies each team member.
Each week, Claude reviews logged timesheets against the plan and flags variances to the project manager.
At month end, Claude produces a billable hours summary that is passed to the finance system for invoicing.
OutcomeProjects are staffed faster, assignments are approved before work starts, and invoices are based on accurate, reviewed hours. Results vary by organisation and depend on data quality.
How we set it up
Free automation audit
We review how your teams plan resources, track time and report today, and identify the workflows worth automating with Claude and Hub Planner.
Secure connection with an API key
We set up the connection to Hub Planner using an API key, created with the access level your organisation approves. The key is stored securely and can be revoked at any time.
Workflow design and approvals
We design the end-to-end process across Hub Planner and your other systems such as Microsoft 365, CRM or ERP, deciding which actions Claude performs automatically and which need human sign-off.
Testing with real cases
We test the workflows against past projects and timesheets to confirm the output is accurate, then refine prompts and rules before anything goes live.
Launch, monitoring and training
We launch with audit logs and monitoring in place, then train your planners, managers and finance staff on how to use Claude with Hub Planner day to day.
Who benefits
- Resource managers
- Find available people and fill gaps in minutes instead of hours of manual checking.
- Project managers
- Receive clear status updates and early warnings on schedule and budget without building reports by hand.
- Finance and billing teams
- Work from reviewed timesheet data, which can make month-end billing smoother.
- Leadership and PMO
- Get plain-English answers about capacity, utilisation and delivery across global teams.
Security and control
- Access is limited to the permissions granted to the Hub Planner API key, following least-privilege principles.
- Consequential changes such as reassignments or budget updates can require named human approval before they take effect.
- Every action Claude takes can be recorded in audit logs for review.
- The API key can be rotated or revoked at any time if access needs to change.
- Testing against real cases happens before launch, with ongoing monitoring afterwards.
For teams in the US, UK, India and the Middle East
Organisations in the United States and the United Kingdom can host the Claude workflows in their chosen region to align with their data handling policies. Indian organisations must meet the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and we can host in India to support this. Organisations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia must comply with their local data protection laws, and hosting is selected to meet those requirements. The right hosting region is confirmed during the audit.
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 Hub Planner MCP server do?
The Hub Planner MCP server acts as a secure bridge between Hub Planner and Claude. It lets Claude read resource, project and timesheet information and carry out permitted actions, so teams can work with their planning data through natural language instead of navigating each screen separately.
Is connecting Hub Planner to Claude secure?
The connection uses an API key with the access level you choose, so Claude only sees and changes what that key allows. Consequential actions can require human approval, and activity can be logged for review. We configure these controls as part of setup, and we recommend regular key rotation.
What can Claude do with Hub Planner?
Typically, Claude can look up project plans and resource availability, help assign people to projects, log timesheets, and generate reports. Exactly which actions are enabled depends on your permissions and the workflows we design with you.
How long does setup take?
Setup time depends on how many workflows you want and how many systems are involved. A focused connection with a few workflows is often quicker than a multi-system programme. We confirm the timeline during the free automation audit.
What permissions or plan do we need?
You need a Hub Planner account with an API key that has the access your workflows require. Your administrator should decide the access level. We help you define the minimum permissions needed so the connection stays secure.