VAR MCP Server

Connect your AI assistant to VAR time tracking system. Track time, manage projects, and query data using natural language.

What You Need

• A VAR account with API access
• Your VAR API token (get it from your VAR account settings)
• Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, or another AI assistant that supports MCP

Installation

Step 1: Download the Binary

Download the binary for your operating system from the releases page:

• Linux: var-mcp-linux
• macOS: var-mcp-macos
• Windows: var-mcp-windows.exe

Step 2: Make it Executable (Linux/macOS only)

chmod +x var-mcp-linux
# or for macOS
chmod +x var-mcp-macos

Step 3 Configure Your AI Assistant

For Claude Desktop

1. Find your Claude config file:

   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Open it and add this (replace /path/to/ with the actual path):

Linux:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "var": {
      "command": "/path/to/var-mcp-linux",
      "args": ["start"]
    }
  }
}

macOS:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "var": {
      "command": "/path/to/var-mcp-macos",
      "args": ["start"]
    }
  }
}

Windows:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "var": {
      "command": "C:\\path\\to\\var-mcp-windows.exe",
      "args": ["start"]
    }
  }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop

For Other AI Assistants

ChatGPT/OpenAI: Add to your MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "var": {
      "command": "/path/to/var-mcp-linux",
      "args": ["start"]
    }
  }
}

VSCode Extensions (Cline, etc.): Add to MCP servers settings:

{
  "name": "VAR",
  "command": "/path/to/var-mcp-linux",
  "args": ["start"]
}

Continue.dev: Add to ~/.continue/config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "var",
      "command": "/path/to/var-mcp-linux",
      "args": ["start"]
    }
  ]
}

Step 4: Set Up Your API Token

Open your AI assistant and say:

"Set up my VAR API token"

Provide your VAR API token when prompted. It will be securely stored.

Using VAR with Your AI Assistant

Once set up, just talk naturally to your AI:

"Log 2 hours on project ABC for today"
"Show my time entries from this week"
"List all my projects"
"Create a time entry: 90 minutes on bug fixes"

Troubleshooting

"Command not found" or binary won't run

• Make sure the binary path in your config is correct
• On Linux/macOS, ensure you ran chmod +x on the binary
• Try running the binary directly in terminal to check for errors

"Authentication failed"

1. Ask your AI: "Check my VAR authentication status"
2. Reconfigure: "Set up my VAR API token"
3. Verify your token is valid in your VAR account settings

Security

Your API token is encrypted and stored locally. Never share your token or .env file.

Support

For help, contact your VAR administrator or check your VAR instance documentation.