bamboohr-automation

BambooHR Automation via Rube MCP

Automate BambooHR human resources operations through Composio's BambooHR toolkit via Rube MCP.

Prerequisites

Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)

Active BambooHR connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit bamboohr

Always call RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add https://rube.app/mcp as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds

Call RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit bamboohr

If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete BambooHR authentication

Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. List and Search Employees

When to use: User wants to find employees or get the full employee directory

Tool sequence:

BAMBOOHR_GET_ALL_EMPLOYEES - Get the employee directory [Required]

BAMBOOHR_GET_EMPLOYEE - Get detailed info for a specific employee [Optional]

Key parameters:

For GET_ALL_EMPLOYEES: No required parameters; returns directory

For GET_EMPLOYEE:

- id: Employee ID (numeric)
- fields: Comma-separated list of fields to return (e.g., 'firstName,lastName,department,jobTitle')

Pitfalls:

Employee IDs are numeric integers

GET_ALL_EMPLOYEES returns basic directory info; use GET_EMPLOYEE for full details

The fields parameter controls which fields are returned; omitting it may return minimal data

Common fields: firstName, lastName, department, division, jobTitle, workEmail, status

Inactive/terminated employees may be included; check status field

2. Track Employee Changes

When to use: User wants to detect recent employee data changes for sync or auditing

Tool sequence:

BAMBOOHR_EMPLOYEE_GET_CHANGED - Get employees with recent changes [Required]

Key parameters:

since: ISO 8601 datetime string for change detection threshold

type: Type of changes to check (e.g., 'inserted', 'updated', 'deleted')

Pitfalls:

since parameter is required; use ISO 8601 format (e.g., '2024-01-15T00:00:00Z')

Returns IDs of changed employees, not full employee data

Must call GET_EMPLOYEE separately for each changed employee's details

Useful for incremental sync workflows; cache the last sync timestamp

3. Manage Time-Off

When to use: User wants to view time-off balances, request time off, or manage requests

Tool sequence:

BAMBOOHR_GET_META_TIME_OFF_TYPES - List available time-off types [Prerequisite]

BAMBOOHR_GET_TIME_OFF_BALANCES - Check current balances [Optional]

BAMBOOHR_GET_TIME_OFF_REQUESTS - List existing requests [Optional]

BAMBOOHR_CREATE_TIME_OFF_REQUEST - Submit a new request [Optional]

BAMBOOHR_UPDATE_TIME_OFF_REQUEST - Modify or approve/deny a request [Optional]

Key parameters:

For balances: employeeId, time-off type ID

For requests: start, end (date range), employeeId

For creation:

- employeeId: Employee to request for
- timeOffTypeId: Type ID from GET_META_TIME_OFF_TYPES
- start: Start date (YYYY-MM-DD)
- end: End date (YYYY-MM-DD)
- amount: Number of days/hours
- notes: Optional notes for the request

For update: requestId, status ('approved', 'denied', 'cancelled')

Pitfalls:

Time-off type IDs are numeric; resolve via GET_META_TIME_OFF_TYPES first

Date format is 'YYYY-MM-DD' for start and end dates

Balances may be in hours or days depending on company configuration

Request status updates require appropriate permissions (manager/admin)

Creating a request does NOT auto-approve it; separate approval step needed

4. Update Employee Information

When to use: User wants to modify employee profile data

Tool sequence:

BAMBOOHR_GET_EMPLOYEE - Get current employee data [Prerequisite]

BAMBOOHR_UPDATE_EMPLOYEE - Update employee fields [Required]

Key parameters:

id: Employee ID (numeric, required)

Field-value pairs for the fields to update (e.g., department, jobTitle, workPhone)

Pitfalls:

Only fields included in the request are updated; others remain unchanged

Some fields are read-only and cannot be updated via API

Field names must match BambooHR's expected field names exactly

Updates are audited; changes appear in the employee's change history

Verify current values with GET_EMPLOYEE before updating to avoid overwriting

5. Manage Dependents and Benefits

When to use: User wants to view employee dependents or benefit coverage

Tool sequence:

BAMBOOHR_DEPENDENTS_GET_ALL - List all dependents [Required]

BAMBOOHR_BENEFIT_GET_COVERAGES - Get benefit coverage details [Optional]

Key parameters:

For dependents: Optional employeeId filter

For benefits: Depends on schema; check RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS for current parameters

Pitfalls:

Dependent data includes sensitive PII; handle with appropriate care

Benefit coverages may include multiple plan types per employee

Not all BambooHR plans include benefits administration; check account features

Data access depends on API key permissions

Common Patterns

ID Resolution

Employee name -> Employee ID:

1. Call BAMBOOHR_GET_ALL_EMPLOYEES
Find employee by name in directory results

Extract id (numeric) for detailed operations

Time-off type name -> Type ID:

1. Call BAMBOOHR_GET_META_TIME_OFF_TYPES
Find type by name (e.g., 'Vacation', 'Sick Leave')

Extract id for time-off requests

Incremental Sync Pattern

For keeping external systems in sync with BambooHR:

1. Store last_sync_timestamp
Call BAMBOOHR_EMPLOYEE_GET_CHANGED with since=last_sync_timestamp

For each changed employee ID, call BAMBOOHR_GET_EMPLOYEE

Process updates in external system

Update last_sync_timestamp

Time-Off Workflow

1. GET_META_TIME_OFF_TYPES -> find type ID
GET_TIME_OFF_BALANCES -> verify available balance

CREATE_TIME_OFF_REQUEST -> submit request

UPDATE_TIME_OFF_REQUEST -> approve/deny (manager action)

Known Pitfalls

Employee IDs:

Always numeric integers

Resolve names to IDs via GET_ALL_EMPLOYEES

Terminated employees retain their IDs

Date Formats:

Time-off dates: 'YYYY-MM-DD'

Change detection: ISO 8601 with timezone

Inconsistent formats between endpoints; check each endpoint's schema

Permissions:

API key permissions determine accessible fields and operations

Some operations require admin or manager-level access

Time-off approvals require appropriate role permissions

Sensitive Data:

Employee data includes PII (names, addresses, SSN, etc.)

Handle all responses with appropriate security measures

Dependent data is especially sensitive

Rate Limits:

BambooHR API has rate limits per API key

Bulk operations should be throttled

GET_ALL_EMPLOYEES is more efficient than individual GET_EMPLOYEE calls

Response Parsing:

Response data may be nested under data key

Employee fields vary based on fields parameter

Empty fields may be omitted or returned as null

Parse defensively with fallbacks

Quick Reference