How do you log hours with Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor?

What do you need?

Three things: an account with a time tracker that runs an MCP server, an AI assistant that supports MCP, and the server address. For Half5, that's https://app.half5.com/mcp.

There's nothing to install and no API key to copy. When you connect, the assistant opens a sign-in page in your browser. Sign in with your usual account and give your consent. For more on what MCP is, see What is MCP?.

• Coding assistants: Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor. They work inside your project and can pass along the repository name.
• Chat assistants: Claude.ai (including Claude Desktop and the mobile app) and ChatGPT. They don’t know your repository, so they’ll ask more often which client you mean.
• Others: VS Code and any other program that supports a remote MCP server with OAuth.

How do you connect your assistant?

Each assistant keeps this setting in a different place. The table below follows the setup instructions shown in Half5. Menu names in these apps can change; if you don’t see one, look for ‘MCP’, ‘connector’, or ‘custom connector’.

What do you say to the assistant?

Plain English works. You don’t need IDs, client numbers, or project codes. If you know the client or project, and the time, mention them.

• ‘Log an hour and a half for this work.’
• ‘I worked on the payment provider integration from 9:00 to 11:30. Log that for Jansen Bakery.’
• ‘Log this session on the Webshop project.’ (no duration: the time tracker suggests one for you to confirm)
• ‘What did I log yesterday?’
• ‘Move this morning’s entry to the Maintenance project.’
• ‘Delete the duplicate entry from today.’

What happens after logging?

An entry from an assistant isn’t just a note. It’s a regular time entry that goes through the same checks as your other hours.

1. The assistant sends a short description, the date, the duration (if known), and for coding assistants, the repository name and branch.
2. The time tracker matches the client, project, and activity. If it’s not sure, the assistant asks you a question with a few options.
3. If you don’t give a duration, the time tracker suggests, for today, the time since your last entry ended. For another day, the assistant asks you for the duration. Nothing is saved until you confirm.
4. The entry comes in as not approved. If your organization uses approval, an approver reviews it like any other hours.
5. The entry counts in reports right away. If approval is on, it can only be invoiced after it’s approved.

Which habits prevent mistakes?

An assistant is fast, but it doesn’t know how long you actually worked. These habits help keep your records accurate, especially if you ever need to explain your hours later.

• One entry per continuous task. Three one-hour entries for three jobs are better than one three-hour entry with everything in it.
• Never guess a duration. If you’re not sure, leave it blank and confirm or correct the suggestion.
• Check what’s already logged. Before logging a whole day, have the assistant list that day’s entries so you don’t double up.
• Write for the client. The description might end up on an invoice. One clear line, no file names or code.
• Name the client if you’re unsure. A specific client or project always beats what the assistant guesses.

What can’t it do?

An assistant logs what you or it can justify; it doesn’t measure your time. If you want your workday tracked automatically, you need a timeline, as described in Automatic time tracking.

A connected assistant only sees your own hours. It can’t view coworkers’ hours, approve hours, or create invoices. It can only edit or delete your own entries while they’re not yet approved.