HR teams using BambooHR can now run reports, approve time off and look up colleagues without leaving Claude, Anthropic’s artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, through a new connector from the HR software company.
The connector draws on live data in a customer’s BambooHR account, and each user sees only what they already have permission to see in the platform, according to the company. It’s the first tool built on the BambooHR MCP, a new connection layer between BambooHR accounts and the AI tools employees use. MCP stands for Model Context Protocol, a standard for linking AI assistants to outside software.
Beta testers have already used it for work that once took weeks, the company said.
“The BambooHR connector in my Claude account let me build our 2027 multi-state handbook in a week instead of a month,” said Sherie Darden, global vice-president of human resources at Advanced Input Systems. “Since our policies and the 2026 handbook are stored as files in BambooHR, Claude was able to review all of them and flag recommended updates I hadn’t even considered.”
Built first for HR admins
The connector is designed first for HR admins and leaders, who have the widest access in BambooHR. An admin can list the saved reports they can access, run one and get a plain-language summary of the results.
Admins can also ask how many employees are in each department, or group staff by location, manager or custom field. On the hiring side, they can review open job postings, see how many candidates sit in each pipeline and pull recent applicants.
The tool can also handle work that spans systems, according to the company. For example, an HR leader could ask for an email listing everyone who hasn’t had a raise in two years. Claude would pull the data from BambooHR, draft the message and cross-check it against other systems the employer has connected.
“HR is some of the most consequential work a company does, and more of it now starts inside an AI assistant,” said Brian Crofts, chief product officer at BambooHR. “AI is already part of that work. Whether it helps depends on whether the system of record is in the conversation with it. The Claude connector puts the BambooHR platform right there, with the data, the controls, and the ability to act on both. Customers shouldn’t have to leave the AI they prefer to reach the HR platform they trust. Now they don’t.”
Time off and team lookups for employees
Managers and employees can use the connector for everyday questions. An employee can check how many vacation days they have left and submit a time-off request from the same reply.
A manager can ask who on their team is away during a given week. Staff can look up a colleague’s department or reporting line, or check which of their own goals are past due ahead of a check-in meeting.
Because the connector reads the live account rather than a copied export, nothing has to be exported, pasted into the AI tool or kept in sync, according to the company. Once a customer connects their account, the link is available in every Claude conversation.
The connector builds on Bamboo AI, the AI features BambooHR already offers inside its own platform, and carries the same data and permissions over to Claude.
The connector is available now in open beta at no extra charge for BambooHR customers with an active Claude account. Claude accounts are purchased separately from Anthropic.
BambooHR, based in Draper, Utah, serves small and mid-sized businesses. It has more than 30,000 customers in over 190 countries, according to the company.
