MCP Server - absentify®

The MCP server requires Plus. See the plan feature matrix.

What is the MCP server?

The absentify MCP server connects AI assistants directly to your absentify workspace. Using the Model Context Protocol, an open standard supported by Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and more, you can ask in plain language how many vacation days you have left, who is out this week, or to book a day off.

MCP server URL: https://api.absentify.com/api/mcpThis is the workspace MCP server. It requires a Plus Plan. Every active user in that workspace can connect. Sign in with Microsoft, or send the workspace API key from Settings > Integrations > API in the X-API-KEY header. After Microsoft sign-in, the assistant only sees and changes what that user may see and change. An API key always includes the full API tools and acts with the permissions of the administrator who generated it.

What can the AI do?

Once connected, your AI assistant can:

Check your leave

See your absences and how many days or hours you have left. Request time off or cancel your own request.

See who is out

See who is absent this week, optionally in one department. Look up a user by name or email.

Approve requests

If you approve requests in absentify, list the ones waiting for you, then approve or decline them.

Search documentation

Search the full absentify documentation and retrieve detailed guides. Built into the same server.

Administrators can also allow the full API tools while they connect. Those tools cover every endpoint of the absentify API, so the assistant can then change users, departments, leave types, and workspace settings.

Example prompts

Here are some things you can ask your AI assistant once connected: Your leave:

“How many vacation days do I have left?”
“Create a vacation request for next Monday to Friday”
“Cancel my request for next Monday”
“Who is out this week in Marketing?”

Approvals:

“Show me the requests waiting for me”
“Approve the absence request from Sarah”

Documentation and help:

“How do I configure approval workflows with multiple approvers?”
“What are the API rate limits?”
“How does calendar synchronization work?”

Available tools

By default, Microsoft sign-in gives the assistant a set of tools that act as you:

What you can ask	What happens
Your absences	Lists your absences for a period, with leave type, dates, and status
Remaining allowance	Shows how many days or hours you have left, used, and in total
Who is out	Lists users who are absent, optionally in one department
Find a user	Finds users by name or email and returns their email and departments
Leave types	Lists the leave types in the workspace
Request or cancel	Creates an absence request for you, or cancels one of yours. The request follows the normal approval process
Approvals	If you approve requests in absentify, lists, approves, or declines the ones waiting for you
Documentation	Searches the absentify help

If you are an administrator, the consent screen includes an option to also allow the full API tools. That option is off until you choose it. It covers every endpoint of the absentify API. A workspace API key includes those full API tools automatically. There is no consent screen for an API key.

Setup guide

Requirements

A Plus Plan
An active user in that workspace
An MCP-compatible AI client
A way to authenticate. Sign in with Microsoft when your client can open a browser. Use the workspace API key from Settings > Integrations > API when it cannot.

For Microsoft sign-in, use a Microsoft account that already belongs to that absentify user. Sign in to absentify once before you connect the assistant. Add the server URL. Your client opens a browser so you can sign in with Microsoft. After you pick the account, absentify shows a consent screen titled “Connect to absentify”. It names the app, your account, your workspace, and the permissions it asks for. Allow the connection to finish. Cancel sends you back without connecting. The assistant then acts with your permissions in that workspace. If you are an administrator, you can also allow the full API tools on that screen. Leave the option off unless you want the assistant to use every endpoint of the absentify API. If your client cannot complete this flow, use an API key instead.

Claude Desktop
Claude Code (CLI)
Cursor
Windsurf
VS Code + Copilot

Open connectors

Open Settings, then select Connectors.

Add a custom connector

Select Add custom connector and enter:

Name: absentify
Remote MCP server URL: https://api.absentify.com/api/mcp

Select Add.

Connect and sign in

Select Connect next to absentify. A browser window opens. Sign in with Microsoft, then allow access. You’re connected.

Claude Desktop connects remote servers through Connectors, not through the claude_desktop_config.json file. That file only supports local servers.

Add the MCP server with a single command:

claude mcp add absentify --transport http https://api.absentify.com/api/mcp

On first use, a browser window opens. Sign in with Microsoft, then allow access.Verify the connection:

claude mcp list

Open MCP settings

Go to Cursor Settings, then MCP Servers.

Add new server

Select Add new MCP server and configure:

Name: absentify
Type: http
Server URL: https://api.absentify.com/api/mcp

A browser window opens. Sign in with Microsoft, then allow access.

Open MCP configuration

Open the command palette and search for MCP: Configure Servers.

Add absentify server

Add the server configuration:

{
  "absentify": {
    "serverUrl": "https://api.absentify.com/api/mcp"
  }
}

A browser window opens. Sign in with Microsoft, then allow access.

Open MCP settings

Open Settings (Ctrl+,) and search for MCP.

Add server

Add the server URL: https://api.absentify.com/api/mcp

A browser window opens. Sign in with Microsoft, then allow access.

You can also open the in-app Setup Guide from Settings > Integrations > MCP Server.

Connect with an API key

When the client cannot complete Microsoft sign-in, send the workspace API key from Settings > Integrations > API in the X-API-KEY header.

Open Settings > Integrations > API.
On the API integration page, select Get API key.
Select Generate new key, and copy the key while it is shown. Generating a new key invalidates the old one.
Add the server URL https://api.absentify.com/api/mcp and send the key in the X-API-KEY header.

Claude Code:

claude mcp add absentify --transport http https://api.absentify.com/api/mcp --header "X-API-KEY: your-api-key"

Clients that use a JSON config add a headers object:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "absentify": {
      "url": "https://api.absentify.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Some clients show X-API-KEY as an optional header. Fill it in and skip Microsoft sign-in. The assistant then acts with the permissions of the administrator who generated the key. It includes the full API tools, so it can read workspace data and create or change absences, users, and settings. There is no consent screen. Send the key only in X-API-KEY. Do not put it in the URL. Do not send it as Authorization: Bearer. That header is for Microsoft sign-in. If your client sends both, absentify uses the Microsoft sign-in and ignores the API key. If you generate a new key, update every client that still uses the old one. See API access for how to create and replace the key.

Example: real conversation

Here’s a real example of what a conversation with an MCP-connected AI looks like:

You: "Who is out of office this week in the Marketing department?"

AI: Let me check who is absent in Marketing this week.

    Here are the Marketing users currently out:
    - Anna Mueller: Vacation (Mon-Fri)
    - Tom Schmidt: Sick leave (Mon-Wed)
    - Lisa Weber: Working from home (Thu-Fri)

You: "How many vacation days do I have left this year?"

AI: You have 12 of 30 vacation days remaining.

You: "Approve the pending request from Julia for next week"

AI: I found Julia's pending vacation request for May 19-23.

    Done! Julia's vacation request has been approved.

The last step only works if that request is waiting for you. Otherwise, ask the assistant to create or cancel your own requests instead.

You can still search the documentation without connecting your workspace. Use the read-only documentation MCP server at https://absentify.com/docs/mcp. It lets your AI assistant search our docs and answer setup questions, but it cannot interact with your workspace.

Troubleshooting

Browser doesn't open for authorization

Make sure you’re using the correct URL: https://api.absentify.com/api/mcp
Check your default browser settings
Start the connection again from the application

The page says Connection not possible

absentify shows one of these messages:

The absentify MCP server requires the Plus plan. Please upgrade your subscription to connect absentify to Copilot.
No absentify account is linked to this Microsoft user. Please sign in to absentify once before connecting the app.
Your absentify account is not active. Please ask an administrator to reactivate it.

The API key is rejected

absentify shows one of these messages:

Authentication required.: the client sent neither a Microsoft sign-in nor an X-API-KEY header.
The API key is not valid.: Open Settings > Integrations > API, select Get API key, then select Generate new key and copy the key while it is shown.
The absentify API and MCP server require the Plus plan. Please upgrade your subscription to use this API key.
The user associated with this API key is no longer an active admin
User associated with API key not found
This API key was issued for a different workspace.
The access token is not valid.: the key was sent as Authorization: Bearer. Send it in X-API-KEY instead.

Tools return errors after connecting

Check the API Limits. You may be rate limited.
The assistant can only do what the connected user can do in absentify.
Microsoft sign-in does not include the full API tools unless an administrator allowed them while connecting. Reconnect as an administrator and allow them if you need every API endpoint.
If that user is no longer active, or the workspace no longer has a Plus Plan, the connection stops. Fix that, then connect again. For an API key, the administrator who generated the key must still be an active administrator on a Plus plan.
This connection was authorized for a different workspace. Please connect absentify again.

AI is not using the MCP tools

Mention “absentify” in your prompt to help the AI use the right tools
Check if the MCP tools icon appears in your client’s interface
Try explicitly asking: “Use the absentify tools to…”
Restart your AI client after adding the MCP server

Next steps

Integrations

Open MCP Server in Settings and follow the Setup Guide

API Reference

Browse all available API endpoints

​What is the MCP server?

​What can the AI do?

Check your leave

See who is out

Approve requests

Search documentation

​Example prompts

​Available tools

​Setup guide

​Requirements

​Add the server and sign in with Microsoft

​Connect with an API key

​Example: real conversation

​Troubleshooting

​Next steps

Integrations

API Reference

What is the MCP server?

What can the AI do?

Example prompts

Available tools

Setup guide

Requirements

Add the server and sign in with Microsoft

Connect with an API key

Example: real conversation

Troubleshooting

Next steps