Exponential MCP

Connect Claude to your Exponential workspace. Manage projects, actions, and OKRs directly from Claude.

Quick Start

1. Create an API Key

Go to exponential.im/settings/api-keys and create a new key:

• Click Create API Key
• Select JWT Token as the token type
• Copy the generated key

2. Set Up the MCP Server

npx exponential-mcp init

Paste your API key when prompted.

3. Configure for Your Claude Client

For Claude Desktop:

• exponential-mcp init will automatically configure Claude Desktop
• Restart Claude Desktop

For Claude Code (VSCode Extension):

• The server uses .mcp.json in your project directory
• Reload your VSCode window (Cmd+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window")
• The server will be available in your current project

4. Ask Claude to manage your tasks!

What Claude Can Do

Once connected, Claude can:

• List projects – "What projects am I working on?"
• View actions – "Show my active tasks"
• Create actions – "Add a task to call John tomorrow"
• Complete actions – "Mark the report task as done"
• View OKRs – "What are my Q1 goals?"
• Search – "Find anything related to Kenya"

Manual Setup

For Claude Desktop

macOS (recommended path): ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Legacy path: ~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Add this to the appropriate file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exponential": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/exponential-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

For Claude Code (VSCode Extension)

Create a .mcp.json file in your project directory:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exponential": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "exponential-mcp", "serve"]
    }
  }
}

Then reload your VSCode window.

Note: The API key is stored in the Exponential SDK config store (created by npx exponential-mcp init), so you don't need to specify it in the MCP configuration. Run exponential-mcp config to see the current storage path and values. Run exponential-mcp doctor to print a recommended MCP config snippet for your machine.

Commands

# Initialize with your API key
exponential-mcp init

# Show current config
exponential-mcp config

# Diagnose local setup
exponential-mcp doctor

# Start server manually (usually not needed)
exponential-mcp serve

Available Tools

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | get_workspaces | List all workspaces | | get_projects | List projects (optionally by workspace) | | get_project | One project in full: linked objectives & key results, DRI, team, dates | | update_project | Rename, change status/priority, set dates, re-link to OKRs | | get_actions | List actions/tasks (filter by project or status; no date filtering) | | get_todays_actions | What's on your plate now — overdue / today / inbox, across all workspaces | | get_overdue_triage | Why the overdue pile is that size: bulk-created cohorts vs real debt | | create_action | Create a new task (supports natural language) | | update_action | Rename, re-prioritise, move project, or set dates (incl. scheduledStart) | | defer_actions | Amnesty: clear dates, back to the project backlog untimed | | reschedule_actions | Move actions to a new do-date | | complete_action | Mark an action as done | | get_goals | List objectives, flat or as the annual → quarterly tree | | get_key_results | List key results, grouped by objective or flat | | get_meetings | List meetings, newest first, with a summary preview (no notes/transcript) | | get_meeting | One meeting with notes; transcript on request | | create_meeting | Record a meeting from a transcript or notes | | update_meeting | Edit title, description, summary, date, or replace notes | | append_meeting_notes | Add to a meeting's notes without overwriting them | | search | Search across everything |

Asking about the day

Use get_todays_actions, not get_actions, for anything about today, priorities, or what the user is behind on. get_actions has no date filtering at all, so it cannot distinguish overdue work from anything else.

When there is a lot of overdue work, follow up with get_overdue_triage before proposing what to do. A large overdue count is usually a few bulk writes — a generated project plan stamped every row with one timestamp — not a large number of missed commitments. Those are cohorts, and the honest disposition is defer_actions (amnesty); reschedule_actions would just re-inflict the same pile tomorrow. Individually-dated loose actions are the ones that deserve a real decision.

Development

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/your-org/exponential-mcp
cd exponential-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

# Run locally
npm start

License

MIT