RescueTime MCP Server
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides Claude Desktop with access to your RescueTime productivity data, including daily summaries, activity tracking, and productivity trends.
Features
- Daily Summary: Get your productivity pulse, time logged, and productive vs distracting breakdown
- Productivity Trends: Track your productivity score over the past week or more
- Activity Data: See which applications and websites you spent time on
- Category Breakdown: View time by category (Development, Communication, etc.)
- Hourly Analysis: Identify your peak productivity hours
Prerequisites
- Python 3.11+
- uv package manager
- A RescueTime account (free or premium)
- RescueTime API key
Setup
1. Clone and Install
git clone https://github.com/JasonBates/rescuetime-mcp.git
cd rescuetime-mcp
uv sync
2. Get Your API Key
- Go to rescuetime.com/anapi/manage
- Sign in with your RescueTime account
- Create a new API key or copy an existing one
3. Configure Claude Desktop
Add the server to your Claude Desktop config at:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"rescuetime": {
"command": "uv",
"args": [
"--directory",
"/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Projects/rescuetime-mcp",
"run",
"rescuetime-mcp"
],
"env": {
"RESCUETIME_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
}
}
}
}
Replace YOUR_USERNAME with your actual username and add your API key.
4. Restart Claude Desktop
Quit and reopen Claude Desktop. You should see "rescuetime" in the MCP servers list.
Usage
Once configured, you can ask Claude things like:
- "How productive was I today?"
- "Show me my productivity trend for the past week"
- "What apps did I use most today?"
- "What categories did I spend time on yesterday?"
- "When was I most productive today?"
Available Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
get_today_summary | Today's productivity pulse, time logged, and breakdown |
get_productivity_trend | Productivity score history (default 7 days) |
get_activity_data | Top applications/websites by time spent |
get_category_breakdown | Time spent by category |
get_hourly_productivity | Productivity breakdown by hour |
Tool Details
get_today_summary
Returns a complete daily overview including:
- Productivity pulse (0-100 score)
- Total time logged
- Productive vs distracting percentages
- Breakdown by productivity level (very productive → very distracting)
get_productivity_trend
Shows daily productivity pulse with visual bars over multiple days. Useful for identifying patterns and weekly trends.
get_activity_data
Lists specific applications and websites ranked by time spent. Each activity shows:
- Productivity classification ([++] to [--])
- Duration
- Category
get_category_breakdown
Groups time by high-level categories like Software Development, Communication, Reference & Learning, Social Networking, etc.
get_hourly_productivity
Reveals when during the day you were most/least productive. Helps identify peak hours for scheduling deep work.
Troubleshooting
"Authentication error"
Make sure your API key is correctly set in the Claude Desktop config's env section.
No data showing
RescueTime needs to be running and logging data on your devices. Check that the RescueTime app is active.
Rate limiting
The RescueTime API has rate limits. If you encounter errors, wait a few minutes before retrying.
Development
# Install dev dependencies
uv sync --dev
# Run tests
uv run pytest
# Test with MCP Inspector
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv run rescuetime-mcp
License
MIT