Gusto
by Gusto
Query payroll, employee, contractor and timesheet data from your AI assistant, and — for eligible customers — calculate and submit a payroll run. 41 tools, OAuth sign-in, primary or global admin required.
Verified connector
Listed by Anthropic as a partner connector in its Connectors Directory.
Connection checked by Agentman on .
Anthropic states this reflects the level of review a connector received, not a security audit.
Connect Gusto via MCP
https://mcp.api.gusto.com/anthropicWorks in any MCP-compatible client. In Agentman Studio it is one click — no config file to edit.
Gusto Tools & Capabilities (41)
Tool names from Anthropic's directory listing. This server requires sign-in, so we could not read tool descriptions or parameter schemas.
Limits
- This connector writes, and one of the things it writes is a payroll run. Treat it as an actioning integration, not a reporting one. Gusto's help centre states a connected platform could request a payroll calculation or submit payroll for processing, and the directory snapshot names
calculate_payroll,submit_payrollandrun_payroll. - Gusto's own documentation contradicts itself on this point. The "Read-Only Access" section of its MCP page states the server cannot execute payroll runs. That page carries a "current as of November 2025" note and its own changelog records
run_payrollshipping in February 2026. If you are relying on read-only behaviour, verify it against your account rather than that paragraph. - Payroll actions are gated and the gate is not published as a plan name. Gusto says only "a limited set of customers" have them during early access, and its terms reserve the right to add eligibility criteria "including but not limited to prior enrollment in a particular Service Plan". No specific Gusto plan is named as the requirement.
- Every connected user is a full payroll admin. Access requires primary or global admin permissions, so there is no reduced-privilege way to connect. The connector's reach is that administrator's reach.
- The data is other people's. Home addresses, salaries, termination records and contractor payment history are all in scope. Gusto places responsibility for employee disclosure and consent on the employer.
- Tool parameters and safety annotations were not readable. The
/anthropicendpoint returned HTTP 401 to an anonymousinitializeon 2026-08-18, so names came from the directory snapshot and meanings from Gusto's documentation. No tool was called. - The published tool list is behind the server. Gusto's changelog records
update_payroll(July 2026),list_time_recordsand a deprecation oflist_time_sheets(May 2026), andget_employee_earnings_summary(April 2026) — none of which appear in either the directory snapshot or Gusto's own 36-tool reference. Expect the live surface to differ from both. - An interactive surface is likely but we did not confirm it. Anthropic's directory sets
has_mcp_app: truefor this connector, Gusto's changelog twice uses the word "widgetized" aboutrun_payroll, and Gusto says that for sensitive actions it "blends conversational AI with the trusted Gusto interfaces" business owners know. We could not callresources/list— it requires a token — so we cannot describe what that widget shows. - Rate limits are 100 requests per minute per user and 500 per minute per company, with HTTP 429 and a
Retry-Afterheader on exceedance, per Gusto's documentation. - Gusto asks you not to run it alongside other MCP servers, and not to enable automatic tool execution in your client.
Frequently asked questions
Can the Gusto MCP server run payroll, or only read data?
It can do both. Gusto's help centre states that connected platforms can read data and take action, and that one could request a payroll calculation or submit payroll for processing. The directory snapshot names calculate_payroll, submit_payroll and run_payroll. Gusto restricts payroll actions to a limited set of customers during early access.
Which Gusto permissions do you need to connect the MCP server?
Primary or global admin permissions in Gusto. Gusto lists that prerequisite for Claude, ChatGPT, Slack and every other AI platform, and its help centre says only payroll admins can connect and use these integrations. Gusto's MCP terms add that access is restricted to administrators with the appropriate permissions.
Does connecting Gusto to Claude cost extra?
No separate fee. Gusto's help centre states there is no separate fee to connect Gusto to ChatGPT, Claude or Slack, but you need a platform account with the right feature enabled — Connectors for Claude, Apps for ChatGPT and Slack. Gusto's MCP terms reserve the right to charge service fees later.
What employee data can the Gusto connector reach?
Gusto lists company and location details, employee and contractor records, jobs, roles and compensation, department structure, payroll history and pay breakdowns, contractor payments, timesheets, pay schedules and payroll blockers. That includes employee home addresses and salaries. You pick which data categories to authorise during sign-in.
Do you have to tell employees before connecting Gusto to an AI platform?
Gusto says you should. Its help centre instructs admins to tell team members that their personal information, payroll data and tax data may be shared with a third-party platform, noting some privacy laws including CCPA and CPRA require disclosure and some require consent. Gusto's terms make the employer solely responsible for obtaining consents.
Why does the Gusto MCP endpoint use an /anthropic path?
Gusto runs client-specific routes. Its changelog records a Claude-specific endpoint going live in December 2025 and a widgetised run_payroll tool on that route in February 2026. We confirmed the bare host and an /openai path both answer initialize, while /mcp returns 404. Anthropic's directory lists the /anthropic route.
Should you use the Gusto MCP server alongside other connectors?
Gusto says no. Its documentation asks you to use the server in isolation and not connect other MCP servers to the same client session, warning that mixing servers can lead to your Gusto data being sent to another service. It also asks you to require manual confirmation for every tool call.
Sources
- Gusto MCP server documentation, for tool list, prerequisites, setup, rate limits, troubleshooting, data retention and changelog (HTTP 200, retrieved 2026-08-18; Markdown variant at the same path with
.mdappended,updatedAt2026-07-14).docs.gusto.com/robots.txtallows this path and carries noContent-Signalline. · retrieved 2026-08-18 - Gusto MCP integration page, for the admin-permission prerequisite, example prompts and the dynamic-client-registration requirement (retrieved 2026-08-18) · retrieved 2026-08-18
- Gusto Help Center, "Connect Gusto to ChatGPT, Claude, and Slack", for the read/write answer, the payroll-actions list, the no-separate-fee statement, the data categories and the employee-notice instruction (retrieved 2026-08-18; the host serves a Cloudflare challenge to plain HTTP clients) · retrieved 2026-08-18
- Gusto MCP Terms of Service, for administrator restriction, eligibility, fees and the AI-provider data-handling statements (retrieved 2026-08-18) · retrieved 2026-08-18
- Gusto company news, "Gusto Now Works Where You Do", for the run-payroll-in-Claude announcement (retrieved 2026-08-18) · retrieved 2026-08-18
- Anthropic's Gusto connector page, for the read-and-write capability label and the run-payroll example prompt (retrieved 2026-08-18) · retrieved 2026-08-18
- Live auth-posture check against
https://mcp.api.gusto.com/anthropic—initializereturned - RFC 9728 protected-resource descriptor (HTTP 200, 2026-08-18). Names
authorization_servers: ["https://mcp.api.gusto.com"]and publishes noscopes_supportedfield; the descriptor sits at the host root, not under/anthropic. · retrieved 2026-08-18 - RFC 8414 authorization server metadata (HTTP 200, 2026-08-18). Names 23 supported scopes including
payrolls:runandpayrolls:write, PKCES256, and aregistration_endpoint. · retrieved 2026-08-18 - Anthropic Connectors Directory entry, for tool names, tier, endpoint and
has_mcp_app(snapshot dated 2026-08-16) · retrieved 2026-08-16 - Gusto privacy notice — · Support — <mcp@gusto.com>
Use in Agentman
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Open in Agentman StudioServer Info
- Category
- Finance
- Developer
- Gusto
- Tools
- 41
- Domain
- mcp.api.gusto.com
Using Claude Desktop or another MCP client? Setup docs — the connection URL above works anywhere.