Resources · Claude connector

Claude Gusto connectorWhat Claude can do in your Gusto account.

The Claude Gusto connector exposes 43 tools. 31 read, 3 write, 9 are described by no official source. Below: what Claude can pull from your payroll and people data, the three tools that act on your account, the admin access Gusto requires, and where sources disagree.

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Overview

What changes for your payroll and HR work

You stop exporting reports to answer a headcount or payroll question. With Gusto connected, Claude can look up employees, contractors, departments, pay schedules, payroll runs and time records, then answer in plain language. Gusto lets you choose which categories of data the connection covers when you authorize it, and three tools go beyond reading.

Answer a budget question in a minute. Finance wants the gross cost of the latest payrolls. list_payrolls lists the runs and get_payroll opens one with earnings, taxes, deductions and net pay per worker.

See who sits where. Before a reorganisation, list_employees and list_departments give Claude what it needs to count people per department, and list_contractors adds the non-employee side.

Unblock a payroll. When a run will not go through, list_payroll_blockers names the issues stopping it. Once fixed, run_payroll calculates and submits an unprocessed payroll, and record_time logs admin-entered hours for one worker.

What Claude will not do: reach data categories you left out at authorization, see anything without a Gusto account holding full admin rights, or keep your data private from other connectors in the same chat. Gusto asks you to use it in isolation. Nine listed tools are described nowhere. And nothing runs on its own: no tool fires on a pay date or a new hire. Background processing belongs to an automation tool, a different job; the Integrations hub covers it.

Vocabulary

The vocabulary in one minute

Five words you will meet while connecting Gusto.

Connector
The link you set up once between Claude and an account you already have, so Claude can work in it while answering you.
Tool
One named thing a connector lets Claude do. Claude picks the ones it needs by itself, and the directory lists each by name.
Authorization
The sign-in screen of the service itself, where you hand Claude its access. Granted once per person, and you can take it back.
Approval
The confirmation Claude waits for before it goes through with something that changes your account, shown right in the conversation.
MCP
The shared standard connectors are built on: it is what lets an assistant like Claude talk to an outside service.
Connect

Connect Gusto to Claude in three steps

  1. 01

    Find Gusto in Claude

    In Claude's settings, open Customize, then Connectors, and look for Gusto in the list. On a Team or Enterprise workspace, an Owner or Primary Owner has to enable the connector first, before each member can sign in on their side.

  2. 02

    Start the connection

    Click Connect on its row, then sign in to Gusto in the window Gusto opens itself. The access granted there is yours alone, given once per person. If the link breaks later, use Disconnect and connect again.

  3. 03

    Read the authorization screen

    Check the authorization screen before you accept. It belongs to Gusto, not to Claude, and it decides what the access covers: there you pick the data categories and, if needed, the company. You can withdraw that access later.

Tools

The 43 tools, sorted by what they do

Gusto gives Claude 43 tools: 31 that read your account, 3 that change something in it, and 9 no official source describes.

Three groups: what Claude reads, what it changes, and what no official source describes. Names stay as Claude shows them, in English.

  • 31 read
  • 3 write
  • 9 not documented

What Claude reads (31)

31 tools

Thirty-one lookups on your company, people, payroll and time data, with no change to your account.

get_company_onboarding_status

Reports how far your company setup has come: which onboarding questions remain, whether each one is required, and what the next step is.

When it helps
a founder half-way through setting up Gusto wants to know what still stands between them and a first payroll.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_employees

Lists every employee on record, with filtering options, so Claude can count, sort or compare people across the whole company in one answer.

When it helps
the HR lead needs everyone hired since the start of the quarter for a headcount review.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_payrolls

Brings back your payroll runs with filters. By default the filter works on pay period dates, not on check dates, which matters when you ask about a given month.

When it helps
finance asks for the total gross cost of the three most recent payrolls.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_time_records

Pulls the time records for a pay period, routed automatically to whichever time tracking your company uses, Gusto's own or a third-party one.

When it helps
a manager checks the hours logged by the warehouse team before the period closes.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_contractors

Returns your independent contractors, with pagination and search, so Claude can look one up or go through the whole list page by page.

When it helps
legal wants to know how many people currently work for you as contractors, and who they are, before a classification review.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_departments

Shows every department in the company's org structure, the frame Claude needs before it can group people by team or compare one team against another.

When it helps
leadership asks for a headcount per department before planning next year's hires and budgets.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_job

Opens the details of a specific job position, the role a person holds as Gusto records it.

When it helps
you want to confirm the title and terms attached to a role before drafting an offer for a similar hire.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_location

Retrieves the details of a single company location, as opposed to the full list of sites, when Claude already knows which one you mean.

When it helps
the office manager needs the exact address on file for one particular site before a compliance filing goes out.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_pay_schedule

Gives the details of a specific pay schedule, the rhythm on which a group of people is paid.

When it helps
a new payroll admin wants to understand how the hourly staff schedule is set up before the next run.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_payroll

Opens a specific payroll with each worker's earnings, taxes, deductions and net pay, the level of detail you need to explain a payslip.

When it helps
an employee questions their net pay and you want the breakdown for that run.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_time_sheet

Fetches the detailed time entries of a specific timesheet. Gusto limits it to third-party time tracking.

When it helps
a supervisor disputes an overtime figure and you need the entries behind it.
Watch out
it does not apply to Gusto's native time tracking.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_token_info

Reveals which scopes the current connection holds and which company resources it can reach. Gusto points to it as the way to check exactly what you granted.

When it helps
Claude says it cannot see contractors and you want to know whether you left that category out.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_contractor_payment_groups

Lists the batched contractor payment runs for the company, each grouping several individual payments made in one go, so Claude can work at the level of the batch.

When it helps
accounting reconciles a bank statement line that matches a whole batch rather than a single contractor.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_contractor_payments

Returns the payments made to contractors within a date range, one line per payment, which lets Claude total or compare what freelancers received over a period.

When it helps
you need everything paid to freelancers between January and June for a mid-year cost review.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_earning_types

Lists the earning type categories configured for your company, so Claude knows which kinds of pay your account already distinguishes before reading a payroll.

When it helps
you want to know whether a commission category already exists before asking Claude how commissions were paid this year.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_employee_custom_fields

Shows the custom field values set for one employee, the extra data your company chose to track beyond Gusto's standard fields.

When it helps
HR tracks a badge number or a cost center in custom fields and needs it for one person.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_employee_home_addresses

Lists all home addresses recorded for one employee, as Gusto keeps them on file.

When it helps
a remote employee moved to another state and you want to see which addresses Gusto holds before raising a payroll tax question with your accountant.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_employee_jobs

Returns every job position a given employee holds, a natural starting point when you want to look at someone's pay role by role.

When it helps
one person works two roles, front desk and staff training, and you need both of them confirmed on record.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_employee_work_addresses

Lists the work locations assigned to one employee, so Claude can say which site that person is attached to on record in Gusto.

When it helps
a manager wants to know which office a hybrid employee is officially attached to before approving a desk booking policy.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_compensation

Pulls up a specific pay rate record, one single entry in someone's compensation history, with its details as Gusto stores them.

When it helps
you are preparing a raise discussion and want the exact terms of the rate currently in force for that person, not the whole history.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_job_compensations

Gives the pay rate history attached to one job position, so Claude can trace how a salary or an hourly rate evolved from one review to the next.

When it helps
a pay equity review needs every rate a given role has carried over the years.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_locations

Returns the full list of company locations, offices and other sites together, as they are configured in your Gusto account.

When it helps
you are mapping where employees are attached ahead of opening a new office, and want every existing site listed before deciding where people will sit.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_pay_periods

Lists pay periods together with links to the payroll runs tied to them, which helps Claude match a period on the calendar to the payroll that covered it.

When it helps
you want to know which run covered the second half of last month before answering an employee's question.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_pay_schedule_assignments

Shows which employees are assigned to which pay schedule, the mapping between people and the rhythms on which they get paid.

When it helps
after merging two teams, you check that nobody stayed on the old biweekly schedule by mistake before the first combined payroll.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_pay_schedules

Lists every pay schedule configured for the company, so Claude knows which rhythms are in place before it looks at any individual payroll run.

When it helps
a new finance lead wants the full picture of how often salaried and hourly groups are paid.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

list_payroll_blockers

Identifies the issues preventing one specific payroll from being processed, so you know exactly what to fix first instead of guessing from a generic error.

When it helps
payday is tomorrow, the run is stuck, and nothing on screen explains clearly why it will not go through.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_contractor_payment_group

Opens one batched contractor payment run and shows every individual payment it contains, contractor by contractor.

When it helps
a freelancer says they were not paid and you want to see whether their payment was part of last week's batch, and for which amount, before replying.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_employee

Retrieves the detailed record of one specific employee, the usual starting point for any question that concerns a single person rather than a team.

When it helps
a manager asks for a team member's start date and current role before an annual review meeting.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_department

Fetches the record of a single department in the company structure, as Gusto holds it.

When it helps
you are preparing a budget note for the marketing team and want its record first, before asking Claude to count who belongs to it and what they cost per period.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_company

Pulls your business profile: legal name, entity type, EIN, contact details and locations, the identity card of the company as Gusto knows it.

When it helps
a bank or an insurer asks for your exact legal name and employer identification number, and you want them right the first time.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

get_contractor

Brings up the detailed record of one specific contractor, for questions that concern a single freelancer rather than the whole list of people you contract with.

When it helps
procurement wants to confirm a freelancer's details on file before renewing their engagement for another quarter.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

What Claude changes (3)

3 tools

Three tools that act on your Gusto account. No source gives them a confirmation of their own: the general rule below applies.

record_time

Approval: see the rule

Logs admin-entered time for a single worker over a pay period, routed automatically to Gusto's native time tracking or to the third-party tool your company uses.

What Claude asks for
no source describes a confirmation of its own, so the general approvals rule applies.
When it helps
a shift lead forgot to clock in all week and you enter the hours on their behalf.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

run_payroll

Approval: see the rule

Calculates and submits an existing payroll that has not yet been processed. The directory sheet adds that only eligible customers can run payroll in Claude, without defining who qualifies.

What Claude asks for
nothing specific is documented here; refer to the general rule below.
When it helps
blockers are cleared and the regular run is ready.
Watch out
existing, unprocessed runs only.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

create_company

Approval: see the rule

Sets up your Gusto company and payroll admin account during signup, in two passes: a first call checks the account email, a second one creates the company.

What Claude asks for
no source says whether a confirmation shows first; the approvals section covers this case.
When it helps
you are starting a business and want to open Gusto from the conversation.

Sourcedocs.gusto.com · October 1, 2026 ↗

Undocumented (9)

9 tools

The directory publishes these nine names and nothing more. Gusto's tool reference does not list them, and this page will not guess from a name.

get_work_address

This name appears in the directory's tool list and that is all there is. Gusto's tool reference does not contain it, and no Claude page does either, so this page says nothing more.

Watch out
whatever it does, the general approval rule below covers it.

list_custom_fields

Same silence here: listed by name, described by no official text. Flagging the gap beats filling it with a guess drawn from how the name sounds.

Watch out
it falls under the same approval rule as the rest of the list.

list_employee_employments

The directory carries this entry without a single line of explanation, and the publisher's documentation skips it too. This page therefore stops at the name, on purpose.

Watch out
the default confirmation rule in the approvals section applies to it.

list_employee_separations

One more name the sheet lists and nobody documents: neither Gusto nor Anthropic says what it covers or whether it alters anything in your account.

Watch out
treat it like any action on your account, under the general approval rule described below.

query_faq

Gusto publishes a reference of 72 tools, and this name is not among them. The directory shows it, but no text explains its role.

Watch out
without a source, the general approval rule is the only thing this page can say about it.

calculate_payroll

The sheet read on October 1, 2026 lists this tool, yet no official source documents it: neither Gusto's documentation nor Claude's help centre. Its effect on your account is therefore unknown, and this page will not describe it from its name.

Watch out
the confirmation rule further down applies, as for any tool.

submit_payroll

Here too, only the name is public. No official source says whether it reads or acts, and this page will not infer it, however clear the name looks to a payroll admin.

Watch out
the approvals section below is what governs it, like every other tool.

get_home_address

Neither the publisher nor Anthropic documents this entry of the directory list. What it returns or touches is not stated anywhere this page could cite, so the note stops here.

Watch out
the default rule on approvals covers it like the others.

get_rehire

Last of the nine names with no source. The directory lists it; the tool reference Gusto maintains does not, so nothing about its behaviour is known or written here.

Watch out
Claude's general approval rule is the frame that applies to it.
Approvals

What Claude asks before acting

By default, Claude stops and asks for your go-ahead before each action it takes on an account for you. The request shows up in the conversation, when it matters.

On a Team or Enterprise workspace, owners decide whether a member may let some actions through without being asked every time. They can also cap what a connector may do for the whole organization, keeping reads open and closing writes, and nobody overrides that from their own account. Claude works with your rights and nothing more, and with Gusto it is narrower still: only the data categories you ticked at authorization are in reach.

Plans

Which plans include it

None of the 819 sheets in the official directory shows availability by plan. That answer is published nowhere, connector by connector: a real gap in the catalogue.

The general rule is published: remote connectors are open to all users on Claude, Cowork, Claude Desktop and mobile. On Team and Enterprise, an Owner or Primary Owner enables the connector for the organization before members can connect. Gusto's documentation says something narrower, set against that rule in the limits section. For the current state, check the connector's sheet in the official directory.

Limits

Where this connector stops

A connector is not an automation. Claude calls these tools while it answers you: nothing starts on a pay date, a new hire or a missing timesheet.

The tool list is an observed floor, not a promise: an administrator can open actions that appear on no public sheet. The partner badge is not a security audit either, and Anthropic says so on every sheet: it does not choose the tools a publisher exposes and does not guarantee they behave as announced. Only Gusto's documentation covers this connector, and it describes a catalogue of 72 tools against 43 on the sheet.

Two official sources disagree

Which plans let Claude use the Gusto connector?

What this page followsNeither side is out of date: Anthropic's rule covers every connector, while Gusto's line targets its own server but sits in a troubleshooting guide that also describes a custom setup. It is the publisher speaking, not Anthropic: check the directory sheet from your own account before relying on either.

Need help

Need help connecting Gusto to Claude?

A person reads every message.

FAQ

Questions about the Claude Gusto connector

01What can Claude do with the Claude Gusto connector?
Claude can answer questions about your payroll and people data in Gusto. Thirty-one described tools read your company profile, employees, contractors, departments, locations, jobs and pay rates, pay schedules and periods, payroll runs and their blockers, contractor payments and time records. Three more act on the account: recording time, running a payroll and creating a company. Nine further names on the directory sheet have no description in any official source.
02Can Claude run payroll or change data in Gusto?
Yes, three documented tools act on your account. One records admin-entered time for a worker over a pay period. Another calculates and submits an existing unprocessed payroll; the directory sheet adds that only eligible customers can run payroll in Claude, without saying who qualifies. The third creates a Gusto company and its payroll admin account during signup. Nine undocumented tools may or may not change anything, and nobody official says which.
03Does Claude ask before it acts in Gusto?
By default, yes: Claude asks for confirmation before each action it carries out on an account on your behalf. No source describes a confirmation specific to a Gusto tool, so that default rule covers payroll, time and company creation. Gusto adds its own advice: never switch on automatic tool execution in your client, and review every call before approving it. On a Team or Enterprise workspace, owners can close writes for everyone.
04Which plans is it available on?
No official source publishes plan availability connector by connector, and no directory sheet shows it. The general rule says remote connectors are open to all users on Claude, Cowork, Claude Desktop and mobile, with an Owner or Primary Owner enabling them first on Team and Enterprise. Gusto's own troubleshooting guide states a narrower requirement, quoted in the limits section. The directory sheet is the only place showing the current state for your account.
05Does Claude see all of our Gusto data?
Only what you granted. When you authorize, Gusto lets you pick which data categories the connection covers and, if relevant, which company. You can check the active scopes at any time with the token information tool, and change them only by disconnecting and reconnecting. Connecting also requires a Gusto account with full admin rights. On a Team or Enterprise workspace, an owner can further restrict what the connector may do.
06Why does Gusto ask me not to use other connectors in the same chat?
Because mixing services in one session can lead to unpredictable behavior, including your Gusto data being sent to another service by mistake. Gusto asks you to use its server in isolation. Its documentation also points out that your prompts and Claude's answers may carry sensitive payroll information, so it asks you to opt out of model training in your assistant's settings, and to stay prompted to confirm each tool call before it runs. These are the publisher's guidelines, not Anthropic's.
07Claude or an automation tool for Gusto?
They answer different needs, so it depends on the task. Claude works inside a conversation: you ask, it looks up payroll or people data, and with your go-ahead it can record time or run a payroll. Nothing else happens once you stop typing, and it does not react on its own to a new hire or a pay date. For processing that runs in the background on an event, that is the job of an automation tool. For on-demand analysis, the connector fits.