FreshBooks Automation

When to use this skill

Use FreshBooks Automation when an AI agent needs a reusable SKILL.md workflow for this job: FreshBooks Automation: manage businesses, projects, time tracking, and billing in FreshBooks cloud accounting

When not to use it

Skip FreshBooks Automation when the task is outside the productivity category, or when a more specific skill in this directory already covers the same workflow with clearer triggers.

How to install

1. Personal install: create ~/.claude/skills/freshbooks-automation/SKILL.md (and any bundled scripts) so Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and compatible agents can load it in every project.
2. Project install: commit the same folder at .claude/skills/freshbooks-automation/ so teammates get the skill with the repo.
3. Restart the agent session after copying files so it re-scans the skills directory, then ask for the task in words that match the skill description.

Full install guide for Claude, Cursor, and Codex

What this skill does

# FreshBooks Automation

Automate FreshBooks operations including listing businesses, managing projects, tracking time, and monitoring budgets for small and medium-sized business accounting.

**Toolkit docs:** [composio.dev/toolkits/freshbooks](https://composio.dev/toolkits/freshbooks)

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## Setup

This skill requires the **Rube MCP server** connected at `https://rube.app/mcp`.

Before executing any tools, ensure an active connection exists for the `freshbooks` toolkit. If no connection is active, initiate one via `RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS`.

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## Core Workflows

### 1. List Businesses

Retrieve all businesses associated with the authenticated user. The `business_id` from this response is required for most other FreshBooks API calls.

**Tool:** `FRESHBOOKS_LIST_BUSINESSES`

**Parameters:** None required.

**Example:** ``` Tool: FRESHBOOKS_LIST_BUSINESSES Arguments: {} ```

**Output:** Returns business membership information including all businesses the user has access to, along with their role in each business.

> **Important:** Always call this first to obtain a valid `business_id` before performing project-specific operations.

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### 2. List and Filter Projects

Retrieve all projects for a business with comprehensive filtering and sorting options.

**Tool:** `FRESHBOOKS_LIST_PROJECTS`

**Key Parameters:** - `business_id` (required) -- Business ID obtained from `FRESHBOOKS_LIST_BUSINESSES` - `active` -- Filter by active status: `true` (active only), `false` (inactive only), omit for all - `complete` -- Filter by completion: `true` (completed), `false` (incomplete), omit for all - `sort_by` -- Sort order: `"created_at"`, `"due_date"`, or `"title"` - `updated_since` -- UTC datetime in RFC3339 format, e.g., `"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"` - `include_logged_duration` -- `true` to include total logged time (in seconds) per project - `skip_group` -- `true` to omit team member/invitation data (reduces response size)

**Example:** ``` Tool: FRESHBOOKS_LIST_PROJECTS Arguments: business_id: 123456 active: true complete: false sort_by: "due_date" include_logged_duration: true ```

**Use Cases:** - Get all projects for time tracking or invoicing - Find projects by client, status, or date range - Monitor project completion and budget tracking - Retrieve team assignments and project groups

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### 3. Monitor Active Projects

Track project progress and budgets by filtering for active, incomplete projects.

**Steps:** 1. Call `FRESHBOOKS_LIST_BUSINESSES` to get `business_id` 2. Call `FRESHBOOKS_LIST_PROJECTS` with `active: true`, `complete: false`, `include_logged_duration: true` 3. Analyze logged duration vs. budget for each project

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### 4. Review Recently Updated Projects

Check for recent project activity using the `updated_since` filter.

**Steps:** 1. Call `FRESHBOOKS_LIST_BUSINESSES` to get `business_id` 2. Call `FRESHBOOKS_LIST_PROJECTS` with `updated_since` set to your cutoff datetime 3. Review returned projects for recent changes

**Example:** ``` Tool: FRESHBOOKS_LIST_PROJECTS Arguments: business_id: 123456 updated_since: "2026-02-01T00:00:00Z" sort_by: "created_at" ```

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## Recommended Execution Plan

1. **Get the business ID** by calling `FRESHBOOKS_LIST_BUSINESSES` 2. **List projects** using `FRESHBOOKS_LIST_PROJECTS` with the obtained `business_id` 3. **Filter as needed** using `active`, `complete`, `updated_since`, and `sort_by` parameters

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## Known Pitfalls

| Pitfall | Detail | |---------|--------| | **business_id required** | Most FreshBooks operations require a `business_id`. Always call `FRESHBOOKS_LIST_BUSINESSES` first to obtain it. | | **Date format** | The `updated_since` parameter must be in RFC3339 format: `"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"`. Other formats will fail. | | **Paginated results** | Project list responses are paginated. Check for additional pages in the response. | | **Empty results** | Returns an empty list if no projects exist or match the applied filters. This is not an error. | | **Logged duration units** | When `include_logged_duration` is true, the duration is returned in seconds. Convert to hours (divide by 3600) for display. |

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## Quick Reference

| Tool Slug | Description | |-----------|-------------| | `FRESHBOOKS_LIST_BUSINESSES` | List all businesses for the authenticated user | | `FRESHBOOKS_LIST_PROJECTS` | List projects with filtering and sorting for a business |

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*Powered by [Composio](https://composio.dev)*

Intended uses

• Use FreshBooks Automation when this documented workflow matches the task.