Workday Resource Management MCP server

Workday Resource Management is a comprehensive solution for managing projects, resources, and professional services delivery. An AI agent with this MCP server can plan and track projects, allocate resources by skill, manage time and expenses, calculate project budgets and profitability, monitor resource utilization, and generate project analytics. Project managers, resource planners, professional services leaders, and finance teams use this integration to optimize project delivery and resource efficiency.

Setting up an MCP server

This article covers the standard steps for creating an MCP server in AI Gateway and connecting it to an AI client. The steps are the same for every integration — application-specific details (API credentials, OAuth endpoints, and scopes) are covered in the individual application pages.

Before you begin

You'll need:

• Access to AI Gateway with permission to create MCP servers
• API credentials for the application you're connecting (see the relevant application page for what to collect)

Create an MCP server

Find the API in the catalog

1. Sign in to AI Gateway and select MCP Servers from the left navigation.
2. Select New MCP Server.
3. Search for the application you want to connect, then select it from the catalog.

Configure the server

1. Enter a Name for your server — something descriptive that identifies both the application and its purpose (for example, "Zendesk Support — Prod").
2. Enter a Description so your team knows what the server is for.
3. Set the Timeout value. 30 seconds works for most APIs; increase to 60 seconds for APIs that return large payloads.
4. Toggle Production mode on if this server will be used in a live workflow.
5. Select Next.

Configure authentication

Enter the authentication details for the application. This varies by service — see the Authentication section of the relevant application page for the specific credentials, OAuth URLs, and scopes to use.

Configure security

1. Set any Rate limits appropriate for your use case and the API's own limits.
2. Enable Logging if you want AI Gateway to record requests and responses for auditing.
3. Select Next.

Deploy

Review the summary, then select Deploy. AI Gateway provisions the server and provides a server URL you'll use when configuring your AI client.

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Connect to an AI client

Once your server is deployed, you'll need to add it to the AI client your team uses. Select your client for setup instructions:

• Claude Desktop
• Claude Code
• Cursor
• VS Code
• Windsurf

Tips

• You can create multiple MCP servers for the same application — for example, a read-only server for reporting agents and a read-write server for automation workflows.
• If you're unsure which OAuth scopes to request, start with the minimum read-only set and add write scopes only when needed. Most application pages include scope recommendations.
• You can edit a server's name, description, timeout, and security settings after deployment without redeploying.

Authentication

Workday Resource Management uses OAuth 2.0 for secure authentication. You'll need to register an OAuth 2.0 client in Workday and create an Integration System User (ISU) with appropriate Resource Management security groups. The OAuth endpoints follow this pattern: authorization at https://{tenant}.workday.com/ccx/oauth2/authorize and token retrieval at https://{tenant}.workday.com/ccx/oauth2/token. Provide your Client ID, Client Secret, and tenant name when setting up the MCP server. The standard scopes are read (read-only access), write (create and update projects and allocations), and admin (system configuration).

Available tools

The tools below enable AI agents to manage the full project lifecycle and resource optimization: project management, capacity planning, time and expense tracking, financial management, portfolio oversight, and analytics.

Project Management

Tool	Description
Create project	Set up a new project with hierarchy and phases
Read project	Retrieve project details and status
Update project	Modify project information and milestones
List projects	Retrieve all projects with filtering options
Create milestone	Define project phases and deliverables
Read milestone	Get milestone details and completion status
Update milestone	Mark milestones as complete or modify dates
List milestones	Retrieve project milestones by project or status

Resource Planning

Tool	Description
Create allocation	Assign a resource to a project
Read allocation	Get resource allocation and utilization details
Update allocation	Modify allocation percentages and dates
List allocations	Retrieve allocations by resource, project, or date
Get capacity	Retrieve available capacity for a resource
Get utilization	Calculate resource utilization rates
Match skills	Find resources with required skills for a project
Identify overallocation	Detect over-allocated resources

Time and Expense

Tool	Description
Create time entry	Submit hours worked on a project
Read time entry	Get time entry details
Update time entry	Modify and correct time records
List time entries	Retrieve entries by resource, project, or date
Create expense	Submit project-related expenses
Read expense	Get expense details and amounts
Update expense	Modify expense records
List expenses	Retrieve expenses by project or resource
Create approval	Approve or reject time and expense submissions

Project Financials

Tool	Description
Create budget	Set up a project budget with allocations
Read budget	Get budget details and utilization
Update budget	Modify budget amounts and allocations
List budgets	Retrieve budgets by project or status
Get actual costs	Retrieve actual project spending
Create variance analysis	Compare actual to budget
Create billing record	Generate billable revenue from time entries
Get profitability	Calculate project profit and margins

Portfolio Management

Tool	Description
List portfolio projects	Retrieve all projects in the portfolio
Get portfolio metrics	Get portfolio health metrics and KPIs
Analyze resource demand	Identify portfolio-wide resource needs
Identify at-risk projects	Find projects with schedule or budget risks
Generate portfolio dashboard	Create executive portfolio summary
Analyze portfolio budget	Review total portfolio budget utilization

Client and Engagement

Tool	Description
Create engagement	Set up a new client project
Read engagement	Get client engagement details
Update engagement	Modify engagement information
List engagements	Retrieve engagements by client or status
Create statement of work	Define client deliverables and scope
Read statement of work	Get SOW details and milestones
Update statement of work	Modify scope and deliverables
Track change requests	Log and manage client change requests

Reporting and Analytics

Tool	Description
Create project report	Generate a project status or financial report
Read report	Retrieve report data and results
List reports	Get available project report templates
Get project health	Calculate project health metrics and KPIs
Analyze margins	Review project profitability and margins
Generate utilization report	Create resource utilization analysis
Analyze timesheet compliance	Review time entry accuracy and timeliness
Compare performance	Benchmark project against portfolio metrics

Tips

Group capacity planning by skill to match available skills to project needs rather than assigning resources randomly, improving project efficiency and reducing rework.

Monitor utilization targets aiming for 70-85% billable utilization to balance delivery capacity with time for non-billable work like training and internal projects.

Track profitability at the project level and regularly compare actual costs to budget to identify cost overruns early and adjust staffing or scope as needed.

Use portfolio management for demand forecasting by analyzing upcoming project pipelines to predict resource requirements and plan hiring or training in advance.

Implement time entry discipline by enforcing regular and accurate time entries to ensure project financials and resource utilization metrics are reliable for decision-making.