The Operating REST API for custom integrations and internal tools
Some of the systems a consultancy runs on will never have a ready-made connector. The REST API is the honest answer for those. About 55 resources are exposed over it, covering the projects, people, allocations, time entries, invoices and budgets the app itself works with. Teams use it to feed a data warehouse, to post time into a finance system, to let an internal portal open a project, or to give an agent of their own a way in. Whatever you build reads and writes as an ordinary Operating user, with that user's permissions.
What the API covers
The reference at operating.readme.io shows every endpoint with a sample request and a sample response. You can see the shape of a project or a time entry before you write any code.
- Projects, phases, budgets, positions and allocations
- People, skills, rate cards, holidays and time entries
- Clients, invoices and expenses
- Four report endpoints, for planned and actual figures returned in pages
Keys, permissions and limits
An API key is a bearer token you generate in Operating's settings. Generating a new one archives the key before it, so there is a single active key at any time and rotating it is a deliberate act.
- The key runs as its own API user, so scope its permissions the way you would scope a person
- The limit is 800 requests a minute, which leaves room for a nightly export
- Report endpoints page with a limit between 1 and 200 and a nextCursor you send back as after
- Sending after without limit fails, so keep both on every page after the first
The Operating REST API at a glance
Checked against the product on 2026-09-27.
Base URL
https://api.operating.app/v1
Authentication
Bearer API key, generated in Operating's settings
Key lifecycle
Generating a new key archives the previous one, so one key is active at a time
Permissions
The key runs as its own API user and inherits that user's permissions
Rate limit
800 requests a minute
Coverage
About 55 resources, including projects, people, clients, allocations, time entries, invoices, expenses, budgets, rate cards, skills and holidays
Reports
Four endpoints, paged with limit (1 to 200) and a nextCursor returned as after
Reference
https://operating.readme.io/reference/overview
Questions about the Operating REST API
What can the Operating REST API do?
It exposes about 55 resources, including projects, phases, budgets, positions, allocations, people, skills, rate cards, holidays, time entries, clients, invoices and expenses, plus four report endpoints for planned and actual figures.
How do you authenticate against the Operating REST API?
With a bearer API key generated in Operating's settings. The key runs as its own API user and carries that user's permissions, so give it the access the integration genuinely needs and no more.
Can an Operating account have more than one active API key?
No. Generating a new key archives the previous one, so exactly one key is active at a time. Plan a rotation as a swap rather than an overlap.
What is the rate limit on the Operating REST API?
800 requests a minute. That is enough for a nightly export or a steady stream of updates from another system.
How does pagination work on the Operating report endpoints?
Send a limit between 1 and 200. The response carries a nextCursor, which you send back as after on the following request. Sending after without limit fails, so include both on every page after the first.
Should you use the REST API or an MCP server to connect a tool to Operating?
Use the REST API for software that runs on a schedule and must behave identically every time. Use the MCP server when a person is asking questions in a chat and acting on the answers. Many teams run both.
Where is the Operating API documentation?
At operating.readme.io/reference/overview. It covers every endpoint with sample requests, sample responses and the errors each one can return.
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