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Zoho Timeline MCP Server

Provides an MCP server that captures Zoho CRM timeline screenshots, runs OCR, analyzes events, and exports reports.

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "johnelamont-zoho-timeline-mcp": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "-m",
        "zoho_timeline_mcp.server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

You set up a Python-based MCP server that lets Claude Desktop capture Zoho CRM timeline windows, extract events with OCR, analyze them in chronological order, and export structured JSON and Markdown reports for easy review.

How to use

Start by ensuring the MCP server is configured in Claude Desktop. You will use a local stdio server that runs with Python and imports the module that exposes the MCP interface. You can interact with the server by commanding Claude Desktop to capture, process, and export timeline data. When you say you want to capture, Claude will grab the active Zoho timeline window, save the image, and prompt you to capture additional screenshots. After you have captured all needed images, you instruct Claude to process the timeline, which analyzes the screenshots, extracts events, and identifies workflows and functions. Finally, you export the results to JSON and Markdown files for reporting.

How to install

Prerequisites you must have installed before running the MCP server.

Python 3.10+

Claude Desktop (with MCP support)

Anthropic API Key

Tesseract OCR (for text extraction)

Then follow these concrete steps to install and run the MCP server.

python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate

pip install -e .

pip install pywin32  # Windows active window capture compatibility (if needed)

# Create and configure environment variable for API key
# Step 1: set in a .env file at the project root
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

# Step 2: or set as an environment variable
setx ANTHROPIC_API_KEY "your_api_key_here"

# Ensure Tesseract is installed and in PATH
# Windows example: C:\\Program Files\\Tesseract-OCR
tesseract --version
"}]}]},{

Configuration and usage notes

Configure Claude Desktop to run the MCP server locally. Place the following configuration in Claude Desktop's MCP config so it can start the Python module that serves the MCP interface.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zoho-timeline": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "-m",
        "zoho_timeline_mcp.server"
      ],
      "cwd": "C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\Documents\\zoho-timeline-mcp",
      "env": {
        "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, check common causes like missing environment variables, incorrect paths, or missing dependencies. For example, verify the API key is accessible to the MCP server, confirm the working directory contains the module zoho_timeline_mcp.server, and ensure Tesseract is installed and in your PATH.

Common steps to validate the environment.

# Validate API key is set
echo %ANTHROPIC_API_KEY%  # Windows
print(process.env.get('ANTHROPIC_API_KEY'))  # Python

# Run the MCP server in standalone mode to test
python -m zoho_timeline_mcp.server
"}]}]},

Tools and outputs

This MCP server provides a set of tools to Claude Desktop for capture and processing of timeline data. Use these tools to control the workflow from capture through export.

Available tools

capture_screenshot

Captures a screenshot of the active window or full screen, returning a reference for later processing.

list_screenshots

Lists all captured screenshots with IDs and timestamps to help you manage the capture set.

process_timeline

Processes all captured screenshots to extract timeline data, including events, workflows, and functions.

clear_screenshots

Removes all stored screenshots to start a fresh analysis session.

export_results

Exports the timeline analysis to JSON and Markdown files for reporting.