Tool reference

Your assistant discovers and calls SeekOut MCP tools as needed. You normally describe the recruiting outcome you want instead of naming a tool. Use this reference to understand what each tool can access or change. For task-oriented guidance, see Recruiting workflows and Work with candidates.

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How search state works

SeekOut MCP maintains search state during an MCP session. The state can include a talent data source, geographic index, query, and filters. Tools that update this state let your assistant build a search incrementally before running it. A typical search uses the tools in this order:

1. Select a talent data source and geographic index.
2. Add a query and filters.
3. Run the search or inspect the result count.
4. Retrieve profiles or a shareable search link.
5. Clear the search state before starting an unrelated search.

Each tool row includes one behavior category matching the SeekOut MCP server reference. Behavior legend

• read-only reads SeekOut data without modifying anything.
• session uses or changes in-memory search session state without an external write.
• stateless performs an independent lookup without using search session state.
• session reset clears accumulated search session state.
• write creates, changes, or sends persistent data outside the search session.
• credits consumes SeekOut Recruit credits.

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Search tools

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Set the search context

You can select only talent data sources and geographic indices available to your account.

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set_vertical

Select the talent data source used by subsequent search calls. session

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set_index

Select the geographic index used by subsequent search calls. session

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Update a search

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set_query

Set or replace the Boolean search expression. session

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add_filter

Add a supported filter field and value. session

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remove_filter

Remove a filter value or clear a filter field. session

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Inspect a search

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get_state

Return the current data source, index, query, filters, and optionally the runtime query payload. session

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browse_power_filters

List available filters and values for an accessible talent data source. stateless

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Run a search

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search_people

Search for people using the current query and filters. read-only

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count_results

Count candidates matching the current query and filters. read-only

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pipeline_overview

Summarize a connected ATS pipeline by status, recruiter, and stage. read-only

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unified_search

Search across multiple talent data sources available to your account. read-only

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Find entities, profiles, and links

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search_entities

Find an entity by name. stateless

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search_entities_batch

Find multiple entities in one request. stateless

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get_profile

Retrieve full candidate profiles by profile key. read-only

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get_search_links

Return a shareable SeekOut link for the current search. read-only

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Reset the search

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clear_search

Clear the accumulated state before starting another search. session reset

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Discovery and market analysis

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discover_companies

Find companies matching industry or market criteria and map them to SeekOut entities. read-only

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verify_search

Check the quality of the current search before returning candidate results. read-only

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market_analysis

Analyze a talent market across requested dimensions, or trace a company’s talent flow. read-only By default, this returns pool sizes and facet distributions for the current search context. Set flow_company to a company name to switch into talent-flow mode. For that company, per market, SeekOut returns where current staff worked before (feeder companies), where alumni are now (destinations), recent hires, recent departures, and the function mix. Flow mode anchors its own company and markets, ignores the session’s company and location filters, and writes no search state.

• flow_company: the company to analyze, bound by exact name. Pass an explicit company_id on a market entry when the name is ambiguous.
• flow_markets: up to three markets, each { index, country, company_id }. Valid index values are NorthAmerica, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and SouthAmerica. country scopes a market within an index, and company_id pins the entity in that index. Company ids are resolved separately per index, so the same name can resolve to different companies in different indexes, and a market that does not resolve is reported rather than guessed. When omitted, the session’s current index is used.
• detail: compact (default, up to eight rows per list) or full, which adds recent-hire titles and recent-departure destinations.

Each market runs four search requests, charged up front against your request allowance, so a three-market call uses twelve. See Usage limits. Every count is people who are in a bucket now or were before, never a move between companies: “412 from Intel” means 412 current staff previously worked at Intel, not that 412 moved. Departures are counted by calendar year and name the year they are counted since. A figure SeekOut could not compute comes back as not available, never zero. Markets are separate indexes and are never added together. Each result carries ready-to-quote claims and caveats sentences; quote them rather than paraphrasing. In assistants that render MCP Apps, a flow result appears as an interactive talent-flow widget. Every other assistant receives the same figures as text.

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compare_markets

Compare a talent pool across as many as six cities. read-only

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talent_dashboard

Assemble a talent-market report from several verified searches in one call. read-only It returns result counts, facet breakdowns, and a geographic distribution for each labeled market, tagged with a report id. Markets that cannot be resolved are reported as unavailable rather than estimated, and never as zero. In assistants that render MCP Apps, the report appears as an interactive dashboard with a talent map. Every other assistant receives the same figures as text.

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Workspace tools

All workspace tools require Recruit workspace access. Changes made through MCP remain available in Recruit.

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View workspaces

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list_workspaces

List accessible candidate workspaces. read-only

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Change workspaces

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create_workspace

Create a candidate workspace. write

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add_to_workspace

Add selected candidate profiles to a workspace. write

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update_workspace_search

Replace a workspace’s base search with the current search. write

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add_search_to_workspace

Add the current search to a workspace as a saved search. write

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Contact and export tools

See Work with candidates for user-facing guidance and approval considerations.

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Retrieve contact details

These tools require candidate profiles.

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get_emails

Retrieve verified candidate email addresses. credits

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get_phones

Retrieve candidate phone numbers. credits

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Check contact requests

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check_contacts

Check the status of a pending contact-retrieval request. read-only

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Export profiles

This tool requires candidate profiles.

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export_profiles

Export candidate profiles to Excel or Google Sheets. credits

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View ATS connections

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list_ats_connections

List the ATS integrations available to your organization. read-only

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Send candidates to your ATS

This tool requires a connected ATS and access to the destination.

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export_to_ats

Send selected candidates to a connected ATS. write

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Check credits

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check_credits

Return the remaining contact and export credits. read-only

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Organization data tools

Availability follows your organization’s connected data sources and your SeekOut permissions.

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describe_org_schema

List the fields and values that can be searched in your organization’s data. read-only

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resolve_skills_for_org

Match free-text skills to your organization’s skill vocabulary. read-only

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analyze_bench_depth

Evaluate successor or replacement candidates for a critical role. read-only

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Feedback and support tools

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report_bug

Send a bug report, product feedback, or feature request to SeekOut with a session snapshot to help reproduce the issue. write

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Workflow resources

SeekOut MCP also exposes workflow skills as MCP resources. Compatible clients can list the available resources and load the relevant workflow content when needed. See Recruiting workflows for user-facing examples.

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list_resources

List available workflow resources and their URIs. stateless

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read_resource

Load a workflow resource by URI. stateless

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Interactive result actions

Some assistants render SeekOut results as an interactive card instead of plain text. When you act on that card — opening a profile, adding a filter, saving a candidate to a workspace — the assistant runs a single tool on your behalf. Only an allowlisted set of actions can run this way: viewing profiles and search state, refining the current search, listing workspaces, saving candidates to a workspace, and retrieving or exporting contact details. Actions that delete or overwrite data are not available from an interactive result, and every action applies your existing SeekOut permissions and credit limits.

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execute_app_action

Run an action you triggered from an interactive SeekOut result, such as opening a candidate profile or saving candidates to a workspace. write