Ashby MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects Claude to your Ashby ATS. Browse jobs, manage candidates, track applications through your hiring pipeline, and more — all through natural conversation.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• uv — a fast Python package manager
• An Ashby API key with candidatesRead, jobsRead, and candidatesWrite permissions
  • Generate one at https://app.ashbyhq.com/admin/api/keys

Setup

1. Install uv

If you don't already have uv installed:

# macOS / Linux
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# macOS via Homebrew
brew install uv

After installing, find the absolute path to the uvx command (you'll need this for the config):

which uvx

This will return something like /Users/yourname/.local/bin/uvx. Keep this path handy.

2. Get your Ashby API key

Go to https://app.ashbyhq.com/admin/api/keys and create a new API key. Make sure it has at least:

• candidatesRead
• jobsRead
• candidatesWrite (if you want to create candidates, add notes, or move applications)

3. Configure Claude Desktop

Open your Claude Desktop config file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add the following to the mcpServers section, replacing the placeholders with your actual values:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ashby": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from", "git+https://github.com/PlenishAI/mcp-ashby.git",
        "ashby"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ASHBY_API_KEY": "your-ashby-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important: Replace /absolute/path/to/uvx with the output from which uvx (e.g. /Users/yourname/.local/bin/uvx). Claude Desktop does not inherit your shell's PATH, so the full path is required.

4. Restart Claude Desktop

Quit and reopen Claude Desktop. The Ashby server should connect automatically. You can verify by asking Claude something like "list my open jobs in Ashby."

Alternative: Local Clone Setup

If the git+ URL method doesn't work (e.g. private repo or network restrictions), you can clone the repo locally:

git clone https://github.com/PlenishAi/mcp-ashby.git ~/projects/mcp-ashby

Then use uv (not uvx) in your config, pointing to the local directory:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ashby": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory", "/absolute/path/to/mcp-ashby",
        "run", "ashby"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ASHBY_API_KEY": "your-ashby-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: When using a local clone, run which uv to get the path — the command is uv, not uvx.

To update, just git pull from the repo directory.

Available Tools

Jobs

Tool	Description
job_list	List all jobs with optional status filter (Draft, Open, Closed, Archived)
job_info	Get details of a single job by ID
job_search	Search jobs by title

Candidates

Tool	Description
candidate_list	List all candidates with cursor pagination
candidate_search	Search candidates by email and/or name
candidate_info	Get full details of a candidate by ID
candidate_create	Create a new candidate
candidate_create_note	Add an HTML-formatted note to a candidate
candidate_list_notes	List all notes for a candidate
candidate_add_tag	Add a tag to a candidate
candidate_tag_list	List all available candidate tags

Applications

Tool	Description
application_list	List applications with optional jobId, status, and date filters
application_info	Get full details of an application by ID
application_create	Create an application linking a candidate to a job
application_change_stage	Move an application to a different interview stage

Interviews & Pipeline

Tool	Description
interview_stage_list	List interview stages for a given interview plan
interview_plan_list	List all interview plans
interview_list	List all interviews with cursor pagination
interview_info	Get details of a single interview by ID

Reference Data

Tool	Description
department_list	List all departments
user_list	List all users (team members)
source_list	List all candidate sources
archive_reason_list	List all archive reasons
location_list	List all locations

Troubleshooting

"No such file or directory" on startup

Claude Desktop can't find uvx. Make sure you're using the full absolute path from which uvx in your config, not just "uvx".

"Package not found in registry"

If you see a PyPI resolution error, make sure the --from argument uses the git+https:// URL, not a package name.

"module has no attribute 'run_async'"

You're running an older version of the server code against a newer MCP SDK. Pull the latest version of this repo.

API errors (401/403)

Your Ashby API key is missing or doesn't have the required permissions. Verify it at https://app.ashbyhq.com/admin/api/keys.

API Reference

This server communicates with the Ashby REST API:

• Base URL: https://api.ashbyhq.com
• Auth: Basic Auth (API key as username, empty password)
• Method: All endpoints are POST with JSON bodies
• Pagination: Cursor-based (moreDataAvailable + nextCursor)

License

MIT