Ashby ATS MCP Server & Claude Code Skill

An MCP server and Claude Code skill that integrates with the Ashby ATS API for Lightning Labs recruiting. Browse jobs, manage applications, screen candidates against hiring criteria, view pipeline dashboards, and annotate candidates.

MCP Server (Go)

The primary interface is a Go MCP server that exposes 19 Ashby tools over stdio transport. Works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or any MCP-compatible client.

Prerequisites

• Go 1.26+
• An Ashby API key with candidatesRead, jobsRead, and candidatesWrite permissions
  • Generate one at https://app.ashbyhq.com/admin/api/keys

Build

git clone <repo-url> ashby-skills
cd ashby-skills
go build -o ashby-mcp .

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ashby": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/ashby-mcp",
      "env": {
        "ASHBY_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

claude mcp add ashby /absolute/path/to/ashby-mcp \
  -e ASHBY_API_KEY=your-api-key-here

Or add to .claude/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ashby": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/ashby-mcp",
      "env": {
        "ASHBY_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Read-Only

Tool	Description
list_jobs	List jobs with optional status filter (Open/Closed/Archived/Draft)
get_job	Get job details by ID
search_jobs	Search jobs by title
list_applications	List applications with filters (jobId, status), cursor pagination
get_application	Get application details with optional field expansion
list_candidates	List candidates with pagination
search_candidates	Search candidates by email or name
get_candidate	Get candidate details by ID
list_tags	List all candidate tags
list_candidate_notes	List notes for a candidate
list_interview_stages	List interview stages for a job's plan
list_interviews	List interviews by application
pipeline_dashboard	Aggregated pipeline stats across all open jobs
screen_candidates	Score candidates against Lightning Labs hiring criteria

Write

Tool	Description
change_application_stage	Move application to a different interview stage
create_candidate	Create a new candidate record
add_candidate_tag	Add a tag to a candidate
create_candidate_note	Add an HTML-formatted note to a candidate
create_application	Create an application linking candidate to job

Screening Criteria

The screen_candidates tool scores applicants using weighted keyword matching:

Category	Weight	Signals
Bitcoin & Lightning	3.0	bitcoin, lnd, taproot, HTLCs, payment channels
Go / Golang	2.5	golang, gRPC, protobuf, goroutines
Systems Languages	2.0	Rust, C++, systems programming
Distributed Systems	2.0	consensus, P2P, fault tolerance
Networking & Protocols	2.0	protocol design, Tor, noise protocol
Cryptography & Security	2.0	applied crypto, signatures, ZK proofs
Open Source	1.5	OSS contributions, maintainership
PhD & Research	1.5	doctorate, publications
Operating Systems	1.0	kernel, Linux, embedded

Tiers: strong (>=60%), moderate (35-59%), weak (15-34%), no_signal (<15%).

Claude Code Skill (Python, Legacy)

The Python CLI scripts are still available as a Claude Code skill for backward compatibility.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• requests library (pip install requests)

Usage

export ASHBY_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

# See all open roles
python3 .claude/skills/ashby/scripts/ashby_client.py jobs --status Open

# Pipeline dashboard
python3 .claude/skills/ashby/scripts/ashby_client.py dashboard --format markdown

# Screen active candidates for a specific job
python3 .claude/skills/ashby/scripts/ashby_client.py applications \
  --job-id <jobId> --status Active --enrich \
  | python3 .claude/skills/ashby/scripts/screen_candidates.py --format markdown

# Search for a candidate
python3 .claude/skills/ashby/scripts/ashby_client.py candidates --search-name "Jane Doe"

# Add a screening note
python3 .claude/skills/ashby/scripts/ashby_client.py notes \
  --candidate-id <id> \
  --body "<b>AI Screen</b>: Strong match (72%). Bitcoin/Lightning, distributed systems."

API Reference

All communication with Ashby uses their 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)

Limitations

• No inline resume content: Resume text is not returned inline. Use get_file_url with the handle from a resumeFileHandle or fileHandles entry to obtain a pre-signed download URL, then fetch the file separately. Screening works on application form data, custom fields, and metadata only.
• "Go" keyword ambiguity: The screener uses "golang", "goroutine", "gRPC" etc. as signals rather than bare "Go" which is too common in English.
• Dashboard speed: Makes N+1 API calls (1 for jobs + 1 per job for applications). Fine for ~10 open roles.