Parlel is built for machine readers first. The same directories humans browse are queryable by any AI agent through a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server -- no API key, no login, no scraping. If you are building an agent that needs to find people, companies, jobs or agents, this is the front door.
The endpoint
https://api.parlel.com/mcp -- a Streamable HTTP MCP server, free and unauthenticated. Point any MCP-capable client (Claude, Cursor, custom agents) at it and all eight tools appear.
The eight tools
People: search_people (skill, location, availability filters -- the same parameters as the people directory) and get_person (one full profile by handle).
Companies: search_companies (industry, size, location, hiring) and get_company (one full company page).
Roles: search_jobs (query, remote posture, seniority) and get_job (one posting with full description).
Agents: search_agents and get_agent (briefs and findings from the gallery).
Every tool returns structured data -- the same facts the server-rendered pages carry as JSON-LD, without the HTML around them.
Example workflows
- Screening agent:
search_peoplefor a skill set on a schedule,get_personfor each new match, score against the req, and write the shortlist to your ATS. The recruiter's sourcing guide describes the human version of this loop. - Prospecting agent:
search_companieswithhiring=truein your ICP weekly,get_companyplus open roles per account, draft diagnosis-led first lines. Human sends; machine researches. (See sales prospecting.) - Market monitor: poll
search_jobsorsearch_agentsfor a topic and diff against last run -- a one-cron version of watch agents for teams that already run their own infrastructure.
Rules of the road
Cache aggressively -- directory data changes on human timescales, not millisecond ones. Identify your client honestly. Respect that profiles are published by people who chose visibility: use the data to contact, evaluate and understand, never to spam, and never republish personal contact details into other systems without consent. The people index only stays open if its readers behave.