Kolvera's Developer Platform: REST API v2, MCP and Webhooks

Most recruitment and sales software treats the API as an afterthought. A handful of read endpoints, a CSV export, and a support ticket queue where integration requests go to die. That assumption made sense when agencies had one system of record and a bookkeeper. It stopped making sense the moment AI assistants became a normal part of a consultant's day.

Kolvera's developer platform is built around four ways in: a REST API v2 with 60 JSON endpoints, an MCP server exposing 301 tools, a CLI with 20 commands, and 18 webhook event types with HMAC signing. Authentication runs through OAuth 2.0 or API tokens. Everything your team can do in the interface, a script or an AI assistant can do too.

Why an API matters more in 2026 than it did in 2020

The economics changed. Gartner has projected that by 2026, more than 80% of enterprises will have used generative AI APIs or deployed generative AI applications, up from less than 5% in 2023. For a recruitment agency, that shift is practical rather than theoretical: the consultant who can ask an AI assistant to enrich 40 contacts and build a hot list is working at a different speed to the one clicking through screens.

The constraint is data access. An AI assistant is only as useful as the tools it can reach. If your CRM has no machine-readable interface, the assistant is reduced to summarising what you paste into it.

Kolvera exposes 301 MCP tools, 60 REST API v2 endpoints, 18 webhook event types and a 20-command CLI. MCP (Model Context Protocol) lets AI assistants call Kolvera functions directly, so a consultant can describe a task in plain English rather than clicking through an interface. Gartner projects over 80% of enterprises will use generative AI APIs by 2026.

MCP: the recommended path for most teams

MCP is the layer most Kolvera users touch first, and it does not require writing any code. On claude.ai and Claude Desktop, you add Kolvera as a custom connector using the URL https://mcp.kolvera.io/mcp, sign in once to authorise, and the tools appear. No API token, no config file. On Team and Enterprise workspaces an Owner or Primary Owner adds the connector first. In each chat you then switch Kolvera on from the + menu under Connectors.

Claude Code, Cursor and Windsurf use config files instead. Create a token at Settings, then API Tokens, and add Kolvera to your .mcp.json or claude_desktop_config.json pointing at the same MCP URL with your kv_ token appended. That path needs Node.js for npx mcp-remote.

The 301 tools span contacts and enrichment, companies, client jobs, shortlists, campaigns, research and more. You do not need to memorise them. You describe what you want, and the assistant picks the tool. "Find the email and phone for Sarah Chen at Canva" resolves to find_contact_email and find_contact_phone. "Look up the directors of ABN 12345678901" hits the ASIC lookup tools.

Skills: packaged workflows with approval gates

Raw tool access is powerful and slightly dangerous. An assistant with enrichment tools and no guardrails can spend credits enthusiastically. Kolvera's answer is skills: packaged workflows that run on a trigger phrase, calling the right tools in the right order, with approval gates built in.

They are free and open-source at github.com/kolverahq/kolvera-skills. Say "Map the market for commercial cleaning in Melbourne" and the map-the-market skill runs the full pipeline: ICP, Deep Research, job scraping, contacts, hot lists, checking in with you at each gate. Other skills cover ICP review, contact enrichment, prospect sorting, hot list building, campaign builds, campaign health checks, morning briefings and weekly reviews.

Skills run in Claude's code sandbox, so code execution and file creation must be enabled first under Settings, then Capabilities. They are available on Claude's paid plans. There is also a guidelines skill that makes every other skill consultative: it reviews your setup, flags weak spots, and confirms before spending credits.

Kolvera publishes free, open-source Claude skills at github.com/kolverahq/kolvera-skills. Each skill is a packaged workflow triggered by a phrase such as "Map the market for AU fintech", running Kolvera tools in sequence with approval gates. Skills require Claude's code execution capability enabled and are available on Claude's paid plans.

REST API v2 for integrations and automation

The REST API v2 covers 60 JSON endpoints and handles everything MCP does, minus the natural language layer. It connects to Zapier and Make, syncs with internal tools, and backs custom reporting. OAuth 2.0 is supported as a provider, so third-party applications can request scoped access rather than asking users to paste long-lived tokens into someone else's system.

One area worth reading closely is the qualified people sourcing pilot. When enabled, candidate and decision-maker searches return evidence-based results with an explicit role location and a maximum credit charge. You read GET /api/v2/people/sourcing/quote first, then submit POST /api/v2/people/sourcing/runs with a brief, a reusable idempotency key and your approved max_credits. Poll the run endpoint for evidence, delivery outcomes and exact charges. Paused runs resume via a dedicated endpoint. Candidate searches may span employers; prospect searches require the current employer.

Pricing comes from the quote, not from a guess. Rejected or unconfirmed people attract no charge. Qualification purchases are reused across sourcing intents, and a new valid email is billed as a separate component. The existing Find Contacts API keeps its existing billing. The same flow is exposed over MCP as quote_person_sourcing, find_qualified_people, get_person_sourcing_run and resume_person_sourcing_run.

Webhooks and the CLI

Eighteen webhook event types push changes to your systems in real time, signed with HMAC so you can verify the payload actually came from Kolvera. Events cover things like prospect replies, credit balance warnings and research completion. Polling an API every five minutes to find out whether someone replied is a waste of both request quota and attention.

The CLI ships 20 commands and outputs JSON, which makes it well suited to piping into jq, running batch operations, and scheduling work with cron. If your operations lead is comfortable in a terminal, this is often the fastest route to a nightly data hygiene job or a Monday morning export.

Kolvera sends 18 webhook event types with HMAC signing, covering triggers such as prospect replies, low credit balances and completed research runs. HMAC signatures let receiving systems verify payload authenticity. Alongside webhooks, a 20-command CLI outputs JSON for use with jq, batch operations and cron-scheduled automation.

Where CRM integrations fit

Not every team wants to build. Kolvera ships 10 CRM integrations out of the box: Atlas CRM, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Close, Capsule CRM, Zoho CRM, Bullhorn, JobAdder, Spott and Manatal, plus calendar and recorder connectors and a generic webhook. Bullhorn's Global Recruitment Insights and Data research has repeatedly found that recruitment firms cite operational efficiency and automation among their top priorities, and most of that gap is closed by removing double entry rather than writing new software.

If your agency already runs Bullhorn or JobAdder as the system of record, the native connector usually covers it. The API is for the cases the connector does not reach: a bespoke dashboard, a data warehouse feed, or an internal tool your ops team built three years ago and refuses to retire. If you are still working out what belongs where, our guide on what a recruitment CRM actually does is a reasonable starting point.

Credits apply the same way

API tokens draw from the same credit pool as the web app. There is no separate developer tier and no per-call API fee. Enrichment costs 2 credits for an email and 2 credits per phone found. Deep Research is 6 credits per run plus 4 per expand. Company Search browsing is free, with Find Contacts at 2 credits per new contact with a valid email. CSV export is 1 credit per row.

Pro is A$79 per month with 2,250 credits. Scale is A$239 per month with 7,500 credits. Both in AUD, both include full API, MCP, CLI and webhook access. Details are on the pricing page. If you want to understand what enrichment credits actually buy, see our explainer on contact enrichment.

Kolvera API and MCP usage draws from the same credit pool as the web app, with no separate developer tier or per-call fee. Email enrichment costs 2 credits, phone lookup 2 credits per phone found, and Deep Research 6 credits per run plus 4 per expand. Pro is A$79/month (2,250 credits), Scale A$239/month (7,500 credits).

Getting started without writing code

The lowest-effort entry point is the connector URL. Add it in Claude, authorise, and start asking. Kolvera also publishes a workflow PDF you can add to a Claude Project so the assistant follows documented best practice across every conversation, including the T.I.P.S. email framework. Ask "show me the workflow guide" in any chat and it will surface it.

From there, a sensible progression: start with the map-the-market, icp-review and campaign-build skills, add webhooks when you need another system to react to what happens in Kolvera, and reach for the REST API when you have a specific integration in mind.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an API token to use Kolvera with Claude?

Not on claude.ai or Claude Desktop. Add https://mcp.kolvera.io/mcp as a custom connector under Settings, then Connectors, sign in to Kolvera and authorise. Claude Code, Cursor and Windsurf use config files and do need a token created at Settings, then API Tokens.

How many MCP tools does Kolvera expose?

301 tools, grouped by category including contacts and enrichment, companies, client jobs, shortlists, role briefs and campaigns. You do not select tools manually. You describe the task and the AI assistant chooses the right tool for it.

Does API usage cost extra on top of my plan?

No. API tokens use the same credits as the web app, and both Pro (A$79/month, 2,250 credits) and Scale (A$239/month, 7,500 credits) include REST API v2, MCP, CLI and webhook access. Credit costs are identical whether an action runs in the interface or over the API.

What are webhooks useful for in a recruitment workflow?

Eighteen event types cover moments like a prospect replying, credits running low or a research run completing. With HMAC signing, your receiving system can verify the payload is genuine, then trigger a Slack alert, update a dashboard, or write a row to a data warehouse.

Can I use the API if I already have Bullhorn or JobAdder?

Yes. Kolvera ships native connectors for both, alongside eight other CRMs and a generic webhook. The API is for cases the connectors do not cover, such as custom dashboards, warehouse feeds or internal tooling.

Try it on your own data

The fastest way to judge a developer platform is to connect it and ask it something real. Add the connector, point it at one of your desks, and see whether the answers hold up. If you would rather have someone walk you through the integration options first, book a demo or read how other Australian agencies are running it.