The PeopleSearch.im API & MCP server

PeopleSearch.im is a remote Model Context Protocol server. Add its URL to your AI app and approve the connection when it asks: there is no key to copy. Your assistant can then search people and companies, reveal profiles, and fetch verified work emails on your behalf, spending your credits (the same balance as the API and the app).

https://peoplesearch.im/api/mcp

New to it? The MCP server overview covers what an agent can do with it and the use cases. For the bigger picture, our guide to giving AI agents access to people data covers how MCP and REST fit together, the tradeoffs, and keeping an agent's data grounded and compliant.

Claude (claude.ai, Claude Desktop, and mobile)

Open Settings, then Connectors, and choose Add custom connector. Name it PeopleSearch.im, paste the URL above, and add it. The first time Claude uses a PeopleSearch.im tool it shows a Connect button: sign in, approve, and the request continues.

ChatGPT

Turn on developer mode (Settings, then Apps, then Advanced settings), create an app with the URL above, choose OAuth as the authentication, and approve the connection when PeopleSearch.im asks.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http peoplesearch https://peoplesearch.im/api/mcp

Then run /mcp inside Claude Code and authenticate PeopleSearch.im to connect your account.

Cursor (~/.cursor/mcp.json)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "peoplesearch": {
      "url": "https://peoplesearch.im/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

VS Code (.vscode/mcp.json)

{
  "servers": {
    "peoplesearch": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://peoplesearch.im/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Prefer an API key? (Windsurf, scripts, and clients without OAuth)

Clients that support MCP authorization ask you to sign in and approve on first use. If yours does not, sign in to create a key and send it as a header instead:

claude mcp add --transport http peoplesearch https://peoplesearch.im/api/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer sk_sift_..."

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "peoplesearch": {
      "serverUrl": "https://peoplesearch.im/api/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer sk_sift_..." }
    }
  }
}

For a stdio-only client, bridge it with mcp-remote (or use our open-source stdio bridge on GitHub):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "peoplesearch": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y", "mcp-remote", "https://peoplesearch.im/api/mcp",
        "--header", "Authorization: Bearer sk_sift_..."
      ]
    }
  }
}

Sign in to create a key, then send it on every request:

Authorization: Bearer sk_sift_...

POST /api/v1/search

Describe who you want in plain English. Returns a free sample of masked previews and the true total, so you can validate the match before you pay, then deliver from the same query (below). Searching is free.

curl -X POST https://peoplesearch.im/api/v1/search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_sift_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query":"Heads of Marketing at Series B SaaS in New York","limit":10}'

{
  "ok": true,
  "total": 4213,
  "results": [
    {
      "key": "q3xV9mL2Tf0bR7aKdW1sEu",
      "token": "sealed-token-you-pass-to-reveal",
      "maskedName": "Jordan M.",
      "title": "Head of Marketing",
      "industry": "Software Development",
      "companySize": 180,
      "location": "New York, United States"
    }
  ],
  "token": "next-page-token",
  "chips": [{ "label": "Role", "value": "Head of Marketing" }],
  "parser": "ai",
  "balance": 120
}

POST /api/v1/deliver

The paid step. Pass the same query and how many profiles you want in count (default 100, up to 100 per call). Delivers the full profiles in ONE atomic charge: 1 credit each, and any you already own are free. Each profile comes back with an id for the email step below. Returns 402 when out of credits.

curl -X POST https://peoplesearch.im/api/v1/deliver \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_sift_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query":"Heads of Marketing at Series B SaaS in New York","count":100}'

{
  "ok": true,
  "charged": 100,
  "balance": 20,
  "total": 4213,
  "profiles": [
    {
      "id": "…",
      "profile": {
        "name": "Jordan Miller",
        "title": "Head of Marketing",
        "company": "Acme",
        "location": "New York, United States",
        "linkedinUrl": "https://linkedin.com/in/...",
        "email": null,
        "emailStatus": "idle"
      }
    }
  ]
}

POST /api/v1/reveal

For one profile you already have a search token for (prefer Deliver for volume). Spends one credit and returns the full profile (without the email). Add "withEmail": true to also fetch the professional email in the same call (a second credit, refunded if none is found); the endpoint waits briefly and, if the lookup is still running, returns emailStatus:"searching" so you can re-call the same token for free to get it once resolved. Revealing the same person again is free (idempotent). Returns 402 when out of credits.

curl -X POST https://peoplesearch.im/api/v1/reveal \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_sift_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"token":"<token from a search result>"}'

{
  "ok": true,
  "id": "…",
  "balance": 119,
  "profile": {
    "name": "Jordan Miller",
    "title": "Head of Marketing",
    "company": "Acme",
    "companyIndustry": "Software Development",
    "companySize": 180,
    "location": "New York, United States",
    "linkedinUrl": "https://linkedin.com/in/...",
    "email": null,
    "emailStatus": "idle"
  }
}

With withEmail (a second credit, refunded if none is found):

curl -X POST https://peoplesearch.im/api/v1/reveal \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_sift_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"token":"<token>","withEmail":true}'
# profile.email: "jordan@acme.com", emailStatus: "found", emailCertainty: "very_sure"

POST /api/v1/email

Fetch a delivered (or revealed) profile's professional email by its id. Spends one credit, refunded if no email is found. Waits briefly; if the lookup is still running it returns emailStatus:"searching" so you can re-call to poll.

curl -X POST https://peoplesearch.im/api/v1/email \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_sift_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"id":"<id from a deliver or reveal response>"}'
# { "ok": true, "email": "jordan@acme.com", "emailStatus": "found", "certainty": "very_sure", "balance": 19 }

GET /api/v1/credits

curl https://peoplesearch.im/api/v1/credits \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_sift_..."
# { "ok": true, "balance": 119, "creditPerReveal": 1 }