Upwork

Upwork logo
A freelance marketplace where you post a job, compare proposals and pay independent specialists through escrow.
SummaryFeaturesPricingCompetitors9How to use

Upwork API

Sign in
OAuth 2.0. OAuth 2.0; API access on: None — Upwork API Terms state the API is 'provided without charge'; access is not plan-gated but requires application approval (eligibility per docs: verified identity, valid address, profile picture, active verified payment method, completed identity verification, $25,000 lifetime earnings/spend, 90% Job Success Score for freelancers/agencies, good standing, 40,000 requests/day limit)Source

MCP server

Address
https://mcp.upwork.com/mcpSource
What it is
Official Upwork MCP server (announced Aug 2026, documented at https://www.upwork.com/ai/mcp). Hosted — no local install; works with Claude (Web/Desktop/Code), ChatGPT, Cursor, Codex, and any MCP-compatible agent. Uses OAuth 2.1 with dynamic client registration; users revoke permissions from Upwork account settings. Financial actions (escrow funding, offers, milestone payments) complete on upwork.com. Available at no additional cost to all Upwork clients and freelancers.

Checked on 2026-10-10 in the developer documentation.

How to automate Upwork

API and webhooks

Upwork documents a public GraphQL API with queries and mutations, and a developer site with client libraries on GitHub. Use it to pull contract hours and spend into a reporting sheet, or to sync job posts with your own tools. Read the API terms and the access requirements before you build on it.

MCP server

Upwork publishes an official MCP server that uses OAuth 2.1 and works with clients such as Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor. For clients it can search talent, draft and publish job posts, review proposals, prepare offers and read timesheets. Every write action is a draft you confirm, and money movements finish on upwork.com. A practical use: ask your agent to draft a job post from a short brief, shortlist five candidates and summarise their proposals for you.

Built-in automation

The paid plan adds AI-powered shortlists and automatic invitations to top candidates. Use those to cut the time between posting and reading the first good proposal.

No-code automation

Check whether there is a Zapier or Make app for Upwork before you plan a flow around it. If there is not, the API is the route for syncing contract and spend data into your finance or reporting stack.