Koskamo

Instead MCP

An official MCP server for Instead, a hiring tool for independent UK businesses. It allows AI assistants to learn hiring processes, post jobs for free, generate hiring posters, search for live jobs in London, and retrieve hospitality pay data.

Endpoint and access

No sign-in to connect and list tools. Individual tools may still need a vendor account, credentials, or permissions; check the documented prerequisites.

Instead MCP logo, by Monty Ventures LimitedVendor evidenceStreamable HTTPNo sign-inEndpoint checked 2026-11-02Operated by Monty Ventures Limited
MCP endpoint (Streamable HTTP)
https://instead.work/mcp
Vendor documentation

What its tools do

6 tools, grouped by the hints the server advertises. Hints are self-declared, not verified behavior.

Read-only (5)

Can change data (1)

6 of 6 have a description · 6 of 6 declare behavior hints · 5 of 6 with parameters document them all

Checks and signals

Each line is separate evidence, not a trust score.

  • Passed Endpoint answered the live check ·
  • Passed Official MCP Registry namespace is tied to instead.work ·
  • Passed Endpoint is on the registry namespace domain ·
  • Availability 1 of 1 checks passed in 30 days

What you can do with it

  • Post a job for free
  • Make hiring posters
  • Search live jobs
  • Look up London hospitality pay

Source and maintenance

Vendor evidenceRegistry 1.0.0
mcp-registry: work.instead/instead@1.0.0Project website

Protocol and capabilities

Server
instead 1.0.0
MCP protocol negotiated in check
2025-06-18
Tools
6 advertised
Resources
Not advertised
Resource templates
Not advertised
Prompts
Not advertised
Server-advertised capabilities
{
  "tools": {
    "listChanged": true
  }
}

Server-provided instructions

Untrusted server output shown for inspection. It is not Koskamo guidance and is excluded from knowledge search.

Instead (instead.work) helps independent UK businesses (cafés, pubs, restaurants, bars, shops, salons) hire from people who already know them: staff, regulars, followers and past applicants. Posting is free, the first hire is free, and each hire after that costs £39, paid only when the owner marks someone hired. Every candidate hears back within 48 hours. For an owner who needs staff: call how_to_hire for advice and the UK rules, pay_rates for what places nearby advertise, then post_job to make the job (ask them for the business name, role, pay, hours and area first; never invent the pay), then make_hiring_poster for their window and tables. For someone looking for work: search_jobs (jobs on Instead, and independent places hiring on their own websites), then get_job; pay_rates says what a job pays in London. Give people the links exactly as returned.

Tools

6 advertised

how_to_hire — How to hire staff
Advertised by the server during the last successful anonymous check.
Advertised read-only

Advice for a small UK business owner who needs staff (café, pub, restaurant, bar, shop, salon): how to find people through those who already know the business, what to pay, the UK rules to follow, and what Instead costs. Use before post_job, or whenever an owner asks how to hire.

how_to_hire input schema
{
  "type": "object",
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
  "properties": {
    "area": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 60,
      "description": "Where the business is, like Hackney"
    },
    "role": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 60,
      "description": "The job, like barista, chef or Christmas temp"
    }
  }
}
how_to_hire annotations
{
  "readOnlyHint": true,
  "openWorldHint": false,
  "destructiveHint": false
}
post_job — Post a job
Advertised by the server during the last successful anonymous check.
Open-world

Make a job for a small business on Instead, free. It takes applications at once through a link and QR code; the owner then publishes it to read and answer applicants by opening the publish link and signing in with their email (30 seconds). Ask the owner for every field you don't know; never invent the business, pay or hours. Confirm the details with them before calling.

post_job input schema
{
  "type": "object",
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
  "required": [
    "business_name",
    "role",
    "pay_min",
    "area"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "area": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 60,
      "minLength": 2,
      "description": "The neighbourhood, like Hackney or Stoke Newington"
    },
    "city": {
      "type": "string",
      "default": "London",
      "maxLength": 60,
      "minLength": 2
    },
    "role": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 60,
      "minLength": 2,
      "description": "The job title, like Barista or Kitchen porter"
    },
    "email": {
      "type": "string",
      "format": "email",
      "pattern": "^(?:[A-Za-z0-9_'+\\-]+\\.)*[A-Za-z0-9_'+\\-]*[A-Za-z0-9_+-]@(?:[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9\\-]*\\.)+[A-Za-z]{2,}$",
      "maxLength": 254,
      "description": "The owner's email, to send them the publish link and tell them when people apply"
    },
    "hours": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 80,
      "description": "Like 'Weekends, 8am to 4pm'"
    },
    "country": {
      "enum": [
        "GB",
        "IE",
        "US",
        "SG"
      ],
      "type": "string",
      "default": "GB"
    },
    "pay_max": {
      "type": "number",
      "maximum": 100000,
      "description": "The top of the range, if there is one",
      "exclusiveMinimum": 0
    },
    "pay_min": {
      "type": "number",
      "maximum": 100000,
      "description": "The pay, or the bottom of the range",
      "exclusiveMinimum": 0
    },
    "pay_unit": {
      "enum": [
        "hour",
        "day",
        "week",
        "month",
        "year"
      ],
      "type": "string",
      "default": "hour"
    },
    "temporary": {
      "type": "boolean",
      "default": false,
      "description": "True for seasonal or temporary work, like Christmas staff"
    },
    "must_haves": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "string",
        "maxLength": 80,
        "minLength": 2
      },
      "maxItems": 6,
      "description": "What every applicant needs, like 'Weekend availability'"
    },
    "description": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 2000,
      "description": "What the job is like, in the owner's words. Plain text"
    },
    "business_name": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 80,
      "minLength": 2,
      "description": "The business's name as customers know it"
    }
  }
}
post_job annotations
{
  "readOnlyHint": false,
  "openWorldHint": true,
  "idempotentHint": false,
  "destructiveHint": false
}
make_hiring_poster — Make hiring posters
Advertised by the server during the last successful anonymous check.
Advertised read-only

Print-ready posters for a job: an A4 window poster, an A5 poster for regulars and an A6 table card, each with a QR code people apply from. Takes a job made with post_job (its code or link) or a live Instead job (its link or slug).

make_hiring_poster input schema
{
  "type": "object",
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
  "required": [
    "job"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "job": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 300,
      "minLength": 1,
      "description": "The code or link post_job returned, or a live job's instead.work/j/ link"
    },
    "look": {
      "enum": [
        "a",
        "b",
        "c"
      ],
      "type": "string",
      "default": "a",
      "description": "a: Loud colour; b: Till receipt; c: Chat thread"
    },
    "accent": {
      "type": "string",
      "pattern": "^#[0-9a-fA-F]{6}$",
      "description": "The business's colour, like #2F6B4F"
    },
    "reward": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 40,
      "description": "A thank-you for a regular who sends the hire, like 'a month of free coffee'"
    },
    "address": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 48,
      "description": "Short address for the poster, like '14 Chatsworth Rd · E5'"
    }
  }
}
make_hiring_poster annotations
{
  "readOnlyHint": true,
  "openWorldHint": false,
  "destructiveHint": false
}
search_jobs — Search jobs
Advertised by the server during the last successful anonymous check.
Advertised read-only

Live jobs at independent UK cafés, pubs, restaurants, bars, shops and salons on Instead, London first: every job shows the pay, applying takes about two minutes from a phone with no account, and everyone hears back within 48 hours. Also returns independent London places hiring on their own websites and new places across the UK hiring their first team (not on Instead yet): apply on their website, or leave details once for several at the leave_details_url.

search_jobs input schema
{
  "type": "object",
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
  "properties": {
    "area": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 60,
      "description": "A neighbourhood, borough, town or postcode district, like Hackney or E8"
    },
    "query": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 80,
      "description": "The kind of work, like barista, kitchen or weekend"
    },
    "min_hourly_pay": {
      "type": "number",
      "maximum": 200,
      "minimum": 0,
      "description": "Lowest pay wanted, in pounds an hour"
    }
  }
}
search_jobs annotations
{
  "readOnlyHint": true,
  "openWorldHint": false,
  "destructiveHint": false
}
pay_rates — What London hospitality jobs pay
Advertised by the server during the last successful anonymous check.
Advertised read-only

The hourly pay independent London cafés, restaurants, pubs, bars and bakeries advertise on their own websites this month, by role: the middle (median), the range and how many ads (Instead's London Hospitality Pay Index). For an owner choosing what to pay, or someone weighing up a job.

pay_rates input schema
{
  "type": "object",
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
  "properties": {
    "role": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 60,
      "description": "The job, like barista, chef or kitchen porter. Leave out for every role"
    }
  }
}
pay_rates annotations
{
  "readOnlyHint": true,
  "openWorldHint": false,
  "destructiveHint": false
}
get_job — Job details
Advertised by the server during the last successful anonymous check.
Advertised read-only

Everything about one live job: what it involves, pay, hours, what's needed and the business, with the link to apply.

get_job input schema
{
  "type": "object",
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
  "required": [
    "job"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "job": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 300,
      "minLength": 1,
      "description": "The job's link or slug from search_jobs"
    }
  }
}
get_job annotations
{
  "readOnlyHint": true,
  "openWorldHint": false,
  "destructiveHint": false
}

Prompts

Not advertised

No prompt definitions available.

Resources

Not advertised

No resource definitions available.

90-day uptime

A lightweight connection check about every six hours, sampled on hosts with many listings. It shows the server answered, not that its tools work.

Too few checks for a percentage yet (2 of 2 answered).

  1. 2026-11-02: 1 of 1 checks answered
  2. 2026-11-03: 1 of 1 checks answered

30-day availability

Aggregated from read-only remote checks; this is not a tool-execution or security guarantee.

Successful checks
1 of 1 (100%)
Average latency
1457 ms
95th percentile latency
1457 ms

Maintenance history

Public check and source-refresh events. Editorial and ownership records remain private.

  • · probe · passed · 1457 ms · metadata changed · 6 tool(s)

Connect from your client

Each snippet registers the same endpoint; pick the client you use.

This server is operated by the named third party. Listing and endpoint checks are not an endorsement or a security audit. Review the operator's permissions, terms, and data handling before connecting. How listings are checked and corrected.

Claude Code

Run this once in a terminal. It registers the remote server. Use --scope project to write .mcp.json for the repo.
Claude Code configuration
claude mcp add --transport http instead-mcp https://instead.work/mcp

Codex

Run this once. Codex stores MCP servers in ~/.codex/config.toml (or .codex/config.toml in a trusted project).
Codex configuration
codex mcp add instead-mcp --url https://instead.work/mcp

Cursor

Merge this server into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, then enable instead-mcp in your MCP settings.
Cursor configuration
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instead-mcp": {
      "url": "https://instead.work/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Cline

Merge this into cline_mcp_settings.json (Cline → MCP Servers → Configure).
Cline configuration
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instead-mcp": {
      "type": "streamableHttp",
      "url": "https://instead.work/mcp",
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}

VS Code

Merge this server into .vscode/mcp.json. Use MCP: List Servers to start instead-mcp and inspect its tools.
VS Code configuration
{
  "servers": {
    "instead-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://instead.work/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Gemini CLI

Run this once. It writes .gemini/settings.json in the current project; pass --scope user for ~/.gemini/settings.json.
Gemini CLI configuration
gemini mcp add --transport http instead-mcp https://instead.work/mcp

Claude Desktop

Merge this into claude_desktop_config.json (macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/, Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\), then restart Claude Desktop.
Claude Desktop configuration
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instead-mcp": {
      "url": "https://instead.work/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Merge this into ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json, then refresh MCP in Cascade. Windsurf remote servers use serverUrl, not url.
Windsurf configuration
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instead-mcp": {
      "serverUrl": "https://instead.work/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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