Use Startline in 5 minutes

AI apps like Claude and ChatGPT are smart, but they cannot see live job listings. They only know what they were trained on, so they cannot tell you who is hiring this week.

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a plug that connects an AI app to a source of live information. Startline is one of those plugs. It connects your AI to 15,175 open roles at 688 venture backed startups, including companies backed by Y Combinator, a16z and Sequoia.

Once connected, you just chat. Ask for "remote design internships at YC startups" and your AI calls Startline behind the scenes, then answers with real roles, funding details and apply links.

You need two things, and you probably already have both:

• An AI app from the list below. Free plans work for most of them.
• The Startline address. This is the only thing you will ever paste:

https://startline.fit/mcp

There is no sign up, no API key and no password. Startline is open and free, so you only ever paste the address.

Pick the app you use and follow its steps. Not sure? Start with Claude, the easiest, or ChatGPT if that is what you already use.

Claude (website and desktop app)

The easiest route. Nothing to type, you just click.

1. Open Claude and sign in

   Go to claude.ai or open the Claude desktop app.

2. Open your connectors

   Click your name in the bottom left corner, then Settings›Connectors.

3. Add a custom connector

   Scroll to the bottom of the list and click Add custom connector.

4. Paste the Startline address

   Name it Startline and paste the address below into the URL box. Then click Add.

   URLCopy address

   https://startline.fit/mcp

5. Start a new chat and try it

   Open a new chat, check that Startline is switched on in the tools menu near the message box, then ask: "Find me 5 remote software engineering roles at YC startups."

ChatGPT

ChatGPT connects to MCP servers through Developer mode. It is available on the website and depends on your plan or workspace.

1. Open ChatGPT settings

   Go to chatgpt.com, click your profile picture, then Settings›Connectors.

2. Turn on Developer mode

   Open Advanced settings and switch Developer mode on.

3. Create the connector

   Go back to Connectors and click Create. Fill in the form:

   • Name: Startline
   • Description: Search jobs at venture backed startups
   • MCP server URL: https://startline.fit/mcp
   • Authentication: No authentication

   Tick the box saying you trust this application, then click Create.

4. Use it in a chat

   Start a new chat, click the + button next to the message box, open More and choose Startline so it is switched on for that chat. Then ask for jobs as usual.

Claude Code

Claude Code runs in your terminal. If you have it installed, connecting takes one command.

1. Open a terminal

   On a Mac, press Cmd + Space, type Terminal and press Enter. On Windows, open PowerShell from the Start menu.

2. Run this command

   TerminalCopy

   claude mcp add --transport http startline https://startline.fit/mcp

   This adds Startline for the folder you are in. To have it in every project, add --scope user before the name.

3. Check it connected

   TerminalCopy

   claude mcp list

   You should see startline marked as connected.

4. Start Claude Code and ask

   Run claude, then ask for jobs. You can type /mcp inside Claude Code at any time to see connection status.

Codex

Works in the Codex CLI and the Codex IDE extension, which share one config.

1. Open a terminal and run

   TerminalCopy

   codex mcp add startline --url https://startline.fit/mcp

2. Check it connected

   TerminalCopy

   codex mcp list

3. Start a new Codex session

   Restart Codex so it loads the new server, then ask for jobs.

Prefer editing a file? Add this to ~/.codex/config.toml instead:

[mcp_servers.startline]
url = "https://startline.fit/mcp"

Cursor

1. Open the MCP settings

   Go to Cursor›Settings›Cursor Settings›Tools & MCP and click New MCP Server. A file called mcp.json opens.

2. Paste this and save

   mcp.jsonCopy

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "startline": {
         "url": "https://startline.fit/mcp"
       }
     }
   }

   If the file already has other servers, add only the Startline entry inside the existing list.

3. Look for the green dot

   Back in Tools & MCP, Startline should show a green dot and list its 5 tools. Open Cursor chat in agent mode and ask for jobs.

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

1. Open your MCP config

   Press Cmd / Ctrl + Shift + P, type MCP: Open User Configuration and press Enter.

2. Paste this and save

   mcp.jsonCopy

   {
     "servers": {
       "startline": {
         "type": "http",
         "url": "https://startline.fit/mcp"
       }
     }
   }

3. Use it in Copilot Chat

   Open Copilot Chat, switch to Agent mode and click the tools icon to confirm Startline is on. Then ask for jobs.

Gemini CLI

1. Open a terminal and run

   TerminalCopy

   gemini mcp add --transport http startline https://startline.fit/mcp

2. Start Gemini CLI and check

   Run gemini, then type /mcp to see Startline listed. Ask for jobs.

Any other app

Startline works with any app that supports MCP over "Streamable HTTP". Look for a setting called MCP, Connectors, Tools or Integrations, add a remote server and paste the address. No authentication.

If your app only supports local servers that start with a command, use the mcp-remote bridge. It needs Node.js installed.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "startline": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://startline.fit/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Open a fresh chat in your app and paste this:

Use Startline to show me 5 remote software engineering roles at Y Combinator backed startups. Include the company, funding stage and apply link.

You should see your AI say it is using Startline, then a list of roles with company, funding and an apply link. If your app asks permission to use the tool, allow it. That is normal and only happens the first time.

Startline is a search engine your AI can use. Anything you would do on a job board, you can ask for in a sentence. Copy any of these and change the details.

This is the most powerful way to use Startline. Give an AI agent your details once, point it at Startline and a browser, and let it find roles and fill in applications for you while you do something else.

It works because of two things: Startline finds the roles and returns direct apply links, and a browser tool lets the agent open those links and fill in the forms. About 98% of Startline apply links go to Ashby, Greenhouse or Lever forms, which agents handle well.

What you need

• An agent that can use a browser, such as Claude Code or Codex. Chat apps that cannot control a browser can find roles but cannot fill forms.
• Startline connected (see the setup above).
• A browser tool connected. Playwright MCP is a free, popular choice (see step 2).
• Your resume as a PDF, and 15 minutes to write your profile.

1. Make a folder and write your profile

   Create a new folder, for example job-hunt. Put your resume PDF in it and create a file called profile.md using this template. The more complete it is, the fewer forms get skipped.

   profile.mdCopy template

   # profile.md
   
   ## About me
   Name:
   Email:
   Phone:
   Location (and cities I would relocate to):
   LinkedIn / GitHub / portfolio:
   Work authorization (for example: US citizen, needs visa sponsorship, EU citizen):
   Earliest start date:
   
   ## What I want
   Roles: (for example: software engineering intern, new grad backend engineer)
   Skills I want to use:
   Industries I like:
   Company stage I like: (for example: Seed to Series B)
   Remote, hybrid or on site:
   Minimum salary or stipend (optional):
   Do not apply to: (companies, industries or role types to skip)
   
   ## Education
   School, degree, graduation date, GPA (optional), relevant courses
   
   ## Experience and projects
   Paste your resume text here, plus anything that is not on it.
   
   ## Standard answers
   Why I want to work at a startup:
   Biggest project I am proud of:
   Anything the forms often ask (gender, veteran status, how I heard about the job): decline to answer
   

2. Connect a browser tool

   Your agent needs a way to click and type on web pages. Run one of these in your terminal, then restart the agent. If your agent already has a built in browser tool, skip this.

   Claude CodeCopy

   claude mcp add playwright -- npx @playwright/mcp@latest

   CodexCopy

   codex mcp add playwright -- npx @playwright/mcp@latest

   This needs Node.js installed. The agent will open a browser window you can watch.

3. Open your agent inside the folder

   In your terminal, go to the folder (cd job-hunt) and start claude or codex. The agent can now read your profile and resume.

4. Paste the master prompt

   Edit the numbers if you like, then paste it and let it run.

   Auto apply promptCopy prompt

   You are my job application agent. Work through this task from start to finish without asking me questions.
   
   1. Read profile.md. It is the only source of truth about me. Never invent or guess facts about me.
   2. Use the Startline tools to find roles. Run search_jobs several times with different keywords and filters that match what I want. Skip anything that clearly does not fit my profile.
   3. Keep a file called applications.csv with these columns: company, role, apply_link, status, notes. Check it first so you never apply to the same role twice.
   4. For each role that fits, open the apply link in the browser, fill in every field using only profile.md, upload my resume file, and submit.
   5. If a form asks something profile.md cannot answer, or hits a login wall or CAPTCHA you cannot pass, do not guess. Mark the row as "skipped" with the reason and move on.
   6. Write a short cover note only when a form asks for one. Keep it to 3 sentences and mention something specific about the company, using get_company to learn about it.
   7. Stop after 20 successful applications. Then tell me how many you submitted, how many you skipped and why, and which 3 roles looked most promising.

5. Check the results

   Open applications.csv to see every role it applied to, every role it skipped and why. Anything marked skipped is worth finishing by hand.

Get better results

• Fewer, better applications win. Twenty roles that fit you beat two hundred that do not. Keep the cap at 20 per run and run it again tomorrow.
• Narrow the search. Add a stage, a city or an investor to the prompt, for example "only Seed to Series B in the US or remote".
• Keep your profile true. The agent submits what you give it, in your name. Never add skills you do not have.
• Log in first. If a company wants an account, sign in once in the browser window the agent opened, or tell it to skip those.
• Watch the first few. Stay for the first two or three applications to confirm the forms are filled correctly, then step away.

You never call these yourself. Your AI picks the right one. This is what it has to work with, in case you want to phrase a request more precisely.

Funding stages you can filter by: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Series D, Series E. Industries include AI, DevTools, Fintech, Healthcare, Cybersecurity, Robotics, Biotech and more.