Greenhouse Job Board API vs Indeed for AI agents
Greenhouse Job Board API is a public JSON view of one company's offices, departments and published jobs on Greenhouse, meant for building that company's careers site. Indeed’s developer docs list no self-serve job search API: third parties get a JavaScript plugin for approved partners, and a beta MCP server that works only as a Claude connector.
The short answer
- Greenhouse Job Board API: Reading a known company's live openings straight from its own applicant tracking system.
- Indeed: Job seekers using Claude who want Indeed's own listings and their Indeed resume in one place; not an open data API for developers.
Side by side
| Greenhouse Job Board API | Indeed | |
|---|---|---|
| Searches | One employer's Greenhouse job board per call (by board_token); employer-direct, no cross-company search. | Jobs from Indeed and Indeed PLUS job boards (aggregated), shown through Indeed's own plugin UI. |
| Returns | JSON jobs with id, title, location.name, updated_at, absolute_url and, with content=true, the full description, departments and offices. | The plugin renders Indeed's own job search UI on your page (no raw data documented). The MCP Job Search tool returns titles, companies, locations, salaries and application URLs. |
| Before the first call | Nothing for GET: no authentication; you need the company's board_token. Submitting applications needs the company's API key. | Indeed partner status and a partner app ID arranged through an Indeed representative (plugin); an Indeed account sign-in inside Claude (MCP). |
| Free | No key needed, and its pages state no price | – |
| Acting on a result | absolute_url is the employer's own job post (the docs don't say where it is hosted). | MCP results include application URLs; the docs do not say whether they point to Indeed or to the employer. |
| Limits on keeping or showing results | Not stated on its pages | Plugin rules: HTTPS pages only, explanatory headers, 16px margins, no leading users to click jobs for monetization; Indeed caps each publisher's click revenue. No caching or storage clause found. |
| AI in its terms | Not stated on its pages | Indeed's Terms of Service define Agentic AI and prohibit bots automating Indeed Apply outside Indeed's official vendors; the MCP server is beta and subject to Indeed's Terms of Service. |
| Coverage | Wherever the employer hires. | – |
| MCP server | No official server listed | Official Indeed MCP server, beta, available only as a Claude connector: https://docs.indeed.com/mcp/ |
Where Openpath fits
If the agent needs a job to apply for in Austin, Texas, or a remote one, Openpath returns the listings themselves, free and with no key. See Openpath vs Greenhouse Job Board API and Openpath vs Indeed.
Questions people ask
What do I need before I can use Greenhouse Job Board API?
Nothing for GET: no authentication; you need the company's board_token. Submitting applications needs the company's API key.
Is Greenhouse Job Board API free?
No key needed, and its pages state no price.
Sources
Every line about another company comes from its own pages. Prices and terms change, so check the source before you rely on one.
Greenhouse Job Board API, read on October 15, 2026:
- docs.greenhouse.io/job-board.html: “Job Board data is publicly available, so authentication is not required for any GET endpoints.”
- docs.greenhouse.io/job-board.html: “a simple JSON representation of your company's offices, departments, and published jobs”
Indeed, read on October 15, 2026:
- docs.indeed.com/publisher-js-plugin: “To use the plugin, you must be an Indeed partner.”
- docs.indeed.com/publisher-js-plugin: “Integrate Indeed features into your job board or publisher site by making only front-end changes.”
- docs.indeed.com/publisher-js-plugin: “Indeed assigns each publisher a cap on how much revenue they can receive from clicks on jobs”
- docs.indeed.com/mcp: “is available only for Claude Connector”
- docs.indeed.com/mcp: “titles, companies, locations, salaries, and application URLs”
- docs.indeed.com/mcp: “Sign in with your Indeed account for first-time use”
- docs.indeed.com/mcp: “offered in beta and subject to Indeed's Terms of Service”
- indeed.com/legal: “Use of any automation, scripting, or bots to automate the Indeed Apply process outside of Indeed's official vendors”
- indeed.com/legal: “Agentic AI: An algorithm which can perform tasks in accordance with a person's instructions.”