OJCP — Open Job Context Protocol

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OJCP — Open Job Context Protocol

The open standard for
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OJCP defines how AI agents discover, reason over, and act on job opportunities. Built on MCP. Interoperable with schema.org. Governed by an independent steering committee, and designed to compose with the broader agentic web.

Why OJCP

Built for the agentic web

A shared protocol so AI agents and job providers speak the same language — structured, discoverable, privacy-respecting.

MCP-Native Tools

OJCP tools are valid MCP tools. Any MCP client can call search_jobs, get_job_detail, and begin_application out of the box.

Structured Discovery

Providers expose a manifest at /.well-known/ojcp.json. Agents discover capabilities, tools, and apply paths automatically.

Normalized Apply Paths

A standard taxonomy of application mechanisms — from ATS-direct to agent-ready flows — so agents know exactly how to apply.

Consent-First Privacy

Candidate data is opt-in and scoped. Resume embeddings enable fit-scoring without transmitting PII. Agents self-declare identity.

Agent-Aware Ranking

Pass CandidateContext for personalized results. Providers return fit_score and fit_rationale alongside standard job data.

WebMCP Ready

Browser-native agents can access OJCP tools via navigator.modelContext. Same schemas, same tools, new surface.

Specification

Schemas & Tools

OJCP defines seven core schemas and six standard MCP tools. Providers MUST implement search_jobs; all others are recommended. Custom tools use namespaced names (e.g., acme:get_referral_link).

Discovery endpoint at /.well-known/ojcp.json

  • ojcp_version

  • provider

  • tools

  • mcp_endpoint

  • auth

  • rate_limits

Extends schema.org/JobPosting with agent-specific fields

  • ojcp_id

  • skills_required

  • experienceLevel

  • apply_paths

  • urgency

Consent-scoped candidate profile for personalized results

  • consent_scope

  • skills

  • experience_years

  • employment_type_preference

Agent self-identification for audit trails

  • agent_id

  • acting_on_behalf_of

  • interaction_mode

  • user_consent_token

Identity verification action for human completion

  • step_id

  • type

  • verifier_id

  • verification_url

  • human_required

JWS proof with required claims: iss, aud, sub, iat, exp, nonce — no PII

  • step_id

  • verifier_id

  • proof_token (JWS)

  • subject_hash (SHA-256)

  • issued_at

  • expires_at

Discovery document hosted at /.well-known/ojcp-verifier.json

  • verifier_id

  • verification_types

  • proof_delivery_methods

  • proof_format (jws|jws+jwe)

  • signing_algorithms

  • public_keys_url (JWKS)

How It Works

Four steps from discovery to application

Discover

Agent probes /.well-known/ojcp.json or queries the OJCP Registry to find providers. The manifest declares available tools, apply paths, and authentication requirements.

Search & Evaluate

Agent calls search_jobs with optional candidate_context for personalized ranking. Each result includes fit_score, apply paths, and structured metadata.

Apply

Agent calls begin_application with an agent_declaration and the candidate's consent token. The provider returns required fields and a session for multi-step flows.

Track

Agent calls check_application_status to monitor progress. Providers emit structured status updates throughout the hiring pipeline.

Examples

See it in action

From discovery to application — real OJCP payloads your agents can use today.

Apply Paths

Normalized application taxonomy

OJCP standardizes the fragmented landscape of application mechanisms into a taxonomy agents can reason over.

TypeDescriptionAgent Submission
ats_directApply directly via ATS (Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, etc.)

Varies

provider_hostedProvider controls the apply flow and delivers to ATS

Full Support

platform_nativeThird-party platform owns the flow (e.g., Indeed Apply, Easy Apply)

Limited

emailLegacy email-based application

Not Supported

external_redirectRedirect to opaque external page

Not Supported

customCatch-all for non-standard apply mechanisms (homegrown, conversational, etc.)

Varies

Live Playground

Try the OJCP API

This site is a live OJCP provider. Fire real tool calls against mock data — the same endpoint MCP clients connect to.

MCP: /api/mcp

Manifest: /.well-known/ojcp.json

Auto-populated from begin_application (try globex:sa-2026-004)

Auto-populated when you run begin_application