PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Upwork Inc. (NASDAQ:UPWK), the world's human and AI-powered work marketplace, today announced the Upwork MCP server, making it possible to hire, or get hired on Upwork, through the AI tools people increasingly use to get work done.

With the Upwork MCP server, if a founder deep in a build with Claude Code hits a wall and needs someone to test the feature before it ships, they can simply ask Claude to tap into Upwork for help. Their AI agent can then access Upwork's Marketplace directly, allowing them to turn their request into a job post, find a shortlist of qualified freelancers, and ultimately draft an offer.

"We started seeing something remarkable this year: AI agents attempting to log into Upwork on their users’ behalf to search for the right person to hire," said Peter Sanborn, chief business officer at Upwork. "At the same time, clients are showing up with an AI-generated first pass that got them part of the way there but still need a real person to take it the rest of the way. Both confirmed what we’ve been building toward. The future of work isn't a choice between humans and AI agents, it's both, working together, and we’re making that more seamless."

Talent on Upwork has voiced a parallel need for an automated connection point between their clients’ work product, its context, and the AI tools they already use to complete the work.

Upwork built the MCP server to help customers on both sides use AI to easily integrate human expertise within AI workflows. Powered by the Model Context Protocol — an open standard that lets AI tools connect directly to outside services — the MCP server connects AI tools to the trusted value that Upwork's Marketplace provides. Customers can connect to it through Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible product.

For clients, that means finding the right expert with on-demand hiring, without leaving their AI-powered workflow. Using the full context of the work under way, their AI agent can invoke Upwork to post a job, surface the right talent, prepare offers, and summarize talent proposals as they arrive.

"The Upwork MCP server collapses what used to be a dozen browser tabs into a single conversation with my AI assistant – finding talent, drafting invites, managing contracts, without ever leaving my workflow," said Rohit Singh, founder of Populosof. "What sold me is that it's fast and safe: every action that changes anything is previewed and requires my explicit confirmation, so I get the speed of automation without giving up control."

For freelancers, it means the work comes to them. Their AI agent can flag this week's best-fit opportunities, draft a tailored proposal, surface client messages in real time, and submit completed milestone work.

"I already use AI agents to evaluate opportunities, organize my work, and draft client communication, but those workflows are only as useful as the context they can access," said Allison Lee, an independent AI operations specialist on Upwork. "With its own MCP server, Upwork becomes part of that workflow directly, helping an agent understand the project, the conversation, and what needs attention next, so I can spend less time piecing things together and more time doing the work well."

People can put the Upwork MCP server to work with prompts like:

"My prototype is almost ready to launch. Help me find a freelancer on Upwork who can test it end-to-end before it goes live."
"I'm launching a new ecommerce product and need help with paid acquisition. Post a job to Upwork and summarize proposals as they arrive."
"Show me this week's jobs that match my skills and fit my budget and availability."
"Summarize my Upwork client messages and flag which ones need a follow-up today."

As AI tools become capable of searching and matching, access to a trusted network of professionals becomes critical to knowing who's on the other end and trusting the outcome. Every connection runs through an authenticated Upwork account, leveraging Upwork’s existing infrastructure for identity verification, secure payments, and the same escrow and dispute protections behind engagements on the platform.

The Upwork MCP server is available today for every Upwork client and freelancer, at no additional cost. Get connected at upwork.com/ai/mcp.

About Upwork

Upwork Inc.'s (NASDAQ:UPWK) family of companies connects businesses with global, AI-enabled talent across every contingent worker classification. This portfolio includes the Upwork Marketplace, which connects businesses with on-demand access to highly skilled talent across the globe, and Lifted, which provides a purpose-built solution for enterprise organizations to source, contract, manage, and pay talent across the full spectrum of contingent work. From Fortune 100 enterprises to entrepreneurs, businesses rely on Upwork Inc. to find and hire expert talent, leverage AI-powered work solutions, and drive business transformation. With access to professionals spanning more than 10,000 skills across AI & machine learning, software development, sales & marketing, customer support, finance & accounting, and more, the Upwork family of companies enables businesses of all sizes to scale, innovate, and transform their workforces for the age of AI and beyond.

Since its founding, Upwork Inc. has facilitated more than $30 billion in total transactions and services as it fulfills its purpose to create opportunity in every era of work. Learn more about the Upwork Marketplace at upwork.com and follow on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X; learn more about Lifted at go-lifted.com and follow on LinkedIn.

Safe Harbor

This press release of Upwork Inc. (together with its wholly owned subsidiaries, the "Company," "we," "us," or "our") contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements include all statements other than statements of historical fact, including any statements regarding information or predictions concerning the future of our business or strategy, future products, features, or functionality, future market opportunity, anticipated events and trends, technological and market trends, the expected impact and timing of strategic initiatives, and other future conditions.

We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections as of the date hereof. As such, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, known and unknown risks, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and in many cases outside our control, and you should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment, and new risks emerge from time to time. We make no representation that the plans, intentions, expectations, or results disclosed in these forward-looking statements will be achieved or that future events and circumstances will occur, and actual results or events may differ materially and adversely from our expectations. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and we do not undertake, and expressly disclaim, any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, conform these statements to actual results, or make changes in our expectations, except as required by law. Additional information regarding the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations is included under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2026, filed with the SEC on May 7, 2026, and in our other SEC filings, which are available on our Investor Relations website at investors.upwork.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Media Contact:

press@upwork.com