Sponsor Finder

io.sponsorfinderPublished by sponsorfinder.ioOfficial publisherv1.0.0Updated Oct 28, 2026

Check whether a company holds a UK or Netherlands work-visa sponsorship licence.

VerifiedStreamable HTTPWeb executableLocation & LifestyleWeb Search & ScrapingBusiness & Commerce

Overview

AI-generated overview

Read-only remote MCP server that lets an assistant check UK and Netherlands work-visa sponsorship licences and UK salary thresholds.

What you can do
  • Check a company's sponsorship licence status in the UK or Netherlands, with routes, ratings, locations and register dates
  • Search the sponsor registers by name, city, route or sponsor type and get a compact list with a total count
  • Fetch a full record for one organisation by id, optionally including register change history
  • Explain register statistics, data freshness and terminology such as licence, route, rating or sponsor type
  • Test a UK job offer's salary against Skilled Worker thresholds and occupation going rates
When to use it
Useful when someone is job-hunting or relocating and wants to know whether a named employer can sponsor a UK or Netherlands work visa, or whether a UK offer meets salary thresholds. Also handy for exploring which employers in a city or route hold a licence.
Requirements
Nothing for the hosted endpoint: it is authless and needs no account, key or header. Running it locally requires Node.js 24 and pnpm, plus the SPONSORFINDER_API_BASE and SPONSORFINDER_API_KEY environment variables for the upstream API.
Before you install
Read-only with no write tools and no per-user state. The hosted service keeps its upstream API key server-side, so clients never see it. Optional analytics can send tool-call events to Google Analytics, and enabling CAPTURE_QUERY_NAMES sends searched company names there too, which may count as personal data. Data is informational only, not legal advice, and can lag official publications.

Installation

In SourceWeft

  1. Open Sponsor Finder in the dashboard and add it to a workspace.
  2. Enable the server for the chats that should use its tools.

Web executable via Streamable HTTP. Remote servers run from the web runtime once configured in a workspace.

Use with an agent

Paste this prompt into Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or another agent — or into SourceWeft chat. The agent reads this server's install guide, shows you its publisher, endpoint and sign-in, and adds it to your client once you agree. Keys never go into a command.

Read https://sourceweft.com/mcp/io.sponsorfinder%2Fmcp/install.md and connect the MCP server it describes to my client. Before changing any config, show me its publisher, endpoint and sign-in method and wait for my OK. Never put an API key in a command or in a file I would commit; ask me where it should come from.

Read the install guide the agent follows

Other MCP clients

Add this to your client's mcpServers config.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sponsor-finder": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.sponsorfinder.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

README

SponsorFinder MCP Server

An authless, read-only remote MCP server that lets AI assistants (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, …) check whether a company holds a UK or Netherlands work-visa sponsorship licence. It proxies the public SponsorFinder API, shaping responses into clean verdicts, and keeps the upstream API key server-side so clients connect with no credentials.

[License: MIT] [Node >=24] [Built with MCP]

What it does

SponsorFinder tracks two official government registers of licensed work-visa sponsors:

  • UK — the Home Office register of licensed sponsors, rebuilt from the CSVs the Home Office publishes (checked daily). Carries routes (e.g. Skilled Worker), ratings (A/B) and locations.
  • Netherlands — the IND public register of recognised sponsors, checked daily. Lists recognised sponsors and their sponsor type (WORK / EXCHANGE / STUDY / RESEARCH); much thinner than the UK data — no routes, ratings, or locations.

This MCP server exposes that data as four tools. It is read-only and authless for clients: the upstream x-api-key is a server-side secret that MCP clients never see. There is no OAuth, no per-user state, and no write tools.

Tools

ToolTitleWhat it doesKey inputs
check_sponsor_licenseCheck Sponsorship LicencePrimary tool. Resolves a company by name (typo-tolerant) and returns a verdict — licensed, formerly_licensed, ambiguous, or not_found — with routes, ratings, locations and register dates. Refuses to guess on weak matches.company_name (2–100 chars, typos OK), country (uk | nl | both, default both)
search_sponsorsSearch Sponsor RegisterExploratory list search with optional filters. Returns a compact list plus a total count. For one specific company, prefer check_sponsor_license.query?, country (uk | nl, default uk), city? (UK), route? (UK), sponsor_type? (NL: WORK | EXCHANGE | STUDY | RESEARCH), limit (1–20, default 10)
get_sponsor_detailsGet Sponsor DetailsFull record for one organization by id: routes/ratings/locations/dates (UK) or sponsor type + KvK number (NL). Optionally includes register change history.org_id (int), country (uk | nl, default uk), include_history (bool, default false)
get_register_infoAbout the Sponsor RegistersRegister statistics, data freshness, a terminology glossary, and the legal disclaimer. Use it to explain what a licence, route, rating, or sponsor type means.none

Every tool is annotated readOnlyHint: true and returns both a human-readable text block and structuredContent, each stamped with the data-freshness date and a source note.

Example prompts

Natural-language things you can ask an assistant once the server is connected:

  • "Does Google hold a UK sponsorship licence?"
  • "Is ASML a recognised sponsor in the Netherlands?"
  • "Search UK Skilled Worker sponsors in Manchester."
  • "List Dutch WORK-type sponsors matching 'shell'."
  • "What does a B rating mean?"

A note on name matching. The fuzzy match tolerates typos (e.g. googel uk), but it needs a reasonably complete name to resolve confidently — "Google UK" or "Google UK Limited" resolves cleanly, whereas a single bare word can match many companies. The server deliberately refuses to guess on weak or tied matches: instead of silently picking one, it returns an ambiguous verdict with the candidate list and asks you to disambiguate (or to call get_sponsor_details with the right id). Absence from a register is itself a meaningful answer: it means the company cannot currently sponsor that visa type.

Use it (hosted)

The server is hosted at:

https://mcp.sponsorfinder.io/mcp

Claude Code

bash
claude mcp add --transport http sponsorfinder https://mcp.sponsorfinder.io/mcp

claude.ai — Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector → paste the URL above. No authentication is required.

ChatGPT — Settings → Connectors (or a custom GPT's Actions) → Add a custom/remote MCP connector and paste the URL above.

Any MCP client that speaks Streamable HTTP can connect the same way — point it at https://mcp.sponsorfinder.io/mcp.

Run locally

Prerequisites: Node.js 24 and pnpm 11.

bash
pnpm installcp .env.example .env# then edit .env and fill in:#   SPONSORFINDER_API_BASE   e.g. https://api.sponsorfinder.io#   SPONSORFINDER_API_KEY    your upstream x-api-key (server-side secret)

Run one of the two transports in watch mode:

bash
pnpm dev:stdio   # stdio transport (Claude Desktop / Claude Code / MCP Inspector)pnpm dev:http    # Streamable HTTP on http://localhost:3001/mcp

Add the local stdio build to Claude Code:

bash
pnpm buildclaude mcp add sponsorfinder -- node dist/entry/stdio.js

Inspect the tools interactively with the MCP Inspector against either transport:

bash
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector

Configuration

All configuration is via environment variables (see .env.example):

NameRequiredDefaultDescription
SPONSORFINDER_API_BASEyes—Base URL of the upstream SponsorFinder API, no trailing slash (e.g. https://api.sponsorfinder.io).
SPONSORFINDER_API_KEYyes—Upstream x-api-key header value. Server-side secret — never exposed to MCP clients, tool output, errors, or logs.
PORTno3001HTTP port for the Node entry (src/entry/node.ts). Ignored by stdio and Cloudflare Workers.
UPSTREAM_TIMEOUT_MSno10000Upstream request timeout in milliseconds (aborted via AbortSignal.timeout()).

SPONSORFINDER_API_KEY is the one true secret. MCP clients connect authless; the key lives only on the server (a Docker env var or a Cloudflare Workers secret) and is never surfaced to clients.

Self-host / deploy

The Web-standard core runs on both Node and Cloudflare Workers; only the entry file differs.

Docker (primary) — image ghcr.io/alirezahamid/sponsor-finder-mcp, config in Dockerfile and docker-compose.yml:

bash
docker compose up -d

Put a reverse proxy (Caddy/nginx) in front of mcp.sponsorfinder.io and pass POST, GET and DELETE through to /mcp. Streamable HTTP needs response buffering off (proxy_buffering off; in nginx; Caddy's defaults are fine).

Cloudflare Workers — config in wrangler.jsonc:

bash
wrangler secret put SPONSORFINDER_API_KEYpnpm deploy:worker

Development

ScriptWhat it does
pnpm typecheckType-check with tsc --noEmit.
pnpm lintLint with ESLint.
pnpm testRun unit tests (excludes smoke tests).
pnpm test:smokeIntegration smoke tests against the real staging API (needs secrets).
pnpm buildBundle to dist/ with tsup.
pnpm checktypecheck + lint + test in one go.

Analytics (optional)

The server can report usage to Google Analytics 4 via the server-side Measurement Protocol. Because an MCP server has no browser, a GA/GTM JavaScript tag cannot run in it — the server sends events over HTTP instead. It works on both Node and Cloudflare Workers.

Analytics are off unless both GA_MEASUREMENT_ID and GA_API_SECRET are set. Each tool call emits one mcp_tool_call event with categorical parameters — tool, status, verdict, country, mcp_client, latency_bucket, error_kind. By default no company names or free-text queries are sent to GA; the searched name is only included (as the query param) if you opt in with CAPTURE_QUERY_NAMES — see below.

Setup:

  1. Create a GA4 property (free) and a Web data stream.
  2. In Admin → Data streams → your stream → Measurement Protocol API secrets, create a secret. Copy the stream's Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXXXX) and the secret value.
  3. Set GA_MEASUREMENT_ID and GA_API_SECRET (env / Docker / wrangler secret).
  4. In GA4, register the event params above as custom dimensions (Admin → Custom definitions) so they appear in reports. Use GA_DEBUG=true to send to GA's validation endpoint while testing.

Unmet-demand analysis: setting CAPTURE_QUERY_NAMES=true records the searched company name to the server's structured logs and sends it to GA4 as the query event param (register a query custom dimension to see it). Off by default. Caveats: raw names are high-cardinality in GA (bucketed as (other)) and person-named queries may count as PII under GA's terms — a private log store is usually the better home for this, and you should add a privacy-policy line before enabling it.

How it works

The server is a thin, stateless proxy with response shaping. An MCP client connects over stdio or stateless Streamable HTTP; a small Hono app (with @hono/mcp) constructs an MCP server per request, calls the SponsorFinder API with the server-side key, validates every response with zod (a contract-drift guard), and shapes it into a compact verdict. Register stats and filter values are cached in-process with a short TTL. Because the core uses only Web-standard APIs (fetch, URL), the same code runs on Node and Cloudflare Workers — only src/entry/* differs.

MCP client (Claude / ChatGPT / Cursor)        │  stdio  or  stateless Streamable HTTP        ▼SponsorFinder MCP server  (Hono + @hono/mcp)   • 4 read-only tools, zod-validated   • x-api-key added server-side   • cached /status + /filters        │  HTTPS  (x-api-key)        ▼SponsorFinder API  →  UK Home Office register + Dutch IND register

Data & disclaimer

The data comes from the official UK gov.uk register of licensed sponsors and the Dutch IND public register of recognised sponsors, refreshed daily.

This tool is informational only and is not legal advice. Register data can lag official publications, and a licence does not guarantee a company will sponsor any given role. Always verify against the official sources before making decisions.

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome at github.com/alirezahamid/sponsor-finder-mcp. Please run pnpm check before opening a PR.

Publishing note: server.json is the manifest for the official MCP registry. Before running mcp-publisher publish, confirm the exact $schema URL against the current registry.modelcontextprotocol.io docs — the schema version pinned here may have moved on.

License

MIT © 2026 Alireza Hamid

Source: README.md at commit 475f83d

Tools

5

check_sponsor_license

Check Sponsorship Licence

Check whether a company holds a UK or Netherlands work-visa sponsorship licence. The register lists official registered legal entity names, not brand, product, or trading names. If the user provides a brand name, product name, or website, first determine the company's registered legal name (via web search, the company's own website, or the relevant companies register) and pass that. Tolerates minor typos but not brand-vs-legal-name mismatches. Returns licence routes, ratings, locations and register dates. If results are ambiguous or none are found, refine the legal name and try again. For exploring or filtering many companies, use search_sponsors instead.

Parameterscountrycompany_namerequired

search_sponsors

Search Sponsor Register

Exploratory list search of the sponsor register with optional filters (city/route for UK, sponsor type for NL). Returns a compact list with a total count. For checking one specific company, prefer check_sponsor_license.

Parameterscitylimitqueryroutecountrysponsor_type

get_sponsor_details

Get Sponsor Details

Full record for one organization by id: routes, ratings, locations and register dates (UK), or sponsor type and KvK number (NL). Optionally include register change history.

Parametersorg_idrequiredcountryinclude_history

get_register_info

About the Sponsor Registers

Register statistics, data freshness, and terminology for the UK and Netherlands sponsor registers. Use this to explain what a licence, route, rating, or sponsor type means.

Takes no parameters.

check_salary_threshold

Skilled Worker Salary Check

Check a UK job offer against the Skilled Worker visa salary thresholds and occupation going rates. Takes a job title (or SOC 2020 code), the annual salary, and the contracted weekly hours — hours matter, because going rates pro-rate. Returns a three-state verdict: eligible, not_eligible, or uncertain with the reason. Covers the standard Skilled Worker route only (not Health & Care or Global Business Mobility).

Parametersphd_stemjob_titlerequirednew_entrantphd_relevantweekly_hoursrequiredsalary_gbp_per_yearrequiredon_immigration_salary_list

Version history

1
  1. v1.0.0LatestSep 16, 2026

Score

100% of the applicable checks met

How complete this listing is, computed from the registry entry, the endpoint and public sources. Not a rating of the server and not a statement that it is safe or working today: reachability is a dated check, and no installs or reviews go into the score.

  • Reached in the last 30 daysRequired25 pts
  • Auth declaredRequired10 pts
  • Tools listedRequired15 pts
  • DescriptionRequired15 pts
  • Logo10 pts
  • Documentation15 pts
  • License10 pts