Use whenever the user wants to find, shortlist, vet, or enrich US software development firms — custom software, web development, mobile app development, backend/API development, DevOps/cloud, system integration, and hosting. Triggers on "find a software dev shop in Austin", "shortlist three custom-software firms with healthcare experience", "we need a mobile app developer for our iOS launch", or "pull contact info for these 10 dev shop domains", even when described indirectly (build a tool, ship a feature, technical partner). Drives the ServiceGraph API (api.servicegraph.co) — a 100k+ US firm catalog filterable by industry, services, location, size, ratings. Defer to find-web-developer for strictly website/landing-page projects. Defer AI/ML, ML pipelines, model building, and data-engineering asks — those are a sibling industry, not software development. Skip in-house engineer hires, code-writing/debugging tasks, cloud-product comparisons, hardware/civil engineering, non-US firms, individual freelancers.
Use whenever the user wants to find, shortlist, vet, or enrich US software development firms — custom software, web development, mobile app development, backend/API development, DevOps/cloud, system integration, and hosting. Triggers on "find a software dev shop in Austin", "shortlist three custom-software firms with healthcare experience", "we need a mobile app developer for our iOS launch", or "pull contact info for these 10 dev shop domains", even when described indirectly (build a tool, ship a feature, technical partner). Drives the ServiceGraph API (api.servicegraph.co) — a 100k+ US firm catalog filterable by industry, services, location, size, ratings. Defer to find-web-developer for strictly website/landing-page projects. Defer AI/ML, ML pipelines, model building, and data-engineering asks — those are a sibling industry, not software development. Skip in-house engineer hires, code-writing/debugging tasks, cloud-product comparisons, hardware/civil engineering, non-US firms, individual freelancers.
Drive the ServiceGraph API (https://api.servicegraph.co) to find,
shortlist, and enrich US software development firms via the
pro_services dataset. The catalog has tens of thousands of US
IT-services firms tagged across ~21 service sub-tags including
web-development, mobile-app-development, api-integration
(singular), devops-services, cloud-services, system-integration,
application-modernization, staff-augmentation, and
managed-services.
The catalog has no custom-software, devops, api-integrations
(plural), or hosting tag — for those user-facing concepts, pin
application-modernization + web-development (for custom software),
devops-services, or api-integration (singular) as the closest tags
and add the keyword.
Always pin industry:it_services. This skill exists to do that
automatically — the user shouldn't have to think about catalog
taxonomy.
Any HTTP client works (curl, fetch, requests). Examples below use curl.
Sibling skills — defer when scope is narrow
Strictly website / landing-page work (build or refresh a marketing site, simple WordPress) → find-web-developer. If unsure, this skill is the safer default — it covers web dev too.
AI/ML modeling specifically (recommendation engines, LLM apps, ML pipelines as the core deliverable) → find-ai-consultancy. Those firms live in a sibling industry (data_ai_consulting), not it_services.
Strictly marketing work (SEO, paid media, branding, content) → find-marketing-agency or find-seo-agency.
Prerequisites
ServiceGraph access, either:
the ServiceGraph MCP server (https://mcp.servicegraph.co) loaded in
your harness — this plugin's .mcp.json wires it up; OAuth 2.1 + PKCE
keeps credentials in the harness sandbox — or
a ServiceGraph API key (vk_…, minted at
https://servicegraph.co/profile/api-keys) available as
SERVICEGRAPH_API_KEY in the environment or .env.local for the REST
path (setup steps under Auth below).
An HTTP client for the REST path — the examples use curl.
Instructions
The loop is free-first: discovery, validation, search, and brief reads cost
nothing; only unlock after the user confirms the spend.
Pick the call path — the ServiceGraph MCP tools if loaded, otherwise the
REST flow (MCP server and Auth sections below).
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/fields?include_values=1 — confirm the
fields and values you plan to filter on exist.
Build the filter (Filter DSL below) and validate it with
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/check — or draft it from plain English via
POST /v1/datasets/pro_services/translate-intent.
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search — present the free brief cards and
let the user pick.
Quote the unlock cost (10 credits per row, 30-day TTL) and get an explicit
go-ahead.
POST /v1/datasets/pro_services/unlocks with the chosen apexes; report the
revealed detail.
GET /v1/me/credits to report the remaining balance when asked.
MCP server (preferred for authed calls)
If your harness has the ServiceGraph MCP server loaded (tools
containing servicegraph), prefer those — OAuth 2.1 + PKCE keeps the
token in the harness sandbox. Otherwise use the REST flow below.
API surface (dataset id: pro_services)
Every endpoint requires the bearer (Authorization: Bearer vk_…).
No anonymous tier.
Endpoint
Cost
Use it for
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/fields[?include_values=1]
free
Confirm it_services industry value and sub-tag names.
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/check?filter=…
free
Validate filter.
POST /v1/datasets/pro_services/translate-intent
free
{intent} → DSL filter + sanity count.
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=…&limit=
free
Brief firm cards + per-row unlock hint + total.
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/:apex
free
One row brief; detail only if unlocked.
POST /v1/datasets/pro_services/unlocks
10 credits / firm
{apexes:[...]} ≤100; atomic; 30-day TTL on detail.
GET /v1/me/credits
free
Balance.
Cost model. Discovery / validation / search / brief reads are
free. Detail (url, phone, email, social, address, full platforms
map) costs 10 credits per firm and lasts 30 days.
Auth
vk_* API keys minted in the dashboard. Keep the token out of the
LLM context — never read .env* into your context; dispatch via
shell.
Try the call first through a shell wrapper that sources .env.local:
"Open https://servicegraph.co/profile/api-keys, create a
key, and add SERVICEGRAPH_API_KEY=vk_… to .env.local here
(or export it). Tell me when done. Please don't paste the key
into chat."
Retry after the user signals ready.
Filter DSL
GitHub-search-style.
filter := orExpr
orExpr := andExpr ("OR" andExpr)*
andExpr := notExpr (("AND")? notExpr)* # whitespace = implicit AND
notExpr := ("NOT" | "-") notExpr | atom
atom := "(" filter ")" | predicate
predicate:= IDENT op valueOrList | bareword
op := ":" | "=" | ">=" | "<=" | ">" | "<"
valueOrList := value ("," value)*
value := IDENT | NUMBER | tagAtEvidence
tagAtEvidence := IDENT "@" ("low"|"medium"|"high")
bareword := IDENT | NUMBER # → keyword:<bareword>
Four rules that bite: AND binds tighter than OR (use parens);
comma list = OR within one predicate; negation is -x or NOT x;
bareword = keyword search (quote multi-word phrases).
IT-flavored examples (validate yours with /check):
Tech stack / vertical → keyword mapping (the catalog tags services,
not languages or industries served):
User mentions
Add as keyword
Python / Django / Flask
python
Node.js / TypeScript / React
node, react
Go / Rust / Java / .NET
go, rust, java, .net
AWS / GCP / Azure
aws, gcp, azure
Fintech / healthcare / govtech / SaaS
fintech, healthcare, govtech, saas
SOC 2 / HIPAA / compliance
soc2, hipaa, compliance
Identifying firms — apex
Firms are identified by their apex domain (thoughtworks.com, not
www.thoughtworks.com/about).
Output
All responses are JSON.
Search returns free brief firm cards — apex, name, location, and
rating signals — plus a per-row unlock hint and the match total. Briefs
never include url, phone_primary, email_primary, legal_name,
address_full, or the full platforms map.
Unlock (POST …/unlocks) returns each unlocked firm's detail block —
contact fields, address, socials, the platforms map — plus per-item
billing; detail stays readable for 30 days.
Errors arrive as a JSON envelope
{"error": {"code": "…", "message": "…"}} — see Errors below.
Examples
A. Custom-software shop in a state
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:it_services+service_provided:application-modernization+custom+software+state:TX&limit=10
# Present, get pick of 3. "Unlocking 3 = 30 credits, 30-day TTL."
POST /v1/datasets/pro_services/unlocks
{ "apexes": ["firm-a.com", "firm-b.com", "firm-c.com"] }
B. Mobile app — vertical and platform
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:it_services+service_provided:mobile-app-development+ios&limit=10
iOS / Android distinctions aren't separate tags — use barewords.
C. DevOps + cloud migration
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:it_services+service_provided:devops-services+aws+migration&limit=10
If thin, drop migration first — it's a vertical keyword, not a service tag.
D. Indirect intent — "technical partner to build out tooling"
User: "We need a technical partner to build out our internal tooling, Northeast preferred."
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:it_services+custom+software+state:NY,MA,CT,NJ,PA&limit=10
Or use the translator:
POST /v1/datasets/pro_services/translate-intent
{ "intent": "technical partner to build internal tooling, Northeast preferred" }
E. Vertical + cert (fintech + SOC 2)
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:it_services+custom+software+fintech+soc2&limit=10
F. Quality threshold + third-party signals
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:it_services+service_provided:application-modernization+custom+software+rating>=4+review_count_total>=50&limit=10
G. API/backend specialty + remote
User: "API/backend team to extend our SaaS — Bay Area or remote-friendly."
remote-friendly isn't structured. Use geography_served:national_US
(national-scope firms typically serve remotely) plus keywords:
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:it_services+service_provided:api-integration+(state:CA OR geography_served:national_US)+saas&limit=10
H. BYO apex list — enrich domains
User pastes 8–20 domains:
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/:apex per domain — free brief
(404 = not in catalog, no charge).
User picks N to fully enrich. POST /unlocks = 10×N credits,
atomic, detail returned.
Re-runs within 30-day TTL are free.
Gotchas
Always pin industry:it_services. Without it, web-development / mobile-app-development keywords leak into marketing or design firms.
Tag drift: there is no custom-software, devops, api-integrations (plural), or hosting tag. Map to application-modernization + web-development, devops-services, api-integration (singular) plus keywords.
industry:data_ai_consulting is a sibling industry, not a sub-tag. AI/ML-focused firms live there — defer to find-ai-consultancy.
Defer to find-web-developer for strictly website/landing-page projects. This skill covers web dev as a sub-service, but the dedicated skill ranks higher on narrow web-only asks.
Programming language and tech stack are NOT structured tags.python, react, aws, kubernetes, rust are keyword substring matches. Multi-word stacks split into ANDs unless quoted ("ruby on rails").
Client-vertical (fintech, healthcare, govtech) is NOT a structured tag. Keyword it.
Catalog is US-only B2B. Refuse offshore asks ("a software firm in Bangalore"), individual freelancers, in-house engineering hires, and DIY/code tasks ("debug this", "review this PR").
Cloud product comparisons aren't procurement. "Which is better, AWS or GCP?" is a knowledge question.
Briefs DO include apex, name, location, ratings. They DON'T include url, phone_primary, email_primary, legal_name, address_full, full platforms — those require an unlock.
not_found / not_in_dataset 404 = not in pro_services. Skip; not charged.
Unlock is atomic. N apexes either all charge (up to 10×N credits) or none on 402.
