find-management-consultant

Drive the ServiceGraph API (https://api.servicegraph.co) to find, shortlist, and enrich US management consulting firms. The catalog tags firms with industry:management_consulting and a 7-tag service sub-taxonomy: strategy, operations, executive-coaching, leadership-development, organizational-development, pmo-project-management, sales-revenue-consulting.

Always pin industry:management_consulting. Sub-services are structured service_provided tags (strategy-consulting, operations-consulting, executive-coaching, leadership-development, organizational-development, pmo-project-management, sales-revenue-consulting — confirm exact names via /v1/tags).

Any HTTP client works (curl, fetch, requests). Examples below use curl.

When NOT to use this skill

• "Help me build a strategy / write a plan / make a recommendation" — that's do-the-work, not procurement.
• In-house strategy/operations hires (Chief Strategy Officer, COO).
• Life or career coaching for an individual — the catalog's executive-coaching tag is for B2B (the firm hires the coach for their executives), not for the user themselves.
• Framework explanations (Lean vs Agile, Porter's Five Forces, etc.).
• MBA program questions, academic research.
• Non-US firms.
• Individual freelance consultants ("a freelance strategy consultant").

If the user is a business procuring consulting services, this skill applies — defaults to fire on B2B procurement intent.

MCP server (preferred for authed calls)

If your agent harness has the ServiceGraph MCP server loaded (https://mcp.servicegraph.co), prefer its tools for the authed tier (/search, /get, /stats). The MCP server uses OAuth 2.1 + PKCE — the host harness handles credentials in its own audited sandbox, so there's no .env.local, no shell dispatch, and no token value ever enters the LLM context.

For the anonymous tier (/tags, /check, /explore), MCP is not preferred — every MCP tool requires OAuth (the server has no anonymous tier), so plain curl against the REST URL is the simpler path for discovery calls. Use the REST patterns below for those.

The MCP tools 1:1-map to the public REST endpoints — same backend, same quota, same data:

MCP tool	REST endpoint	Anon?	Recommended path
list_tags	GET /v1/tags	yes	curl
check_filter	GET /v1/check	yes	curl
explore_firms	GET /v1/explore	yes	curl
search_firms	GET /v1/search	no	MCP if loaded, else curl + OTP
get_firm	GET /v1/get/:id	no	MCP if loaded, else curl + OTP
catalog_stats	GET /v1/stats	no	MCP if loaded, else curl + OTP

Detection: if you see any MCP tools with servicegraph in the name (the harness-specific prefix varies — agents pattern-match the substring), the ServiceGraph MCP server is loaded. Prefer those tools for the authed tier; complete any auth flow the harness initiates if needed. If no servicegraph MCP tools are present, fall through to the REST + OTP flow below for the authed tier.

The four-tier funnel

Tier	Auth	Cost	Use it for
GET /v1/tags	none	free	First call of every session. Discover legal field names, kinds, operators, values.
GET /v1/check?filter=...	none	free	Validate a filter before spending an explore/search call.
GET /v1/explore?filter=...	none	free, IP-throttled	Scope: count + breakdowns. Use to size the candidate pool before quota-spending.
GET /v1/search?filter=...	bearer	200 unique firms / month free	Brief firm cards. No url, no contact info. Use for ranking / shortlisting.
GET /v1/get/:id	bearer	50 unique firms / month free	Full bundle: url, phone, email, social, legal name, address. Only call for shortlisted firms.
POST /v1/research	paid	not in MVP	Deferred — skip.

Quota rule that matters: /search and /get charge per unique firm viewed per calendar month, not per call. Re-paging the same query is free. Two different filters that overlap charge once for the overlap. Re-fetching a firm you already pulled this month is free.

Session-start ritual

Before constructing any filter, call:

GET https://api.servicegraph.co/v1/tags?include_values=1

Cache the response for the conversation. Confirm management_consulting is in the industry value list and that the relevant sub-service tags (strategy-consulting, operations-consulting, executive-coaching, etc.) are in service_provided.

Field kinds you'll use most:

• categorical: industry (always management_consulting), state, pricing_model, company_size_signal, geography_served — op :
• tag_set_with_evidence: service_provided — Map<tag, evidence∈{low,medium,high}>. Op : with optional @evidence
• numeric: rating, review_count_total, founded_year — ops = >= <= > <
• presence: has:phone, has:clutch, has:rating, has:linkedin_company, …
• keyword: free-text substring across firm name / brand / title / meta / legal_name. Bareword in the filter becomes a keyword.

Auth

/tags, /check, and /explore are anonymous. /search and /get require a bearer token.

Security model — keep the token out of the LLM context.

• Never read .env, .env.local, or any other credential file into your context. The token's literal value should never appear in the conversation.
• Use shell dispatch for every authed request so the token flows directly from the user's environment / dotenv file into the Authorization header without round-tripping through the LLM.
• Always ask the user once per session before using a detected token, even if it's already in their shell or .env.local.

Resolution rule:

1. Detect whether a token is available — without reading its value. Run a shell check that only inspects exit codes:

   ( [ -n "${SERVICEGRAPH_TOKEN:-}" ] \
     || grep -qs '^SERVICEGRAPH_TOKEN=' .env.local \
     || grep -qs '^SERVICEGRAPH_TOKEN=' .env )
   

   Exit code 0 = token is available somewhere; non-zero = no token.

2. Confirm with the user before the first authed call this session:

   "I found a SERVICEGRAPH_TOKEN in your environment / .env.local. OK to use it for ServiceGraph API requests this session?"

   If the user says no, stay on the anonymous tiers (/tags, /check, /explore) and skip authed calls. Don't re-ask later unless the user asks for authed work.

3. Dispatch via shell — every authed call goes through a shell wrapper so the literal token never enters the conversation:

   # If exported in the shell environment:
   curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $SERVICEGRAPH_TOKEN" \
        'https://api.servicegraph.co/v1/search?filter=...'
   
   # If in .env.local — source it inside a subshell so it doesn't
   # leak into the parent shell either:
   ( set -a; . ./.env.local; set +a;
     curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $SERVICEGRAPH_TOKEN" \
          'https://api.servicegraph.co/v1/search?filter=...' )
   

   Capture the response body to a tmp file or jq-process it, but do NOT echo the request command with the token expanded.

4. OTP flow if no token is detected — capture the new token directly into .env.local without surfacing its value to the LLM:

   # 1. trigger the email — agent prompts the user for $EMAIL
   curl -fsS -X POST 'https://api.servicegraph.co/v1/auth/request-otp' \
     -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     -d "{\"email\":\"$EMAIL\"}"
   
   # 2. exchange the code — agent prompts the user for $CODE.
   #    The ?format=env query param returns SERVICEGRAPH_TOKEN=<token>
   #    as plain text appended to .env.local — no jq needed. The -f
   #    flag makes curl exit non-zero on 4xx so a wrong code doesn't
   #    pollute the file (the error mirror is also a `# comment` line,
   #    safe to ignore even if it lands).
   curl -fsS -X POST 'https://api.servicegraph.co/v1/auth/verify-otp?format=env' \
     -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     -d "{\"email\":\"$EMAIL\",\"code\":\"$CODE\",\"name\":\"claude-cli\"}" \
     >> .env.local
   
   # 3. confirm capture without revealing the value
   grep -q '^SERVICEGRAPH_TOKEN=' .env.local && echo "OTP token captured."
   

   After a successful capture, the user has implicitly consented (they just completed the flow), so proceed to dispatch (step 3). The token is now persistent in .env.local for future sessions.

5. If a /search or /get returns 401 unauthorized mid-session, the token expired or was revoked — re-run the OTP flow.

Filter DSL

One query parameter, 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:

1. AND binds tighter than OR. a OR b c parses as a OR (b AND c). Use parens.
2. Comma list = OR within one predicate. state:CA,NY,TX matches any of the three.
3. Negation is -x or NOT x. Negative literals inside a comma list are not allowed: state:CA,-NY is rejected. Use state:CA -state:NY.
4. Bareword = keyword search. Any IDENT or NUMBER not followed by an operator becomes a free-text substring across name / brand / title / meta / legal_name. Multiple barewords AND.

Management-consulting examples (validate yours with /v1/check):

industry:management_consulting service_provided:strategy-consulting@high
industry:management_consulting service_provided:operations-consulting state:NY
industry:management_consulting service_provided:executive-coaching
industry:management_consulting (service_provided:strategy-consulting@high OR service_provided:operations-consulting@high)
industry:management_consulting service_provided:organizational-development change
industry:management_consulting service_provided:strategy-consulting@high rating>=4 has:clutch
industry:management_consulting service_provided:pmo-project-management

When in doubt, hit /v1/check?filter=... first.

Sub-service tag → typical user phrasing:

User asks for	Tag
Strategy / strategic planning	service_provided:strategy-consulting
Operations / ops consulting	service_provided:operations-consulting
Executive coach (for senior leaders)	service_provided:executive-coaching
Leadership development programs	service_provided:leadership-development
Org design / change management	service_provided:organizational-development
PMO / program management	service_provided:pmo-project-management
Sales/revenue ops	service_provided:sales-revenue-consulting

firm_id contract

firm_id is a stable 12-hex-char handle:

firm_id = sha256(apex.lower().rstrip(".")).hexdigest()[:12]

apex is the registered domain (mckinsey.com, not www.mckinsey.com/about).

import hashlib
def firm_id(apex):
    return hashlib.sha256(apex.lower().rstrip(".").encode()).hexdigest()[:12]

echo -n "mckinsey.com" | tr 'A-Z' 'a-z' \
  | openssl dgst -sha256 -hex | awk '{print substr($2,1,12)}'

Recipes

A. Strategy consultancy in a state

User: "Three top strategy consultancies in California for a Series-B SaaS."

GET /v1/explore?filter=industry:management_consulting+state:CA+service_provided:strategy-consulting@high
GET /v1/search?filter=industry:management_consulting+state:CA+service_provided:strategy-consulting@high&limit=10
GET /v1/get/<firm_id>     # ×3

B. Boutique ops consulting + vertical

User: "Boutique operations consulting firms with healthcare experience."

GET /v1/search?filter=industry:management_consulting+service_provided:operations-consulting+healthcare+-company_size_signal:large_50plus&limit=10

C. Executive coach for a CEO

User: "Executive coach for our new CEO."

GET /v1/search?filter=industry:management_consulting+service_provided:executive-coaching@high

D. Indirect intent — post-merger / change

User: "Change-management partners for a post-merger integration."

GET /v1/search?filter=industry:management_consulting+service_provided:organizational-development+(merger OR integration)

If thin, drop the keywords and use service_provided:organizational-development@high alone — the tag itself captures change-management.

E. Indirect intent — "fractional COO"

User: "Fractional COO support for the next 6 months."

GET /v1/search?filter=industry:management_consulting+service_provided:operations-consulting+fractional

F. Quality threshold + Big-3 alumni

User: "Three management consulting firms with 4-star ratings and Big-3 alumni."

GET /v1/search?filter=industry:management_consulting+service_provided:strategy-consulting@high+rating>=4+(mckinsey OR bcg OR bain)&limit=10

The "alumni" angle isn't structured — keyword the firm names of the shops the alumni came from; many spinout consultancies advertise it in their bio text.

G. BYO apex list — enrich domains

User pastes 8–20 consulting-firm domains. For each:

1. Compute firm_id locally.
2. GET /v1/get/<firm_id> — full bundle if in catalog, 404 if not.
3. Aggregate, present, flag the not-found ones.

Gotchas

• Always pin industry:management_consulting. Without it, service_provided:strategy-consulting could surface marketing or IT firms that list "strategy" as a sub-service.
• executive-coaching is for B2B. When a firm hires a coach for their executives, this skill applies. When an individual asks for a life coach or career coach for themselves, it's out of scope.
• "Help me build a strategy" is do-the-work, not procurement. Refuse and offer to find a firm if the user wants to hire one.
• Framework comparisons (Lean vs Agile, etc.) and MBA-program questions are knowledge, not procurement.
• looks_not_pro_services 404 is not a bug. A firm_id may exist in /search but 404 on /get if it's been flagged. Skip and continue; not charged.
• /v1/explore k=20 suppression. When fewer than 20 firms match, the response is {"count": "<20", "suppressed": true, "breakdowns": {}}. Drilling further makes the count smaller. Broaden or escalate to /v1/search.
• Briefs from /search do NOT include apex, url, phone_primary, email_primary, legal_name, or address. If the user asks for contact info, you must /get/:id.
• In-house hires (CSO, COO, etc.) are NOT procurement.
• Quota is per-user-per-month, deduped on first view. Re-views are free; re-pagination is free.

Errors

All errors return JSON: {"error": {"code": "...", "message": "..."}}.

Status	Code	What to do
400	filter_parse_error	Payload includes position. Fix the filter, re-validate with /v1/check.
400	filter_required	Empty filter where one is required.
400	invalid_firm_id	firm_id must be 12 lowercase hex chars. Re-derive.
401	unauthorized	Token missing/expired. Re-run OTP.
404	not_found	Firm not in catalog or flagged. Not charged. Skip and continue.
429	rate_limited	Honor Retry-After header / retry_after field.
429	monthly_quota_exhausted	Switch to /v1/explore-only mode for the rest of the month. Tell the user.

End-to-end example

User: "Three top management-consulting firms in California focused on strategy, with strong third-party ratings."

GET /v1/tags?include_values=1
GET /v1/check?filter=industry:management_consulting+state:CA+service_provided:strategy-consulting@high+rating>=4+review_count_total>=20
GET /v1/explore?filter=industry:management_consulting+state:CA+service_provided:strategy-consulting@high+rating>=4+review_count_total>=20
GET /v1/search?filter=...&limit=10
GET /v1/get/<firm_id>     # ×3

End of session: report X-Quota-Remaining-Month.