MCP Server

The Checkr Tenant API speaks the Model Context Protocol (MCP) — the open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and ChatGPT-with-tools talk to external systems through a structured tool interface.

Connect your AI assistant to one endpoint and it gets a typed catalog of operations for managing applicants, properties, orders, and reports. You ask the assistant in plain English ("create an order for Jane at 100 Main St using the essential package") and it picks the right tool, fills in the arguments from context, and returns the result.

Endpoint

POST https://tenant.checkr.com/mcp/v1

Transport: HTTP, streamable JSON-RPC (MCP Streamable HTTP spec).
Auth: Authorization: Bearer ckr_sk_<test|live>_... — the same API key you'd mint for any Checkr Tenant integration. Test and live keys both work.
State: stateless. Every tool invocation carries its own bearer; there's no session to establish.

Tools

The server exposes 12 tools covering applicants, properties, orders, and reports.

Tool	Description
`list_applicants`	List applicants for your organization.
`get_applicant`	Fetch a single applicant by id.
`create_applicant`	Create a new applicant.
`list_properties`	List properties for your organization.
`get_property`	Fetch a single property by id.
`create_property`	Create a new property.
`list_orders`	List orders for your organization.
`get_order`	Fetch a single order by id.
`create_order`	Place a screening order for an applicant.
`get_order_report`	Fetch the report attached to an order.
`get_report`	Fetch a single report by id.
`get_report_pdf`	Fetch a single report PDF.

Connecting a client

Live keys place real orders

Start with a ckr_sk_test_ key. Swap to ckr_sk_live_ only after you've watched the assistant's tool calls in your client and are confident in the prompts driving them. An AI assistant with a live key can create applicants, place screening orders, and incur charges on your behalf.

Claude Code

Add the server from the CLI. Keep the key out of your shell history by exporting it first (or using your shell's prefix-with-space convention) rather than pasting it inline:

export CHECKR_API_KEY=ckr_sk_test_...
claude mcp add --transport http checkr-tenant https://tenant.checkr.com/mcp/v1 \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $CHECKR_API_KEY"

Verify it registered with claude mcp list. New conversations pick it up automatically; restart any open session to load the tools.

You can also configure the server in JSON — drop this into your user-scoped ~/.claude.json.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "checkr-tenant": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://tenant.checkr.com/mcp/v1",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ckr_sk_test_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Open Cursor's settings, go to MCP → Add new MCP server, and pick the HTTP transport. Set:

Name: checkr-tenant
URL: https://tenant.checkr.com/mcp/v1
Header: Authorization: Bearer ckr_sk_test_...

Save and reload Cursor. Equivalent JSON form, if you'd rather edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json directly — this file lives outside any repo, which is the right place for a key. Don't paste a live key into a project-scoped .cursor/mcp.json that might be committed:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "checkr-tenant": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://tenant.checkr.com/mcp/v1",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ckr_sk_test_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

The tools will appear under checkr-tenant in the next chat.

Example interactions

Once connected, you can drive the API conversationally. A few prompts that land directly on tool calls:

"List my applicants." → list_applicants
"Create an applicant named Jane Renter, email jane@example.com." → create_applicant
"Order an essential screening for Jane at 100 Main St, San Francisco CA 94117." → create_order (creating the property inline)
"Show me my recent orders." → list_orders
"What's the status of order ord_test_...?" → get_order
"Pull the report from that order." → get_order_report

The assistant chooses the tool, fills in arguments from the conversation context (including pretty IDs returned by earlier calls), and surfaces the result. You stay in plain English; the wire format never surfaces.

Auth and key management

Bearer tokens must start with ckr_sk_ (test or live).
Revoked or expired keys return 401 Unauthorized immediately.

Mint an API key from the API Keys settings page.