Answers before you hand over the busywork
How Upwork Agents connects, what it costs to run, and how much control you keep. Search, or pick a topic.
Getting started
How does Upwork Agents connect to my Upwork account?
Through Upwork's official MCP server. You sign in with Upwork using OAuth and approve access, so your Upwork password never passes through us.
Do I need my own OpenAI key?
Yes. You paste your OpenAI API key once, and your agents use it to score jobs, write proposals and draft replies. OpenAI bills you directly for that usage.
How long does setup take?
A few minutes. Connect Upwork, paste your OpenAI key, then create an agent: give it a name, add the keywords it should search, choose its tools and set how often it runs.
Can I try it without an agent sending anything on its own?
Yes. Turn on review for a tool and its drafts wait in the Approvals page instead of going out. You can also use the manual tools (Job Posting, Proposals and Conversations) without creating any agent.
Costs
What does the $25 per month include?
Everything in the product: agents with all their tools, bid rules, the Approvals queue, run logs, and the manual tools (Job Posting, Proposals, Conversations and the Dashboard). The only separate cost is your own OpenAI usage.
What will the OpenAI usage cost me?
It depends on how many agents you run, how often, and how many jobs they judge. Every run shows the tokens it used, so you can see the real number. The estimator on the Who it’s for page lets you try different settings before you start.
Is there a limit on how many proposals an agent sends?
You set it. Each agent has a maximum number of proposals per run and per day, so it never sends more than you allow.
Control and safety
Will an agent submit proposals without asking me?
Only if you let it. Each tool can act on its own or wait for your review. With review on, drafts land in Approvals with a fit score and a log of what the agent did, and you can edit them before approving.
Can I see what an agent did and why?
Yes. Every run is logged with the agent’s reasoning, the tools it used, its token usage and the outcome, including runs where it skipped everything and why.
Can I still apply and reply myself?
Yes. Job Posting lets you search jobs, read full posts and apply with a profile switcher, boost and screening answers. Proposals shows what you have submitted and your drafts, and Conversations lets you read and reply to clients.
What happens if my Upwork login expires?
The app renews it automatically before it expires. If Upwork ever refuses the renewal, the Integration page shows a notice and a Connect button, and agents wait until you sign in again.
How agents work
How does the agent decide what to bid?
With the bid rule you set on each agent: a discount on the client’s average rate or the job’s posted rate, plus a fallback rate it uses when a job has no usable rate. For example, a client averaging $45/hr with a 15% discount gets a $38.25/hr bid.
How does an agent pick which jobs to apply to?
It searches each of your keywords on its own, applies your filters (such as verified payment, minimum client spend and hire rate), and has your AI model judge how well each job fits. Only jobs that clear the bar get a proposal.
How often do agents run?
On the schedule you choose for each agent, such as every hour, every 2 hours or once a day. An agent never overlaps itself, and several agents can run at the same time.
Can I run more than one agent?
Yes. Each agent has its own keywords, tools, bid rule and schedule, so you can keep one for mobile jobs and another for quick fixes.
Your data
Who can see my data?
Only you. You sign in with Clerk, and every record is stored under your own user ID.
How are my Upwork access and OpenAI key stored?
Both are stored encrypted. Your Upwork password is never seen by us, because you sign in on Upwork itself.
No question matches that. Try a different word, or clear the search.