submit_proposal

Instructions

Implementation Reference

• src/tools/submit-proposal.ts:44-222 (handler)

  The main handler function that executes the submit_proposal tool logic: navigates to the job, clicks 'Apply Now', sets bid rate, fills cover letter, answers screening questions, and submits the proposal via headless browser (Puppeteer/Playwright).

  export async function submitProposal(input: SubmitProposalInput): Promise<ProposalResult> {
    const page = await ensureLoggedIn();
    const bidRate = input.bid_rate ?? config.bid.default;
  
    try {
      console.error('[submitProposal] Navigating to job:', input.job_url);
      await page.goto(input.job_url, { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded', timeout: 30000 });
      await humanDelay(2000, 4000);
  
      // Find and click "Apply Now" button
      const applySelectors = [
        '[data-test="apply-button"]',
        '[data-cy="apply-button"]',
        'a[href*="/proposals/new"]',
        'button:has-text("Apply Now")',
        'a:has-text("Apply Now")',
      ];
  
      let clicked = false;
      for (const sel of applySelectors) {
        const btn = page.locator(sel).first();
        if (await btn.isVisible({ timeout: 3000 }).catch(() => false)) {
          await btn.click();
          clicked = true;
          console.error('[submitProposal] Clicked apply button:', sel);
          break;
        }
      }
  
      if (!clicked) {
        return { success: false, message: 'Could not find Apply Now button. Job may be closed or already applied.' };
      }
  
      await humanDelay(2000, 4000);
      await page.waitForURL('**/proposals/**', { timeout: 15000 }).catch(() => {
        console.error('[submitProposal] URL did not change to /proposals/, continuing anyway');
      });
  
      // ─── Set bid rate ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
      const hourlyRateInput = page.locator(
        '[data-test="rate-input"] input, input[name="rate"], #rate-input, input[placeholder*="rate"], input[placeholder*="Rate"]'
      ).first();
  
      if (await hourlyRateInput.isVisible({ timeout: 5000 }).catch(() => false)) {
        await hourlyRateInput.click({ clickCount: 3 });
        await hourlyRateInput.fill(bidRate.toString());
        console.error('[submitProposal] Set bid rate:', bidRate);
        await humanDelay(500, 1000);
      }
  
      // For fixed-price jobs — milestone / total price
      const fixedPriceInput = page.locator(
        'input[name="bid_amount"], input[placeholder*="Total price"], [data-test="bid-price"] input'
      ).first();
  
      if (await fixedPriceInput.isVisible({ timeout: 2000 }).catch(() => false)) {
        await fixedPriceInput.click({ clickCount: 3 });
        await fixedPriceInput.fill(bidRate.toString());
        console.error('[submitProposal] Set fixed price:', bidRate);
        await humanDelay(500, 1000);
      }
  
      // ─── Fill cover letter ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
      const coverLetterSelectors = [
        'textarea[name="cover_letter"]',
        '[data-test="cover-letter"] textarea',
        '[data-cy="cover-letter"] textarea',
        'textarea[placeholder*="cover"]',
        '.cover-letter textarea',
        '#cover_letter',
      ];
  
      let coverLetterFilled = false;
      for (const sel of coverLetterSelectors) {
        const textarea = page.locator(sel).first();
        if (await textarea.isVisible({ timeout: 3000 }).catch(() => false)) {
          await textarea.click();
          await textarea.fill('');
          // Type human-like
          await page.keyboard.type(input.cover_letter, { delay: Math.random() * 20 + 10 });
          coverLetterFilled = true;
          console.error('[submitProposal] Cover letter filled.');
          break;
        }
      }
  
      if (!coverLetterFilled) {
        console.error('[submitProposal] WARNING: Could not find cover letter textarea');
      }
  
      await humanDelay(1000, 2000);
  
      // ─── Answer screening questions ──────────────────────────────────────────
      if (input.screening_answers && input.screening_answers.length > 0) {
        const questionTextareas = await page.locator(
          '[data-test="additional-question"] textarea, [data-cy="qa-answer"] textarea, .screening-question textarea'
        ).all();
  
        for (let i = 0; i < Math.min(questionTextareas.length, input.screening_answers.length); i++) {
          const answer = input.screening_answers[i];
          if (answer) {
            await questionTextareas[i].click();
            await questionTextareas[i].fill('');
            await page.keyboard.type(answer, { delay: Math.random() * 20 + 10 });
            await humanDelay(500, 1000);
            console.error(`[submitProposal] Answered question ${i + 1}`);
          }
        }
      }
  
      await humanDelay(1500, 3000);
  
      // ─── Submit ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
      const submitSelectors = [
        '[data-test="submit-proposal"]',
        '[data-cy="submit-proposal"]',
        'button[type="submit"]:has-text("Submit")',
        'button:has-text("Submit Proposal")',
        'button:has-text("Send Proposal")',
      ];
  
      let submitted = false;
      for (const sel of submitSelectors) {
        const btn = page.locator(sel).first();
        if (await btn.isVisible({ timeout: 3000 }).catch(() => false)) {
          console.error('[submitProposal] Clicking submit:', sel);
          await btn.click();
          submitted = true;
          break;
        }
      }
  
      if (!submitted) {
        return { success: false, message: 'Could not find Submit button. Proposal NOT submitted.' };
      }
  
      await humanDelay(3000, 5000);
  
      // Check for success
      const currentUrl = page.url();
      const successIndicators = [
        '[data-test="proposal-submitted"]',
        '[data-cy="proposal-submitted"]',
        '.proposal-submitted',
        ':has-text("Proposal Submitted")',
      ];
  
      for (const sel of successIndicators) {
        if (await page.locator(sel).isVisible({ timeout: 5000 }).catch(() => false)) {
          return {
            success: true,
            message: 'Proposal submitted successfully!',
            proposal_url: currentUrl,
          };
        }
      }
  
      // If URL changed to proposals list, likely succeeded
      if (currentUrl.includes('/proposals') && !currentUrl.includes('/new')) {
        return {
          success: true,
          message: 'Proposal submitted (redirected to proposals page).',
          proposal_url: currentUrl,
        };
      }
  
      return {
        success: true,
        message: 'Proposal likely submitted. Please verify manually.',
        proposal_url: currentUrl,
      };
    } catch (err) {
      const msg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
      console.error('[submitProposal] Error:', msg);
      return { success: false, message: `Error submitting proposal: ${msg}` };
    } finally {
      await page.close();
    }
  }

• src/tools/submit-proposal.ts:5-36 (schema)

  Zod schema defining the input shape for submit_proposal: job_url, cover_letter, bid_rate, estimated_duration, screening_answers, boost_bid, plus the ProposalResult output type.

  export const SubmitProposalSchema = z.object({
    job_url: z.string().describe('Full URL of the Upwork job posting'),
    cover_letter: z
      .string()
      .describe(
        'The proposal/cover letter text. Should be personalized, mention the client\'s specific needs, and demonstrate n8n expertise.'
      ),
    bid_rate: z
      .number()
      .optional()
      .describe(
        `Hourly rate or fixed price bid in USD. Defaults to ${config.bid.default}. Range: ${config.bid.min}–${config.bid.max}.`
      ),
    estimated_duration: z
      .string()
      .optional()
      .describe('Estimated time to complete (for fixed-price jobs), e.g. "1 week", "3 days"'),
    screening_answers: z
      .array(z.string())
      .optional()
      .default([])
      .describe(
        'Answers to screening questions in order. Get questions first via get_job_details.'
      ),
    boost_bid: z
      .coerce.boolean()
      .optional()
      .default(false)
      .describe('Whether to use extra Connects to boost the proposal visibility'),
  });
  
  export type SubmitProposalInput = z.infer<typeof SubmitProposalSchema>;

• src/index.ts:102-130 (registration)

  MCP tool registration in index.ts (the primary MCP server entry point) declaring the tool name 'submit_proposal' with its description and JSON Schema inputSchema.

    {
      name: 'submit_proposal',
      description: `Submit a proposal/bid for an Upwork job.
  Before calling this:
  1. Call get_job_details to get screening questions
  2. Craft a personalized cover letter that:
     - Opens with the client's specific problem (not "I am an expert in...")
     - Shows concrete n8n examples relevant to their use case
     - Mentions specific workflow patterns (HTTP Request, Webhook, Code node, etc.)
     - Ends with a clear CTA
  3. Answer ALL screening questions thoughtfully
  
  The agent will automatically type and submit the proposal.`,
      inputSchema: {
        type: 'object',
        properties: {
          job_url: { type: 'string', description: 'Full Upwork job URL' },
          cover_letter: { type: 'string', description: 'Full proposal text (cover letter)' },
          bid_rate: { type: ['number', 'string'], description: 'Hourly rate or fixed price in USD' },
          screening_answers: {
            type: 'array',
            items: { type: 'string' },
            description: 'Answers to screening questions in order (from get_job_details)',
          },
          boost_bid: { type: 'boolean', description: 'Use extra Connects to boost proposal. Default: false' },
        },
        required: ['job_url', 'cover_letter'],
      },
    },

• src/index.ts:303-307 (registration)

  The switch-case dispatch in index.ts that parses incoming args with SubmitProposalSchema and calls submitProposal().

  case 'submit_proposal': {
    const input = SubmitProposalSchema.parse(args);
    result = await submitProposal(input);
    break;
  }

• src/gateway.ts:100-114 (registration)

  Secondary MCP gateway registration in gateway.ts also declaring 'submit_proposal' with a simplified inputSchema for an alternative MCP endpoint.

  {
    name: 'submit_proposal',
    description: 'Submit a proposal for an Upwork job. Call get_job_details first to get screening questions.',
    inputSchema: {
      type: 'object',
      properties: {
        job_url:            { type: 'string' },
        cover_letter:       { type: 'string' },
        bid_rate:           { type: ['number', 'string'] },
        screening_answers:  { type: 'array', items: { type: 'string' } },
        boost_bid:          { type: 'boolean' },
      },
      required: ['job_url', 'cover_letter'],
    },
  },