find-cpa-firm
The find-cpa-firm skill queries the ServiceGraph API catalog of over 100,000 US business accounting and tax firms, enabling users to search, filter, and enrich CPA firm data by industry specialization, service offerings, location, and firm size. Use it when clients need to identify or vet audit firms, tax advisors, bookkeeping services, fractional CFO support, M&A diligence providers, or specialized tax-credit consultants for their business; skip personal tax preparation, in-house finance hiring, DIY accounting questions, and non-US firms.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/nostrband/ServiceGraph /tmp/find-cpa-firm && cp -r /tmp/find-cpa-firm/skills/find-cpa-firm ~/.claude/skills/find-cpa-firmSKILL.md
# find-cpa-firm
Drive the **ServiceGraph API** (`https://api.servicegraph.co`) to find,
shortlist, and enrich US **business-to-business** accounting and tax
firms (CPA firms) via the `pro_services` dataset.
**The catalog is B2B-only.** Personal tax prep (individual 1040s,
retirement planning, individual estate planning, personal bookkeeping
for freelancers) is out of scope — those firms were filtered during
the catalog audit.
**Always pin `industry:accounting_tax`.** Sub-services (audit, tax,
bookkeeping, advisory, M&A diligence, 409A, R&D credits, etc.) are
NOT separate tags — `industry:accounting_tax` is the most specific
structured level — so practice-area specialization is a keyword
substring search on firm text.
Any HTTP client works (curl, fetch, requests). Examples below use curl.
## When NOT to use this skill
- Personal/individual tax matters: 1040 prep, IRA/Roth conversions, personal estate planning, "what should I do with my refund".
- Bookkeeping for a freelancer or solo creator's personal income.
- In-house finance hires (Controller, CFO, Accountant).
- DIY tax/accounting questions ("how do I claim X", "explain depreciation").
- Accounting-software comparisons (QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite).
- Non-US firms / individual freelance bookkeepers.
## 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 `accounting_tax` is in the `industry` value list. |
| `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.
1. **Try the call first** through a shell wrapper that sources `.env.local`:
```bash
( set -a; [ -f .env.local ] && . ./.env.local; set +a;
curl -sS -H "Authorization: Bearer $SERVICEGRAPH_API_KEY" \
'https://api.servicegraph.co/v1/datasets/pro_services/fields' )
```
2. **On `401`** prompt the user:
> "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."
3. **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).
**Accounting-flavored examples** (validate yours with `/check`):
```
industry:accounting_tax state:CA audit saas
industry:accounting_tax cpa state:DE,NY
industry:accounting_tax "m&a" diligence
industry:accounting_tax tax 409a
industry:accounting_tax "fractional cfo"
industry:accounting_tax "r&d" tax
industry:accounting_tax "soc 2"
industry:accounting_tax -company_size_signal:solo rating>=4
```
**Practice area → keyword mapping**:
| User asks for | Add as keyword(s) |
|---|---|
| Audit / financial-statement audit | `audit` |
| SOC 1 / SOC 2 audit | `"soc 2"` |
| Corporate tax / 1120 | `tax`, `"corporate tax"`, `1120` |
| Bookkeeping (for a business) | `bookkeeping` |
| Advisory / fractional CFO | `"fractional cfo"`, `advisory` |
| M&A diligence | `m&a`, `diligence` |
| 409A valuation | `409a` |
| R&D tax credits | `"r&d"`, `"r&d tax"` |
| IPO readiness | `ipo`, `readiness` |
| Sales-and-use tax | `"sales tax"`, `"sales and use"` |
| International tax / transfer pricing | `"international tax"`, `"transfer pricing"` |
## Identifying firms — `apex`
Firms are identified by their **apex domain** (`pwc.com`, not
`www.pwc.com/about`).
## Recipes
### A. CPA firm for a Delaware C-corp audit
User: *"CPA firm for our delaware c-corp series A audit, under 50 ppl."*
```
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:accounting_tax+audit+state:DE,NY,CA+-company_size_signal:large_50plus&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. SaaS-experienced audit firms
```
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:accounting_tax+audit+saas&limit=10
```
### C. M&A diligence
User: *"Tax advisor for our M&A — Series-B-stage tech company."*
```
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:accounting_tax+"m&a"+diligence+tech&limit=10
```
### D. Fractional CFO (indirect intent)
UserUse whenever the user wants to find, shortlist, vet, or enrich US AI/ML/data consulting firms (consultancies) — AI/ML development, MLOps, generative AI / LLM apps (RAG, chatbots, agents), computer vision, NLP, recommendation systems, data engineering, BI/analytics. Triggers on "find an AI/ML consulting firm to build our recommendation engine", "shortlist three RAG/LLM consultancies for an enterprise chatbot", "compare three AI/ML consulting firms with strong ratings", or "pull contact info for these 8 AI consultancy domains", even when described indirectly (we want to use AI for X, deploy ML to production). Drives the ServiceGraph API (api.servicegraph.co) — a 100k+ US firm catalog filterable by industry, services, location, size, ratings. Defer to find-software-developer for general app/backend work where AI is just a feature. Skip in-house ML/data hires, LLM/AI-tool comparisons (ChatGPT vs Claude), "how do I fine-tune X" DIY questions, AI courses for individuals, non-US firms, individual freelancers.
Use whenever the user wants to find, rank, or shortlist directories and listing sites where they can submit an AI product — an AI tool, AI app, AI agent, or agent skill / plugin — to get backlinks, referral traffic, and discovery. Triggers on "where can I list my AI tool", "directories to submit my AI agent", "agent-skills directories", "best AI tool directories for backlinks", "where do I get my GPT/Claude app discovered", or "pull submission details for these AI-directory domains", even when described indirectly (we built an AI agent, where do we get it in front of people). Drives the ServiceGraph API (api.servicegraph.co) — a catalog of 1,000+ product directories enriched with Domain Rating, backlinks, and organic traffic. Defer to find-mcp-directories for MCP-server listings specifically, and to find-product-directories for general SaaS/software/app launches with no AI angle. Skip finding an AI consultancy/agency to hire (use find-ai-consultancy), comparing AI products ("ChatGPT vs Claude"), building an AI tool (do-the-work), and AI link-building *services*.
Use whenever the user wants to find, shortlist, vet, or enrich US cybersecurity firms — pen-testing/red team, security audits, vCISO, SOC 2 readiness, incident response, managed SOC, IAM, cloud security, and AppSec. Triggers on "find me a pen-testing firm for our SOC 2 audit", "shortlist three vCISO services for our healthcare-tech startup", "we need an incident response retainer", or "pull contact info for these 8 security firm domains", even when described indirectly (we got breached, prepare us for the compliance audit, get us SOC 2 ready). Drives the ServiceGraph API (api.servicegraph.co) — a 100k+ US firm catalog filterable by industry, services, location, size, ratings. Skip in-house security hires, "how do I patch CVE-X" or "configure firewall Y" DIY questions, security-product reviews (CrowdStrike vs SentinelOne, etc.), generic security knowledge questions, consumer/personal security advice, non-US firms, individual freelancers and bug-bounty hunters.
Use whenever the user wants to find, shortlist, vet, or enrich US design and creative agencies — graphic design, UX/UI, product design, brand identity, packaging, illustration, motion design, and creative direction. Triggers on "find me a UX/UI design agency for our SaaS product", "shortlist three brand-identity studios in NY", "packaging design firm for a CPG launch", or "pull contact info for these 10 design studio domains", even when described indirectly (brand refresh, design our app, build our visual system). Drives the ServiceGraph API (api.servicegraph.co) — a 100k+ US firm catalog filterable by industry, services, location, size, ratings. Defer to find-marketing-agency for marketing-led engagements where design is one of several services. Defer to find-web-developer when the deliverable is a built website. Skip in-house designer hires, "design me a logo" DIY asks, design-software comparisons, consumer/personal-design (weddings, hobby projects), non-US firms, individual freelancers.
Use whenever the user wants to find, shortlist, vet, or enrich US engineering firms — civil, structural, MEP, mechanical, electrical, geotechnical, transportation, environmental, and manufacturing. **For real-world engineering (buildings, infrastructure, manufacturing) — NOT software engineering.** Triggers on "find civil engineering firms in Florida for transportation", "shortlist three structural engineering firms with high-rise experience", "MEP consultancy for a hospital project", or "pull contact info for these 12 engineering firm domains", even when described indirectly (PE-stamped drawings, building-permit review). Drives the ServiceGraph API (api.servicegraph.co) — a 100k+ US firm catalog filterable by industry, services, location, size, ratings. Defer software-dev / "engineering team" / SaaS-architecture asks to find-software-developer. Skip in-house engineering-manager hires, DIY questions, software-product comparisons (Revit, AutoCAD), non-US firms, individual freelancers.
Use whenever the user wants to find, shortlist, vet, or enrich US B2B law firms — corporate, IP/patent, M&A and securities, employment, commercial litigation, regulatory/compliance, data privacy/cyber, real estate, and tax. Triggers on "find three boutique IP law firms in California", "shortlist M&A counsel for a Series-B fundraise", "patent prosecution for our hardware startup", or "pull contact info for these 10 law firm domains", even when described indirectly (outside counsel, cap-table review, GDPR/SOC2 oversight). Drives the ServiceGraph API (api.servicegraph.co) — a 100k+ US firm catalog filterable by industry, services, location, size, ratings. Skip personal/consumer legal services where the user is the end client (divorce, personal injury, criminal defense, family law, estate planning, wills) — the catalog is B2B-only. Also skip in-house GC hires, "is this NDA enforceable" DIY questions, non-US firms, individual freelancers.
Use whenever the user wants to find, shortlist, vet, or enrich US management consultancies — strategy, operations, executive coaching, leadership development, org-development/change management, PMO/program management, sales/revenue operations consulting. Triggers on "find me three top strategy consultancies in California", "shortlist boutique ops-consulting firms with healthcare experience", "we need an executive coach for our new CEO", or "pull contact info for these 10 consulting firm domains", even when described indirectly (post-merger integration help, change-management partner, fractional COO). Drives the ServiceGraph API (api.servicegraph.co) — a 100k+ US firm catalog filterable by industry, services, location, size, ratings. Skip in-house strategy hires, "help me build a strategy" do-the-work asks, framework comparisons (Lean vs Agile, BCG matrix, etc.), academic/MBA-program questions, life/career coaching for individuals, non-US firms, individual freelancers.
Use whenever the user wants to find, shortlist, vet, or enrich US marketing agencies — including branding, content marketing, PPC/paid media, social media, email marketing, performance/demand-gen, video production, and full-service digital agencies. Triggers on requests like "shortlist three B2B branding agencies in California", "find a PPC shop with ecommerce experience", "we need a content marketing partner for a SaaS launch", or "pull contact info for these 12 agency domains", even when the need is described indirectly. Drives the ServiceGraph API (api.servicegraph.co) — a 100k+ US firm catalog filterable by industry, services, location, size, ratings, and third-party listings. Skip SEO-only asks (use find-seo-agency), web/software-development asks (use find-web-developer or find-software-developer), recruiting an in-house marketing hire, "write me a marketing plan" do-the-work asks, non-US firms, individual freelancers, marketing-software-product recommendations, and consumer/personal-brand asks.