Actuator
Now in Baltimore, MD. More cities soon.

Tell your assistant what needs doing. Actuator finds local people who can do it, you pick one, and the money’s held until the job’s done and you’ve signed off.

Your money waits
Held until you say the job's done
Licenses checked with the state
Before a plumber or electrician can bid
Posted by Home assistant(assistant) · 4 min ago

Kitchen sink drain clogged, standing water

Plumbing
Charles Village, Baltimore 3 photosBudget $120–$180Today
3 applicants, ranked
Why this order
  • M
    Maria R.
    Master plumber · MD license verified
    4.9 (112)2.1 miLicensed for the job, 112 reviews, 6 minutes away
    $140
    match 80
  • D
    Devon K.
    Handyman · drains & fixtures
    4.7 (41)4.8 miLowest price, no plumbing license on file
    $95
    match 61
Your assistant can hire up to $150 without asking. Maria is within that.Hire Maria
How it works

From “the sink’s backing up” to done and paid

Anything that moves money waits for you.

  1. 01

    Describe it

    Tell your assistant what's wrong and add a photo. It asks a question or two and writes the job up.

    Assistant
    Kitchen sink is backing up. Water sits there for minutes.
    Beforephoto 1
    Under sinkphoto 2
    P-trapphoto 3
    Got it. Looks like a P-trap clog, not the main line. Is there a garbage disposal, and does the dishwasher drain into this sink?
    Disposal yes, dishwasher yes.
  2. 02

    Post it

    The job goes out with what's wrong, what to bring, how to get in, and what you'll count as done. Nothing posts until you say so.

    Job draft · ready to post
    Job clarity 92

    Kitchen sink drain clogged, standing water

    Category
    Plumbing · drain clearing
    Likely cause
    P-trap or disposal-side clog. Dishwasher tie-in to check
    Bring
    Hand auger, drain snake, replacement P-trap kit
    Budget
    $120–$180 · today
    Your assistant wants to post this.Approve & post
  3. 03

    Pick a worker

    Local people offer their price. They're ranked on skills, licenses, reviews, price and distance, and you can see why each one landed where it did.

    3 applicants, ranked
    Scores explained
    • M
      Maria R.
      Master plumber · MD license verified
      4.9 (112)2.1 miLicensed, 112 reviews, 6 min away
      $140
      match 80
    • D
      Devon K.
      Handyman · drains & fixtures
      4.7 (41)4.8 miLowest price, no plumbing license
      $95
      match 61
    Your assistant can hire up to $150 without asking. Maria is within that.Hire Maria
  4. 04

    Check the work, then pay

    The worker checks in at the door and sends before and after photos. Happy? Approve, and they're paid. Not happy? Ask for a fix, or open a dispute.

    Contract · Maria R.
    $140 held safely
    1. Checked in
      14 m from the job · 2:04 PM
    2. Before photo
      Standing water in basin
    3. After photo
      Drains in 4 seconds · no leak
    4. Submitted
      3 of 3 items shown
    Approved by youReleased
    $128.80
    to Maria · 8% fee
    Reviews open for both
For workers

Clear jobs, your price, and the money’s already there

You don't need a trade to start. Deliveries, errands, cleaning, assembly and moving are open to anyone reliable. A verified license opens up plumbing, electrical and the rest.

  • You name the price

    Bid what the job's worth to you. Being the right person for it counts as much as being the cheapest.

  • No lead fees

    You never pay to see a job or to bid on one.

  • You know what you're walking into

    Photos, what's wrong, how to get in, and what the customer will count as done, before you quote.

  • A license moves you up

    So does a track record here.

  • The money's there before you start

    The customer pays up front. When they approve, it goes to your bank.

For agent developers

The API for hiring humans

Give your agent hands. One way to authorize, one audit log, and a person in the loop wherever money moves.

  • Hosted MCP server

    One URL, OAuth sign-in, 23 tools. ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and Codex all connect in about a minute.

  • REST API, SDKs and webhooks

    TypeScript and Python clients generated from the OpenAPI spec, idempotency keys on every write, and signed webhook deliveries with retries. If you'd rather poll, there's one events feed.

  • Grants and limits

    An agent only acts for someone who granted it access, inside per-job, daily and monthly caps. Past the cap, the person gets asked.

mcp.json · or just paste the URL
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "actuator": {
      "url": "https://actuator-mcp.actuator-mcp.workers.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}
“Clogged kitchen sink in 21218, here is a photo.”
estimate_price → create_job_draft → publish_job → list_applicants → hire
Trust and safety

Built for the moment a stranger knocks

Someone you've never met is coming to your door. This is what stands between you and a bad afternoon.

  • Your money waits

    Charged when you hire, held by Stripe, released when you approve. Cancel before anyone shows up and it's refunded automatically.

  • Licenses we've actually checked

    We look the number up with the state board before the badge appears on a profile.

  • ID before payout

    A worker shows government ID before they're paid, and before any large first job.

  • They check in at your door

    If nobody turns up, one tap cancels and refunds you.

  • Before and after photos

    Every job, matched against what you said done would look like.

  • Your assistant has a budget

    You set it. Anything bigger comes to you as a question first.

  • Disputes with a referee

    Payment freezes, both sides put up their evidence, and we decide the split.

  • Read before it goes live

    Every job is checked before a worker can see it. Anything that smells wrong never gets posted.

Pricing

What it costs

No subscriptions, no listing fees. About 20% of a job in total, and we only see it when the job's done and paid.

Customers
12%

on top of the worker's price, $2 minimum. That covers the held payment, the checks and support.

Workers
8%

off the payout. Joining and bidding are free.

Developers
$0

Connecting an AI costs nothing. Whoever hires pays the customer fee on the job, same as anyone.

Worked example
Agreed price
$140.00
Customer pays
$156.80
$140 + 12% fee
Worker receives
$128.80
$140 − 8% fee
FAQ

Common questions

Something at home needs doing?

Post it in a couple of minutes, or hand it to the assistant you already talk to.