Integration

Shovels integration

Shovels is a US building-permit and contractor dataset covering about 2,000 jurisdictions (about 85% of the US population). Search permits by place, date, tag (solar, roofing, HVAC...), status and value, look up permits, contractors, properties and planning decisions by id, read monthly and current permit metrics for addresses, cities, counties, jurisdictions and contractors, and resolve addresses, cities, counties, ZIP codes and states to the geo ids the searches take. Every record returned costs one credit (the Free plan includes 500 credits a month). Left out: the residents-of-an-address and contractor-employees routes, which return private individuals' contact and demographic data. Authentication is an API key sent in the X-API-Key header.

Connect Shovels How integrations work

Ask it in chat

Say what should happen.
The workflow builds itself.

When this happens, do that in Shovels.Built from the 32 Shovels tools below, on the connection you add once.

What you can do with Shovels

Each of these is one operation on one endpoint, available both as a workflow step and as a tool an AI agent can call on its own. Nothing bundles several operations into one action, so what a run did stays readable afterwards.

Each badge shows the default agent permission of an endpoint (allowed: an agent calls it without asking; ask first: you are asked before an agent calls it, when the agent or chat asks permission for sensitive actions; never: no agent may call it), which every user can change endpoint by endpoint in their credential settings.

Most endpoints run on the free plan. A few, mainly the ones that publish on your behalf, need a paid plan.

Permit, 3 operations

get_permitsGet permitsGETAgents: ask firstReturns permits by id (up to 50 ids per call), with property, address, contractor id and dates. Each record returned costs one credit.
list_contractor_permitsList contractor permitsGETAgents: ask firstLists the permits pulled by one contractor, page by page via next_cursor. Each record returned costs one credit.
search_permitsSearch permitsGETAgents: ask firstSearches building permits in one area (geo_id) and date window, filtered by tags, status, values, property and contractor; every filter must match. Paginate with next_cursor. Each record returned costs one credit.

Address metric, 2 operations

get_address_current_metricsGet address current metricsGETAgents: ask firstReturns current permit metrics for one address and tag: permit and contractor counts, active and in-review permits, job value, approval and construction durations, inspection pass rate. Each record returned costs one credit.
list_address_monthly_metricsList address monthly metricsGETAgents: ask firstLists monthly permit metrics for one address and tag between two dates: permit and contractor counts, job value, durations, inspection pass rate. Each record returned costs one credit.

City, 2 operations

get_cityGet cityGETAgents: ask firstReturns one city by geo id with its state and the related counties, jurisdictions and ZIP codes (name to geo id maps, and a ZIP code list). Get the geo id from search_cities.
search_citiesSearch citiesGETAgents: ask firstFinds cities by name and returns their geo_id, name and state, the id the permit, contractor and metric tools take.

City metric, 2 operations

get_city_current_metricsGet city current metricsGETAgents: ask firstReturns current permit metrics for one city and tag and property type: permit and contractor counts, active and in-review permits, job value, approval and construction durations, inspection pass rate. Each record returned costs one credit.
list_city_monthly_metricsList city monthly metricsGETAgents: ask firstLists monthly permit metrics for one city and tag and property type between two dates: permit and contractor counts, job value, durations, inspection pass rate. Each record returned costs one credit.

Contractor, 2 operations

get_contractorsGet contractorsGETAgents: ask firstReturns contractors by id (up to 50 ids per call), with license, business and contact details and lifetime permit statistics. Each record returned costs one credit.
search_contractorsSearch contractorsGETAgents: ask firstSearches contractors who pulled permits in one area (geo_id) and date window, filtered by tags, permit, property and contractor criteria. Paginate with next_cursor. Each record returned costs one credit.

County, 2 operations

get_countyGet countyGETAgents: ask firstReturns one county by geo id with its state and the related cities, jurisdictions and ZIP codes (name to geo id maps, and a ZIP code list). Get the geo id from search_counties.
search_countiesSearch countiesGETAgents: ask firstFinds counties by name and returns their geo_id, name and state, the id the permit, contractor and metric tools take.

County metric, 2 operations

get_county_current_metricsGet county current metricsGETAgents: ask firstReturns current permit metrics for one county and tag and property type: permit and contractor counts, active and in-review permits, job value, approval and construction durations, inspection pass rate. Each record returned costs one credit.
list_county_monthly_metricsList county monthly metricsGETAgents: ask firstLists monthly permit metrics for one county and tag and property type between two dates: permit and contractor counts, job value, durations, inspection pass rate. Each record returned costs one credit.

Decision, 2 operations

get_decisionsGet decisionsGETAgents: ask firstReturns zoning and land-use decisions by id (up to 50 ids per call); unknown ids are left out of the answer, with no error. Each record returned costs one credit.
search_decisionsSearch decisionsGETAgents: ask firstSearches zoning and land-use decisions (rezonings, variances...) in one area and decision-date window, with applicant, owner and developer names. ZIP codes are not accepted as the area. Each record returned costs one credit.

Jurisdiction, 2 operations

get_jurisdictionGet jurisdictionGETAgents: ask firstReturns one jurisdiction by geo id with its state and the related cities, counties and ZIP codes (name to geo id maps, and a ZIP code list). Get the geo id from search_jurisdictions.
search_jurisdictionsSearch jurisdictionsGETAgents: ask firstFinds permitting jurisdictions by name and returns their geo_id, name and state, the id the permit, contractor and metric tools take.

Jurisdiction metric, 2 operations

get_jurisdiction_current_metricsGet jurisdiction current metricsGETAgents: ask firstReturns current permit metrics for one jurisdiction and tag and property type: permit and contractor counts, active and in-review permits, job value, approval and construction durations, inspection pass rate. Each record returned costs one credit.
list_jurisdiction_monthly_metricsList jurisdiction monthly metricsGETAgents: ask firstLists monthly permit metrics for one jurisdiction and tag and property type between two dates: permit and contractor counts, job value, durations, inspection pass rate. Each record returned costs one credit.

Property, 2 operations

get_propertiesGet propertiesGETAgents: ask firstBeta: returns properties by address geo id (up to 50, in request order; unknown ids left out): permit history summary, tags, assessed value, building facts and legal owner. Each record returned costs one credit.
search_propertiesSearch propertiesGETAgents: ask firstBeta: searches properties in an area and/or by legal owner, filtered by permit tags, statuses, unfinished permits, property type and value, size, units and year built. Each record returned costs one credit.

Zip code, 2 operations

list_zip_codesList zip codesGETAgents: ask firstLists every ZIP code that has permit and contractor data, page by page via next_cursor. Each record returned costs one credit.
search_zip_codesSearch zip codesGETAgents: ask firstFinds ZIP codes (five digits, with an optional +4 extension) matching the search text and returns each with its state; the ZIP is itself the geo_id other tools take.

Address, 1 operation

search_addressesSearch addressesGETAgents: ask firstFinds US addresses by street number, street, city, state or ZIP (prefix, full-text and fuzzy matching) and returns their geo_id for the permit, property and metric tools.

Contractor metric, 1 operation

list_contractor_monthly_metricsList contractor monthly metricsGETAgents: ask firstLists one contractor's monthly metrics (permit count, job values, construction duration, inspection pass rate) for a property type, optionally one tag, between two dates. Each record returned costs one credit.

Credit usage, 1 operation

get_credit_usageGet credit usageGETAgents: ask firstReturns the account's credit use over the rolling 30-day window: credits used, limit (null when unlimited), whether it is over the limit, when credits free up, and daily usage.

Data coverage, 1 operation

get_data_coverageGet data coverageGETAgents: ask firstReturns which permit fields are partly or mostly missing for an area and date window (fill rate below 80%), with fill rate and permit total. Fields filled at 80% or more are left out.

Data release, 1 operation

get_data_release_dateGet data release dateGETAgents: ask firstReturns the release date of the dataset the API currently serves.

Permit tag, 1 operation

list_permit_tagsList permit tagsGETAgents: ask firstLists every permit tag (id and description), the values permit_tags and tag filters take. Each record returned costs one credit.

State, 1 operation

search_statesSearch statesGETAgents: ask firstFinds US states by abbreviation or name (exact abbreviation matches first, then exact names, then others) and returns their two-letter code, the geo_id other tools take.

Use Shovels from Claude Code, Cursor or Codex

Connect Shovels in LiveContext, create an API key in Settings, then add the LiveContext MCP server to your client. Its Shovels operations become tools the client can call, next to every other integration you connected.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http livecontext https://livecontext.ai/mcp --header "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Codex (~/.codex/config.toml)

[mcp_servers.livecontext]
url = "https://livecontext.ai/mcp"

[mcp_servers.livecontext.http_headers]
"X-API-Key" = "YOUR_API_KEY"

Cursor, Claude Desktop and other JSON configs

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "livecontext": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://livecontext.ai/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Set up the MCP server step by step

How to connect Shovels

Create your workspace
Sign up free. Nothing to install.
Connect Shovels once
Add your Shovels connection in Settings. Every tool from this integration reuses it, and secrets are encrypted at rest and visible only to you.
Describe the job in chat
The workflow builds itself in front of you and picks the endpoints it needs. Drag the steps yourself on the canvas whenever you would rather be explicit.