How do I find solar contractors in a specific ZIP code?

Use the `search_contractors` tool and provide the ZIP code in the `geo_id` parameter and 'solar' in the `work_type` parameter. Your agent will return a list of matching professionals.

Can I see permit activity for a whole city?

Yes! Use the `get_permit_stats` tool with the city name or City/State combination in the `geo_id` parameter to retrieve aggregated construction data for that area.

How do I verify if a contractor has a valid license?

You can use the `get_contractor_by_license` tool with their state business license ID. The returned profile will include their current licensing status and specialty data.

Shovels MCP Server for LangChain 7 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

python.langchain.com/docs/integrations/tools/mcp

Built by Vinkius GDPR 7 Tools Framework

LangChain is the leading Python framework for composable LLM applications. Connect Shovels through Vinkius and LangChain agents can call every tool natively. combine them with retrievers, memory, and output parsers for sophisticated AI pipelines.

Get MCP Server for AI Agents

ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER

Open in ChatGPT Open in Claude Open in Perplexity

Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.

python

import asyncio
from langchain_mcp_adapters.client import MultiServerMCPClient
from langchain_openai import ChatOpenAI
from langgraph.prebuilt import create_react_agent

async def main():
    # Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
    async with MultiServerMCPClient({
        "shovels": {
            "transport": "streamable_http",
            "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp",
        }
    }) as client:
        tools = client.get_tools()
        agent = create_react_agent(
            ChatOpenAI(model="gpt-4o"),
            tools,
        )
        response = await agent.ainvoke({
            "messages": [{
                "role": "user",
                "content": "Using Shovels, show me what tools are available.",
            }]
        })
        print(response["messages"][-1].content)

asyncio.run(main())

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* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure

About Shovels MCP Server

Empower your AI agent to access the most comprehensive database of construction permits and licensed contractors with Shovels. By connecting Shovels to your agent, you transform complex real estate and construction auditing into a natural conversation. Your agent can instantly search for active permits, audit contractor history, and retrieve market statistics for specific geographic areas without you ever touching a dashboard. Whether you are analyzing market trends or verifying contractor credentials, your agent acts as a real-time construction data analyst, ensuring your insights are always structured and up-to-date.

LangChain's ecosystem of 500+ components combines seamlessly with Shovels through native MCP adapters. Connect 7 tools via Vinkius and use ReAct agents, Plan-and-Execute strategies, or custom agent architectures. with LangSmith tracing giving full visibility into every tool call, latency, and token cost.

What you can do

Contractor Discovery — Find licensed professionals based on location, work type (solar, roofing, etc.), and property type.
Permit Auditing — Search for and inspect detailed building permit records, including status and estimated values.
Activity Tracking — Identify contractors actively working within a specific radius of any address.
Market Intelligence — Retrieve aggregated permit statistics to analyze construction trends in different cities or counties.
License Verification — Instantly pull contractor profiles using their state business license IDs.

The Shovels MCP Server exposes 7 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to LangChain in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.

How to Connect Shovels to LangChain via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the Shovels MCP Server with LangChain.

Install dependencies

Run pip install langchain langchain-mcp-adapters langgraph langchain-openai

Replace the token

Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your Vinkius token

Run the agent

Save the code and run python agent.py

Explore tools

The agent discovers 7 tools from Shovels via MCP

Why Use LangChain with the Shovels MCP Server

LangChain provides unique advantages when paired with Shovels through the Model Context Protocol.

The largest ecosystem of integrations, chains, and agents. combine Shovels MCP tools with 500+ LangChain components

Agent architecture supports ReAct, Plan-and-Execute, and custom strategies with full MCP tool access at every step

LangSmith tracing gives you complete visibility into tool calls, latencies, and token usage for production debugging

Memory and conversation persistence let agents maintain context across Shovels queries for multi-turn workflows

Shovels + LangChain Use Cases

Practical scenarios where LangChain combined with the Shovels MCP Server delivers measurable value.

RAG with live data: combine Shovels tool results with vector store retrievals for answers grounded in both real-time and historical data

Autonomous research agents: LangChain agents query Shovels, synthesize findings, and generate comprehensive research reports

Multi-tool orchestration: chain Shovels tools with web scrapers, databases, and calculators in a single agent run

Production monitoring: use LangSmith to trace every Shovels tool call, measure latency, and optimize your agent's performance

Shovels MCP Tools for LangChain (7)

These 7 tools become available when you connect Shovels to LangChain via MCP:

get_contractor

Get contractor details

get_contractor_activity

Find contractors active at an address

get_contractor_by_license

Find contractor by license ID

get_permit

Get permit details

get_permit_stats

Get permit activity statistics

search_contractors

Search for licensed contractors

search_permits

Search for building permits

Example Prompts for Shovels in LangChain

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your LangChain agent to start working with Shovels immediately.

"Search for roofing contractors in ZIP 94105."

"Show me permit stats for Austin, TX."

"Find contractors active near 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View."

Troubleshooting Shovels MCP Server with LangChain

Common issues when connecting Shovels to LangChain through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

MultiServerMCPClient not found

Install: pip install langchain-mcp-adapters

Shovels + LangChain FAQ

Common questions about integrating Shovels MCP Server with LangChain.

How does LangChain connect to MCP servers?

Use langchain-mcp-adapters to create an MCP client. LangChain discovers all tools and wraps them as native LangChain tools compatible with any agent type.

Which LangChain agent types work with MCP?

All agent types including ReAct, OpenAI Functions, and custom agents work with MCP tools. The tools appear as standard LangChain tools after the adapter wraps them.