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 OpenAI Agents SDK 7 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

openai.github.io/openai-agents-python/mcp

Built by Vinkius GDPR 7 Tools SDK

The OpenAI Agents SDK enables production-grade agent workflows in Python. Connect Shovels through Vinkius and your agents gain typed, auto-discovered tools with built-in guardrails. no manual schema definitions required.

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 agents import Agent, Runner
from agents.mcp import MCPServerStreamableHttp

async def main():
    # Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
    async with MCPServerStreamableHttp(
        url="https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    ) as mcp_server:

        agent = Agent(
            name="Shovels Assistant",
            instructions=(
                "You help users interact with Shovels. "
                "You have access to 7 tools."
            ),
            mcp_servers=[mcp_server],
        )

        result = await Runner.run(
            agent, "List all available tools from Shovels"
        )
        print(result.final_output)

asyncio.run(main())

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Stream every event to Splunk, Datadog, or your own webhook in real-time

* 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.

The OpenAI Agents SDK auto-discovers all 7 tools from Shovels through native MCP integration. Build agents with built-in guardrails, tracing, and handoff patterns. chain multiple agents where one queries Shovels, another analyzes results, and a third generates reports, all orchestrated through Vinkius.

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 OpenAI Agents SDK 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 OpenAI Agents SDK via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the Shovels MCP Server with OpenAI Agents SDK.

Install the SDK

Run pip install openai-agents in your Python environment

Replace the token

Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your Vinkius token from cloud.vinkius.com

Run the script

Save the code above and run it: python agent.py

Explore tools

The agent will automatically discover 7 tools from Shovels

Why Use OpenAI Agents SDK with the Shovels MCP Server

OpenAI Agents SDK provides unique advantages when paired with Shovels through the Model Context Protocol.

Native MCP integration via `MCPServerSse`, pass the URL and the SDK auto-discovers all tools with full type safety

Built-in guardrails, tracing, and handoff patterns let you build production-grade agents without reinventing safety infrastructure

Lightweight and composable: chain multiple agents and MCP servers in a single pipeline with minimal boilerplate

First-party OpenAI support ensures optimal compatibility with GPT models for tool calling and structured output

Shovels + OpenAI Agents SDK Use Cases

Practical scenarios where OpenAI Agents SDK combined with the Shovels MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Automated workflows: build agents that query Shovels, process the data, and trigger follow-up actions autonomously

Multi-agent orchestration: create specialist agents. one queries Shovels, another analyzes results, a third generates reports

Data enrichment pipelines: stream data through Shovels tools and transform it with OpenAI models in a single async loop

Customer support bots: agents query Shovels to resolve tickets, look up records, and update statuses without human intervention

Shovels MCP Tools for OpenAI Agents SDK (7)

These 7 tools become available when you connect Shovels to OpenAI Agents SDK 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 OpenAI Agents SDK

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your OpenAI Agents SDK 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 OpenAI Agents SDK

Common issues when connecting Shovels to OpenAI Agents SDK through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

MCPServerStreamableHttp not found

Ensure you have the latest version: pip install --upgrade openai-agents

Agent not calling tools

Make sure your prompt explicitly references the task the tools can help with.

Shovels + OpenAI Agents SDK FAQ

Common questions about integrating Shovels MCP Server with OpenAI Agents SDK.

How does the OpenAI Agents SDK connect to MCP?

Use MCPServerSse(url=...) to create a server connection. The SDK auto-discovers all tools and makes them available to your agent with full type information.