Bring Building Permits
to Cursor
Create your Vinkius account to connect Shovels to Cursor and start using all 7 AI tools in minutes. Fully managed, enterprise secure, and ready to use without writing a single line of code. No hosting, no server setup — just connect and start using.
GDPR Free for SubscribersCompatible with every major AI agent and IDE
Gemini
What is the 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.
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.
How it works
- Subscribe to this server
- Enter your Shovels.ai API Key
- Start managing your construction data from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client
Who is this for?
- Real Estate Developers — perform rapid due diligence on properties and track local development activity.
- Market Researchers — analyze construction trends and identify high-growth areas based on permit volumes.
- Homeowners & Propert Managers — verify contractor credentials and monitor work history in their neighborhood.
- SaaS Developers — integrate construction and permitting workflows into their applications through an AI-guided interface.
- Building Material Suppliers — identify active job sites and contractors to optimize sales outreach.
Built-in capabilities (7)
Get contractor details
Find contractors active at an address
Find contractor by license ID
Get permit details
Get permit activity statistics
Search for licensed contractors
Search for building permits
Why Cursor?
Cursor's Agent mode turns Shovels into an in-editor superpower. Ask Cursor to generate code using live data from Shovels and it fetches, processes, and writes. all in a single agentic loop. 7 tools appear alongside file editing and terminal access, creating a unified development environment grounded in real-time information.
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Agent mode turns Cursor into an autonomous coding assistant that can read files, run commands, and call MCP tools without switching context
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Cursor's Composer feature can generate entire files using real-time data fetched through MCP. no copy-pasting from external dashboards
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MCP tools appear alongside built-in tools like file reading and terminal access, creating a unified agentic environment
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VS Code extension compatibility means your existing workflow, keybindings, and extensions all work alongside MCP tools
Shovels in Cursor
Why run Shovels with Vinkius?
The Shovels connection runs on our fully managed, secure cloud infrastructure. We handle the hosting, maintenance, and security so you don't have to deal with servers or code. All 7 tools are ready to work instantly without any complex setup.
You stay in complete control of your data. Your AI only accesses the information you approve, keeping your sensitive passwords and private details completely safe. Plus, with automatic optimizations, your AI works faster and more efficiently.
* Every connection is hosted and maintained by Vinkius. We handle the security, updates, and infrastructure so you don't have to write code or manage servers. See our infrastructure
Over 4,000 integrations ready for AI agents
Explore a vast library of pre-built integrations, optimized and ready to deploy.
Connect securely in under 30 seconds
Generate tokens to authenticate and link external services in a single step.
Complete visibility into every agent action
Audit live requests, latency, success rates, and active security compliance policies.
Optimize spending and track token ROI
Analyze real-time token consumption and cost metrics detailed by connection.
Explore our live AI Agents Analytics dashboard to see it all working
This dashboard is included when you connect Shovels using Vinkius. You will never be left in the dark about what your AI agents are doing with your tools.
Shovels and 4,000+ other AI tools. No hosting, no code, ready to use.
Professionals who connect Shovels to Cursor through Vinkius don't need to write code, manage servers, or worry about security. Everything is pre-configured, secure, and runs automatically in the background.
Raw MCP | Vinkius | |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-to-use MCPs | Find and configure each manually | 4,000+ MCPs ready to use |
| Connection Setup | Manual coding & server setup | 1-click instant connection |
| Server Hosting | You host it yourself (needs 24/7 uptime) | 100% hosted & managed by Vinkius |
| Security & Privacy | Stored in plaintext config files | Bank-grade encrypted vault |
| Activity Visibility | Blind execution (no logs or tracking) | Live dashboard with real-time logs |
| Cost Control | Runaway AI token spend risk | Automatic budget limits |
| Revoking Access | Must delete files or code to stop | 1-click disconnect button |
How Vinkius secures
Shovels for Cursor
Every request between Cursor and Shovels is protected by our secure gateway. We automatically keep your sensitive data private, prevent unauthorized access, and let you disconnect instantly at any time.
Frequently asked questions
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.
What is Agent mode and why does it matter for MCP?
Agent mode is Cursor's autonomous execution mode where the AI can perform multi-step tasks: reading files, editing code, running terminal commands, and calling MCP tools. Without Agent mode, Cursor operates in a simpler ask-and-answer mode that doesn't support tool calling. Always ensure you're in Agent mode when working with MCP servers.
Where does Cursor store MCP configuration?
Cursor looks for MCP server configurations in a mcp.json file. You can configure servers at the project level (.cursor/mcp.json in your project root) or globally (~/.cursor/mcp.json). Project-level configs take precedence.
Can Cursor use MCP tools in inline edits?
No. MCP tools are only available in Agent mode through the chat panel. Inline completions and Tab suggestions do not trigger MCP tool calls. This is by design. tool calls require user visibility and approval.
How do I verify MCP tools are loaded?
Open Settings → Features → MCP and look for your server name. A green indicator means the server is connected. You can also check Agent mode's available tools by clicking the tools dropdown in the chat panel.
Tools not appearing in Cursor
Ensure you are in Agent mode (not Ask mode). MCP tools only work in Agent mode.
Server shows as disconnected
Check Settings → Features → MCP and verify the server status. Try clicking the refresh button.
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