Bring Building Permits
to VS Code Copilot
Create your Vinkius account to connect Shovels to VS Code Copilot 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 VS Code Copilot?
GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings Shovels data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 7 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.
- —
VS Code is used by over 70% of developers. adding MCP tools to Copilot means your team can leverage external data without leaving their primary editor
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Project-scoped MCP configs (
.vscode/mcp.json) let you commit server configurations to your repository, ensuring the entire team shares the same tool access - —
Copilot's Agent mode integrates MCP tools seamlessly with file editing, terminal commands, and workspace search in a single agentic loop
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GitHub's enterprise compliance and audit features extend to MCP tool usage, providing visibility into how AI interacts with external services
Shovels in VS Code Copilot
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 VS Code Copilot 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 VS Code Copilot
Every request between VS Code Copilot 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.
Which VS Code version supports MCP?
MCP support requires VS Code 1.99 or later with the GitHub Copilot extension. Ensure both are updated to the latest version. Older versions of Copilot may not expose the Agent mode toggle.
How do I switch to Agent mode?
Open the Copilot Chat panel and look for two mode options: "Ask" and "Agent". Click "Agent" to enable autonomous tool calling. In Ask mode, Copilot provides conversational answers but cannot invoke MCP tools.
Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?
Yes. VS Code shows a tool consent dialog before any MCP tool is invoked for the first time. You can also configure tool access policies at the organization level through GitHub Copilot settings.
Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?
Yes. MCP servers configured via .vscode/mcp.json work in Remote SSH, WSL, and GitHub Codespaces environments. The MCP connection is established from the remote host, so ensure the server URL is accessible from that environment.
MCP tools not available
Ensure you are in Agent mode in Copilot Chat. MCP tools only appear in Agent mode.
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