# Shovels (npm · @pipeworx/mcp-shovels)

Shovels MCP — wraps the Shovels.ai API (shovels.ai)

- Trust score: 81/100 (high trust)
- Change this week: +3
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-11-05

## Components

- remote · `gateway.pipeworx.io`: 77/100, [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-shovels/shovels-mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-shovels/shovels-mcp)
- npm · `@pipeworx/mcp-shovels`: 81/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-shovels/pipeworx-mcp-shovels.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-shovels/pipeworx-mcp-shovels)

## Channel facts

- Registry: `npm`
- Package: `@pipeworx/mcp-shovels`
- Version: `0.2.1`
- Transport: `stdio`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically from public evidence about the published package, including repeated runs of it in an isolated sandbox, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog)

Scored 2026-11-05.

- **Supply Chain Security**: 100/100
  - No malware found by supply-chain analysis.
  - No known CVEs affecting this package version or its production dependencies.
  - No install/post-install scripts declared.
  - No production dependencies, so there is no dependency health to assess.
- **Provenance & Transparency**: 97/100
  - Source repository is publicly reachable at the declared URL.
  - Cryptographically verified build provenance (signed, bound to pipeworx-io/mcp-shovels).
  - Clear OSI-approved license (MIT).
  - Actively maintained (last published 0 days ago).
  - Disclosure check failed: no security disclosure policy was found in the source repository.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 58/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (good).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 1134 tokens (~378/item across 3 items; 3 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 23/100
  - Stability observed for 7 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 100/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 100% of tool parameters carry a description.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 3 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 4 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28.

## Install

### How do I install the Shovels MCP server?

Shovels runs locally as an npm package, launched with npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-shovels. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add pipeworx-io-shovels -- npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-shovels
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx-io-shovels": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-shovels"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "pipeworx-io-shovels": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-shovels"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```bash
codex mcp add pipeworx-io-shovels -- npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-shovels
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "pipeworx-io-shovels": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": [
        "npx",
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-shovels"
      ],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add pipeworx-io-shovels --command npx --arg -y --arg @pipeworx/mcp-shovels
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  pipeworx-io-shovels:
    command: "npx"
    args: ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-shovels"]
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "pipeworx-io-shovels": {
      "Transport": "stdio",
      "Command": "npx",
      "Arguments": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-shovels"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add pipeworx-io-shovels -t stdio -c npx -a -y @pipeworx/mcp-shovels
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx-io-shovels": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-shovels"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## Changelog

Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims.

### 2026-11-05 (score 81, 0)

- [functional] Package version: 0.2.0 → 0.2.1

### 2026-11-04 (score 81, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 17 to 20. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 5 days of observed history at the previous scan, 6 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-11-02 (score 80, +1)

- [functional regression] Security disclosure: unverified → fail

### 2026-11-01 (score 79, 0)

- [functional regression] Security disclosure: fail → unverified

### 2026-10-31 (score 79, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 3 to 7. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 1 days of observed history at the previous scan, 2 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-30 (score 78, 0)

- [functional regression] Security disclosure: unverified → fail

### 2026-10-29 (score 78)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (3)

### `shovels_address_search` (~191 tokens)

Resolve a US address to Shovels records, each carrying a `geo_id` — the geolocation ID you pass to shovels_permits_search / shovels_contractors_search to scope those queries. Results are ordered by relevance in USPS notation. Example: shovels_address_search({ q: "1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC", _apiKey: "your-key" })

Input parameters:

- `_apiKey` (string, required): Shovels API key (X-API-Key). Sign up at https://app.shovels.ai/create-account/
- `cursor` (string): Pagination cursor from a previous response `next_cursor`.
- `q` (string, required): The text to search for in address fields, e.g. "123 Main St, Austin TX" or a partial address.
- `size` (number): Number of results to return (1-100, default 50).

### `shovels_permits_search` (~443 tokens)

Search US building permits scoped to a location. Requires a `geo_id` (a US state code like "CA", a ZIP code, or a Shovels geo_id from shovels_address_search) plus a permit date range (permit_from / permit_to, YYYY-MM-DD). Monetary values (job_value, fees, market value) are returned in both cents and dollars. Example: shovels_permits_search({ geo_id: "CA", permit_from: "2024-01-01", permit_to: "2024-12-31", property_type: "residential", _apiKey: "your-key" })

Input parameters:

- `_apiKey` (string, required): Shovels API key (X-API-Key). Sign up at https://app.shovels.ai/create-account/
- `contractor_name` (string): Filter permits by contractor name (partial match, min 3 chars).
- `cursor` (string): Pagination cursor from a previous response `next_cursor`.
- `geo_id` (string, required): Location scope: a US state code ("CA"), a ZIP code ("94103"), or a Shovels geo_id from shovels_address_search.
- `include_count` (boolean): Include an approximate total_count on the first page (default false).
- `permit_from` (string, required): Return permits that started on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD).
- `permit_min_job_value` (number): Minimum permit job value, in CENTS (dollars × 100).
- `permit_q` (string): Free-text search over permit descriptions (max 50 chars).
- `permit_status` (array): Filter by status: final, in_review, inactive, active.
- `permit_tags` (array): Filter by work-type tags (e.g. ["solar","roofing"]). Prefix a tag with "-" to exclude it.
- `permit_to` (string, required): Return permits that started on or before this date (YYYY-MM-DD).
- `property_type` (string): Filter by property type: residential, commercial, industrial, etc.
- `size` (number): Results per page (1-100, default 50).

### `shovels_contractors_search` (~446 tokens)

Search US construction contractors scoped to a location, with license, work history and aggregate job value. Requires a `geo_id` (state code, ZIP, or Shovels geo_id from shovels_address_search) plus a permit date range (permit_from / permit_to, YYYY-MM-DD). Job-value fields are returned in both cents and dollars. Example: shovels_contractors_search({ geo_id: "94103", permit_from: "2023-01-01", permit_to: "2024-12-31", contractor_name: "solar", _apiKey: "your-key" })

Input parameters:

- `_apiKey` (string, required): Shovels API key (X-API-Key). Sign up at https://app.shovels.ai/create-account/
- `contractor_classification_derived` (array): Filter by derived contractor classification/specialty. Prefix with "-" to exclude.
- `contractor_license` (string): Filter by contractor license number.
- `contractor_min_total_job_value` (number): Minimum total job value across the contractor’s permits, in CENTS.
- `contractor_min_total_permits_count` (number): Minimum number of permits the contractor has.
- `contractor_name` (string): Filter by contractor name (partial match, min 3 chars).
- `cursor` (string): Pagination cursor from a previous response `next_cursor`.
- `geo_id` (string, required): Location scope: a US state code ("CA"), a ZIP code ("94103"), or a Shovels geo_id from shovels_address_search.
- `include_count` (boolean): Include an approximate total_count on the first page (default false).
- `permit_from` (string, required): Consider permits that started on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD).
- `permit_tags` (array): Filter by work-type tags of the contractor’s permits. Prefix "-" to exclude.
- `permit_to` (string, required): Consider permits that started on or before this date (YYYY-MM-DD).
- `property_type` (string): Filter by property type: residential, commercial, industrial, etc.
- `size` (number): Results per page (1-100, default 50).

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: Provenance, Dependencies. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-shovels/pipeworx-mcp-shovels#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-11-05: 81
- 2026-11-04: 81
- 2026-11-03: 80
- 2026-11-02: 80
- 2026-11-01: 79
- 2026-10-31: 79
- 2026-10-30: 78
- 2026-10-29: 78

## Common questions

### What is the Shovels MCP server?

Shovels is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.pipeworx-io/shovels. Shovels MCP, wraps the Shovels.ai API (shovels.ai). This page covers its npm package (@pipeworx/mcp-shovels).

### Is the Shovels MCP server safe to use?

Shovels scores 81 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. We found no known CVEs affecting it as of 5 November 2026. It declares no install or post-install scripts. Its build provenance is signed and verified. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.

### What tools does the Shovels MCP server expose?

Shovels exposes 3 tools: shovels_address_search, shovels_permits_search, shovels_contractors_search. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 1,080 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Is the Shovels MCP server still maintained?

Shovels is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 5 November 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

### What licence is the Shovels MCP server under?

Shovels declares the MIT licence, which is OSI-approved. That covers the source only, and says nothing about the cost of any service it calls.

## Links

- npm package: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@pipeworx/mcp-shovels
- Socket report: https://socket.dev/npm/package/@pipeworx/mcp-shovels
- Repository: https://github.com/pipeworx-io/mcp-shovels
- Website: https://pipeworx.io/packs/shovels
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-shovels/pipeworx-mcp-shovels.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-shovels/pipeworx-mcp-shovels.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-shovels/pipeworx-mcp-shovels