NSW Planning Data (x402)

Search NSW development applications by council, suburb, postcode or lodgement date, newest lodgement first.

nsw_da_search_applications

Read-onlyIdempotent

Search NSW development applications by council, suburb, postcode or lodgement date, newest lodgement first. Returns up to 100 development applications per call with address, status, cost, dwellings, storeys and development types, plus has_more for paging with offset. status, application_type, development_type and min_cost must be combined with council, suburb or postcode. Use get_application for the full record of a result. Costs $0.01 per call, paid via x402 in USDC on Base; the first 3 paid-tool calls per day are free for MCP clients while a shared daily allowance lasts. Without x402 support, later calls return the payment requirements as an error result. Failed calls are not charged. Source: NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (NSW Planning Portal), CC BY 4.0.

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "nsw_da_search_applications"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`limit`	No	Page size, 1-100 (default 20)
`offset`	No	Number of results to skip, 0-1000 (default 0)
`status`	No	Application status, exact and case-sensitive; valid values are the keys of by_status in nsw_da_get_summary (e.g. Determined)
`suburb`	No	Suburb of the primary address, case-insensitive (e.g. ERMINGTON)
`council`	No	Council name or part of it, case-insensitive; matches every council whose name contains it. Full names are in by_council of nsw_da_get_summary (e.g. Parramatta)
`min_cost`	No	Minimum estimated cost of development in AUD (e.g. 1000000)
`postcode`	No	4-digit postcode of the primary address (e.g. 2115)
`lodged_to`	No	Lodgement date upper bound, yyyy-mm-dd (e.g. 2026-06-30)
`lodged_from`	No	Lodgement date lower bound, yyyy-mm-dd (e.g. 2026-01-01)
`application_type`	No	Application type, exact and case-sensitive; valid values are the keys of by_application_type in nsw_da_get_summary (e.g. Development Application)
`development_type`	No	Development type, partial match (e.g. dwelling)

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`data`	No	Result: a list of applications for search and nearby tools, one record or summary object otherwise
`meta`	Yes	Paging and query details, e.g. limit, offset, has_more, count
`attribution`	Yes	Source attribution; keep it when presenting the data

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed3 schema fields changedOct 29, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / application_type / description

Previous value: -"Application type, exact match (e.g. Development Application)"New value: +"Application type, exact and case-sensitive; valid values are the keys of by_application_type in nsw_da_get_summary (e.g. Development Application)"

changedInput schema / properties / council / description

Previous value: -"Council name, partial case-insensitive match (see by_council in /summary) (e.g. Parramatta)"New value: +"Council name or part of it, case-insensitive; matches every council whose name contains it. Full names are in by_council of nsw_da_get_summary (e.g. Parramatta)"

changedInput schema / properties / status / description

Previous value: -"Application status, exact match (e.g. Determined)"New value: +"Application status, exact and case-sensitive; valid values are the keys of by_status in nsw_da_get_summary (e.g. Determined)"

Changed1 schema field changedOct 5, 2026

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "properties": {
+    "attribution": {
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "description": "Source attribution; keep it when presenting the data",
+      "properties": {
+        "licence": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "licenceUrl": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "publisher": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "text": {
+          "description": "Attribution text to show alongside the data",
+          "type": "string"
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "publisher",
+        "licence",
+        "licenceUrl",
+        "text"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "data": {
+      "description": "Result: a list of applications for search and nearby tools, one record or summary object otherwise"
+    },
+    "meta": {
+      "additionalProperties": {},
+      "description": "Paging and query details, e.g. limit, offset, has_more, count",
+      "type": "object"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "meta",
+    "attribution"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

First observedOct 4, 2026

TDQS

A4.6/5.0

Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already cover read-only/idempotent safety, but the description goes well beyond: cost ($0.01/call), x402 USDC payment, the first 3 free calls per day under a shared allowance, the specific error behavior when payment is unsupported, and that failed calls aren't charged. That is exactly the operational context an agent cannot get from structured fields.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Front-loaded with purpose, then output, then constraints, then commercial/provenance notes. Dense but every sentence carries information; the payment and licensing sentences are long yet necessary for correct invocation.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

With an output schema present and 11 fully documented parameters, this description fills the remaining gaps: result cap, paging contract, filter-combination rule, cost model, and data source/provenance. Nothing material for a correct, billable call is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so per-parameter meaning is already handled. The description still adds cross-parameter semantics the schema cannot express: that four filters are only valid in combination with a location filter, and that results page via has_more plus offset.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource (search NSW development applications) plus the filter dimensions and ordering ('newest lodgement first'), and enumerates the returned fields. An agent can distinguish it from nsw_da_get_application and nsw_da_search_nearby_applications without opening a schema.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explicitly routes the agent to get_application for full records and states the constraint that status, application_type, development_type and min_cost must be combined with council/suburb/postcode. It never contrasts itself with the nearby-search sibling, so the sibling choice is left partly to inference.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

All NSW Planning Data (x402) tools Inspect

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