# whitetape

Permit data for AI assistants. Nationwide government-issued building permits as clean rows in one schema. Search free. The first ten rows a month are free with nothing asked. After that 7 cents a row, paid per call by wallet (x402, USDC on Base). No account, no key, no signup. Rows carry the permit, the property, and the contractor, never the homeowner.

```
pip install whitetape
```

```python
from whitetape import search, count, permits

search("annapolis")                                   # free: the areas held, with row counts
count(state="MD", trade="roofing")                    # free: {"count": 412, "price": 12.36, "price_per_row": 0.07}
rows = permits(state="MD", trade="roofing", since=0)  # the first ten are free
rows["rows"][0]["contractor_name"]                    # the builder who pulled it
```

Daily, with no row twice:

```python
from whitetape import rows_since
cursor = 0                        # keep the last cursor between runs
for row, cursor in rows_since(state="MD", trade="roofing", cursor=cursor):
    ...
```

## Paying for more than ten

By card, once: buy a prepaid link at https://whitetape.io/credit/ ($20 is 400 rows) and put its token in the environment. No account.

```
export WHITETAPE_CREDIT=wt_…
```

By wallet, per call:

```
pip install "whitetape[pay]"
export WHITETAPE_WALLET_KEY=<the private key of a Base wallet holding USDC>
export WHITETAPE_MAX_USD=5        # the most one call may spend; default 5
```

The payment happens inside the call. The 402 door, for a program with no library: https://whitetape.io/402/

## As an MCP server for Claude

```
pip install "whitetape[mcp]"
```

```json
{"mcpServers": {"whitetape": {"command": "whitetape-mcp"}}}
```

Three tools: `search`, `count`, `permits`. Add `WHITETAPE_WALLET_KEY` to its env for paid rows.

## Command line

```
whitetape search annapolis
whitetape count --state MD --trade roofing
whitetape rows --state MD --trade roofing --since 0
```

## The schema

https://whitetape.io/schema.json. Trades: roofing, hvac, plumbing, electrical, solar, pool, fence, demolition, new_construction, remodel, windows_doors, garage_adu, fire.

Built and used by Monarc Build for its home-services clients. Questions: hello@whitetape.io

<!-- mcp-name: io.github.JonathanTECH1217/whitetape -->