# mcp-gov-auctions

Government Auctions MCP — physical-asset auctions (surplus, seized, forfeited, tax-deed) that agencies sell to the public. Reads the auction_lots table (ingested daily by workers/auction-scraper) via PostgREST.

Part of [Pipeworx](https://pipeworx.io) — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1865+ live data sources. This is an independent, unofficial integration — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or published by the upstream provider.

## Tools

| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `auctions_search` | Search live US government auction lots for physical assets sold to the public — surplus vehicles, heavy equipment, real estate, electronics — from state/local governments (GovDeals, AllSurplus) and IRS seized/forfeited property. Filter by free-text keyword (matched on the item title, e.g. "truck", "excavator", "pickup"), 2-letter state, asset_type (vehicle\|equipment\|realestate\|electronics\|other), max_price (current bid ceiling), and closing_within_hours. Returns each lot with source, title, location, current bid, close time, and a link. For historical sold prices use auctions_sold_comps instead. |
| `auctions_closing_soon` | Live government auction lots ordered by soonest close time — the "what can I still bid on before it ends" view across all sources (GovDeals, AllSurplus, IRS). Optionally filter by state, asset_type, or keyword. Returns lots with time remaining, current bid, location, and link. |
| `auction_lot_details` | Full details for a single government auction lot, looked up by its source + source_lot_id (as returned by auctions_search) or by its listing URL. Returns title, description, category, location, bid, close time, seller agency, and link. |
| `auctions_sold_comps` | Historical SOLD prices for government auction items — the final hammer price of closed lots, which no upstream site keeps but Pipeworx retains. Use to answer "what do seized pickup trucks actually sell for" or to comp an asset. Filter by keyword (title match), asset_type, and/or state. Returns count, min/median/max/average final price, and recent examples. Only includes lots that have closed with a recorded final price. |
| `auctions_coverage` | Which government-auction data is currently available: per-source active lot counts and data freshness (when each source was last refreshed). Use to gauge coverage and how current the data is before relying on it. |

## Quick Start

Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gov-auctions": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/gov-auctions/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### What this endpoint actually serves

`tools/list` at `https://gateway.pipeworx.io/gov-auctions/mcp` returns the tools in the table
above **plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools** — `ask_pipeworx`,
`discover_tools`, `search_within`, `remember`/`recall` and the rest of the
gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a
single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the
pack's own. The connection's `initialize` response states its exact scope, and
is the authoritative answer for a given day.

This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a
scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via
`ask_pipeworx`, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a
second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without
them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth,
connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.

Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed
directly, instead of just this one's:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1865+ data sources. The
only difference is which pack's tools are listed **directly**; `ask_pipeworx`
reaches all of them from either one.

## No MCP client? Call it over HTTP

```bash
curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/auctions_search \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"keyword":"pickup truck","state":"TX","asset_type":"vehicle","max_price":5000}'
```

No account needed for the first calls. Inspect any tool: `GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/auctions_search`. Find one: `POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_packs` with `{"query":"..."}`.

## Run it from npm

`@pipeworx/mcp-gov-auctions` is a local stdio bridge to the Pipeworx gateway: your MCP client
starts it with `npx`, and it forwards every call to the same
`https://gateway.pipeworx.io/gov-auctions/mcp` endpoint shown above. It needs network access;
there is no offline mode.

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

Without a key it calls anonymously, capped at 50 calls a day. A free account
raises that to 200 a day: get a key at https://pipeworx.io/signup and add
`"env": { "PIPEWORX_API_KEY": "<your key>" }` to the server entry.
The key is sent as a Bearer token, the same way a hosted connection sends it,
so calls are metered and billed exactly as they are there.

It lists **only** this pack's tools by default. Set `PIPEWORX_META_TOOLS=1` to
also list `ask_pipeworx` and the other gateway-wide tools.

Behind an HTTPS proxy: Node's built-in `fetch` does not read `HTTPS_PROXY` by
default. Newer Node releases honour it when `NODE_USE_ENV_PROXY=1` is set; check
your Node version's documentation.

## Using with ask_pipeworx

Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English —
this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:

```
ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Gov Auctions data" })
```

The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.

## More

- [Docs and guides](https://pipeworx.io/docs)
- [pipeworx.io](https://pipeworx.io)

## License

MIT