# mcp-gsa-auctions

GSA Auctions API MCP — US federal government surplus auctions (keyed).

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 |
|------|-------------|
| `gsa_search_auctions` | Search current US federal government surplus auctions from GSA Auctions (api.data.gov). GSA Auctions sells government surplus to the public — vehicles, machinery, aircraft, vessels, industrial equipment, electronics, etc. Filter active lots by property state (2-letter, e.g. "TX"), a free-text keyword matched against the item name (e.g. "truck", "forklift", "boat"), and/or auction status. Returns each lot with sale/lot number, item name, property location, sale location, start/end dates, status, high bid, reserve, number of bidders, item and image URLs. NOTE: the upstream API has no server-side category filter — use the keyword argument to narrow by item type. |
| `gsa_auction_lot` | Full detail for a single GSA Auctions lot, identified by its sale number and lot number. Returns everything the auction listing carries: item name, per-lot descriptions (LotInfo), property and sale locations, start/end dates, status, high bid, reserve, bid increment, bidder count, inspection instructions, contracting-officer contact, agency/bureau, and item/image URLs. |
| `gsa_auctions_closing_soon` | Current GSA Auctions federal surplus lots that are ending soonest — active auctions sorted by auction end date ascending. Use to find last-chance bidding opportunities across all agencies and property types. Returns sale/lot number, item name, location, end date, status, high bid, and reserve. |

## Quick Start

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

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

### What this endpoint actually serves

`tools/list` at `https://gateway.pipeworx.io/gsa-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/gsa_search_auctions \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"state":"TX","keyword":"truck","limit":25}'
```

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

## Run it from npm

`@pipeworx/mcp-gsa-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/gsa-auctions/mcp` endpoint shown above. It needs network access;
there is no offline mode.

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gsa-auctions": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-gsa-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 Gsa 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