canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/shovels.ai/shovels

# Shovels API

Building contractor and permit data API providing access to permits, contractors, and property information. The API exposes 5 endpoints secured with apiKey authentication.

## For AI agents

Programmatically search permits, get permit by id. Covers 5 operations with apiKey authentication.

## Scope

Does not handle payments, communications, or crm - use for e-commerce only.

## Capabilities

- Search permits
- Get permit by ID
- Integrate Shovels API into automated workflows
- Query and filter Shovels API records by parameters
- Monitor Shovels API operational status and events

## Use cases

### E-Commerce Operations

Use the Shovels API to perform e commerce operations programmatically. The API provides 5 endpoints covering core functionality including search permits, get permit by id, search contractors.

Example prompt: Call GET `/permits/search` to search permits

### Automated Contractors Management

Automate contractors operations by combining multiple Shovels API endpoints. Agents can get permit by id and then search contractors in a single workflow.

Example prompt: Call GET `/permits/{id}` to get permit by id, then verify the result

### AI Agent Integration via Jentic

AI agents discover and call Shovels API endpoints through Jentic without managing credentials directly. An agent searches for the required operation by intent, receives the matching endpoint schema, and executes the call with Jentic-managed authentication. This eliminates the need to read API documentation or handle apiKey tokens manually.

Example prompt: Search Jentic for 'search permits', load the operation schema, and execute with Jentic-managed credentials

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GET | `/permits/search` | Search permits |
| GET | `/permits/{id}` | Get permit by ID |
| GET | `/contractors/search` | Search contractors |
| GET | `/contractors/{id}` | Get contractor by ID |
| GET | `/properties/{id}` | Get property by ID |

## Key resources

- **Contractors** — Operations related to Contractors
- **Permits** — Operations related to Permits
- **Properties** — Operations related to Properties

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring the Shovels API by hand means sending your API key on every request against api.shovels.ai and parsing its permit, contractor, and property responses yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import the Shovels API from the API Directory, store the key once, and your agent calls it.
- **Permission scoping:** The Shovels endpoints in this spec are all read-only lookups over permits, contractors, and properties, so you limit the agent to the operations it needs, such as permit search or fetching a contractor by id, and it can call nothing beyond the read operations you choose.
- **Credential handling:** Your Shovels key is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'search building permits' or 'look up a contractor by id', and Jentic returns the matching Shovels operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.

## Related APIs

- **Shopify** — Alternative e commerce API
- **Stripe** — Alternative e commerce API

## FAQ

### What authentication does the Shovels API use?

The Shovels API uses an API key passed in the `X-API-Key` header. Through Jentic, these credentials are stored encrypted in your Jentic One instance and injected at execution time, so raw secrets never enter the agent context.

### Can I search permits with the Shovels API?

Yes. Use the GET `/permits/search` endpoint. The API returns structured JSON responses that agents can parse and act on directly.

### What are the rate limits for the Shovels API?

Rate limits are not specified in the OpenAPI spec. Check the vendor documentation for current limits. Through Jentic, rate limiting is handled automatically with retry logic built into the execution layer.

### How do I search permits through Jentic?

Install the Jentic SDK with pip install jentic, authenticate through Jentic One, the self-hosted execution layer, then search for 'search permits'. Jentic returns the matching Shovels API operation with its input schema. Load the schema and execute the call - credentials are injected automatically.

### How many endpoints does the Shovels API have?

The Shovels API exposes 5 endpoints covering contractors, permits, properties operations.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the Shovels API?

Yes. Because you run Jentic One yourself, your own rules decide which Shovels operations and credentials the agent may use. Every endpoint in this spec is a read-only lookup, so you can allow just the ones the agent needs, such as GET `/permits/search` or GET `/contractors/{id}`, and it can call nothing beyond the read operations you approve. Fetching a permit, contractor, or property by ID and searching permits or contractors are the only actions available, and each stays off-limits until you grant it.