TradesMCP: Open Source MCP Server for Contractor License Verification

What TradesMCP Does

TradesMCP is a Model Context Protocol server built with Claude Code that gives Claude access to real contractor license data, building permits, material pricing, and labor rates. In testing, it correctly verified an active California contractor license (1098765) while ChatGPT incorrectly stated the license "does NOT exist in the CSLB system" and was "not active (and likely invalid)."

Test Results Comparison

Claude Code without MCP: Couldn't submit the CSLB form, told user to look it up manually at cslb.ca.gov
ChatGPT: Said license "does NOT exist in the CSLB system" and was "not active (and likely invalid)" - incorrect for a real, active license
Claude Code + TradesMCP: One tool call returned instant result: Carlos J Martinez, Martinez & Sons General Contracting Inc, B - General Building Contractor, Active, expires 2027, $25K bond, workers comp on file

Features and Coverage

TradesMCP includes 13 tools covering:

Contractor license verification across CA, TX, FL, NY (real government databases, not training data)
Building permit search with inspection history
Material pricing for 20+ items
BLS labor rates for 12 trades across 12 metro areas
Project cost estimation with regional adjustments
Compliance tracking — insurance, bonds, renewal deadlines

All 4 states hit real data sources live: California CSLB scraping, Texas Socrata API (958K+ records), Florida DBPR, NYC Open Data + DOB BIS.

Installation and Setup

Install via pip:

pip install git+https://github.com/Mahender22/trades-mcp.git

For Claude Code:

claude mcp add trades-mcp -e TRADES_MCP_DEMO=true -- trades-mcp

For Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "trades-mcp": {
      "command": "/path/to/trades-mcp-env/bin/trades-mcp",
      "env": {
        "TRADES_MCP_DEMO": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}