# TradesAPI

> Unified US contractor-license verification API — "Plaid for the trades."
> Send a license number + state (+ optional trade) and get back a normalized
> result: valid/invalid, licensee name, expiration, status, and disciplinary
> history. Coverage spans all 51 state-level jurisdictions (50 states +
> DC) plus 16 municipal licensing boards. Available as a direct REST API,
> a hosted Model Context Protocol (MCP) endpoint with OAuth 2.1, and an npm MCP
> client for AI agents.

## API

- [API reference](https://www.tradesapi.com/docs): endpoints, request/response schema, auth.
- [How to verify a contractor license via API](https://www.tradesapi.com/guides/how-to-verify-a-contractor-license-via-api): the request, the normalized response shape, and a runnable example.
- [Interactive sandbox](https://www.tradesapi.com/sandbox): try /verify against deterministic fixtures — no key required.
- [Coverage & guides](https://www.tradesapi.com/guides): per-state and per-city license-lookup pages, one per supported jurisdiction.

## Core endpoints

- `GET https://www.tradesapi.com/verify?state=TX&license=...&trade=hvac` — verify one license (header `X-API-Key`). Optional `trade` filter (electrical, general, hvac, plumbing); optional `city=` for municipal boards.
- `GET https://www.tradesapi.com/search?state=TX&name=...` — find licenses by business or individual name when the number is unknown (header `X-API-Key`); 2 credits per search.
- `POST https://www.tradesapi.com/batch` — verify up to 200 licenses in one call; 1 credit per successful verification.
- `POST https://www.tradesapi.com/monitor` — continuously watch a license and receive webhook alerts on status changes.

## For AI agents (MCP)

- Hosted MCP endpoint: `https://www.tradesapi.com/mcp` — connect with just the URL; OAuth 2.1 browser flow issues a short-lived token (no API keys in config).
- npm MCP client: `npx contractor-license-mcp-server` — works with Claude, Cursor, OpenAI, and any MCP-speaking agent.

## Pricing

- Free: 50 verifications with every new API key.
- Usage tiers: Starter $99 (400 verifications), Growth $349 (1,500), Business $999 (5,000).
- License monitoring: $99/month with 50 monitored contractors included, then $1 per additional contractor per month.
- Enterprise: custom volume pricing and SLA — hello@tradesapi.com.

## Optional

- [Full machine-readable contract](https://www.tradesapi.com/llms-full.txt): the complete API surface, coverage list, and response schema inlined for agents.
- [Machine-readable facts (JSON)](https://www.tradesapi.com/facts.json): coverage matrix, pricing, and endpoint specs as structured JSON to cite directly.
- [System status](https://www.tradesapi.com/status): live per-jurisdiction health.
- [Sitemap](https://www.tradesapi.com/sitemap.xml)