---
name: locus-agent-tools
preamble-tier: 1
version: 1.3.1
description: Use when an agent needs to connect to Locus over MCP, A2A, or REST for property and local-government context.
triggers:
  - locus agent tools
  - mcp or rest for locus
  - a2a locus
allowed-tools: Bash Read AskUserQuestion
license: MIT
---

# Locus Agent Capabilities

Use this skill to connect an agent to Locus when a place-based workflow needs local-government context: taxes, parcels, zoning, flood, environmental records, development activity, transportation projects, local policy, source coverage, or recurring monitoring. The fuller client guide is [`docs/AGENT_CAPABILITIES.md`](https://github.com/velinussage/locus/blob/main/docs/AGENT_CAPABILITIES.md).

Locus returns awareness and verification steps, not a verdict. Do not score, rank, predict, screen, value, or label a person, property, block, or neighborhood as safe/unsafe.

## What to remember first

- **23+ national free tools work for geocodable US addresses, with no payment or local coverage check needed.** The live free catalog currently exposes 51 tools total. Use national lanes for rural addresses too, including flood zone, flood gauges, FEMA events, NOAA storms, radon, wildfire risk, cleanup sites, toxic releases, water systems, representatives, governing districts, fair-market rents, opportunity zones, seismic design, unemployment, house-price index context, nearby places, ordinance leads, and data-center/source-discovery prompts.
- **National free tools cover all 50 states for geocodable US addresses.** Local lanes are wired jurisdiction by jurisdiction and are growing. Always expect national context. Treat local parcel, zoning, permit, tax, and development-case depth as coverage-dependent.
- **Start with `locus_place_facts` when lane availability says it is available.** It is the one-call address bundle for supported parcel areas: parcel facts, FEMA flood zone, governing districts, transportation context, and tax context where wired.
- **Use `locus_lane_availability` before paid calls.** It maps national, local, varies, not-covered, and degraded lanes, then gives per-paid-tool buy recommendations.
- **Treat partial trend coverage as a check-first signal.** `supported_partial` trend places appear in `lanes.varies` with low paid substance; buy `locus-local-trend-brief` only when `buyRecommendations[].substanceHere` is `medium` or better. Thin exact-radius results can return a `charged:false` data-sufficiency diagnostic instead of a paid brief.
- **Most paid single-call tools list at $0.05 to $0.07 USDC; `locus-property-tax` is $0.49 USDC because it uses a paid residential tax upstream, and `locus-place-report-batch` is $0.25 USDC per 10-50 address async job.** Call the live paid catalog or `locus_lane_availability` for current `priceUsdc`, then read the x402 challenge for exact price, chain, recipient, and schema before payment.

## Quick connect

Install this skill in Codex-style agents:

```bash
npx @velinussage/locus-agent-skill add
```

Remote MCP server:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "locus": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.locus.report/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

A2A and REST discovery:

- [Agent Card](https://api.locus.report/.well-known/agent-card.json) - A2A skills and message endpoint.
- [Free tool catalog](https://api.locus.report/tools/list) - free tool schemas, descriptions, and read-only metadata.
- [Paid tool index](https://api.locus.report/.well-known/ai-tool/index.json) - current prices, schemas, and manifests.
- [MCP catalog](https://mcp.locus.report/catalog) - searchable tool catalog.
- [API base](https://api.locus.report) - health and discovery links.

The live catalogs are authoritative for tool names, schemas, prices, and endpoints. Do not copy stale tool definitions into prompts.

## Two coverage tools, know the difference

- **`locus_coverage_check { "place": "..." }`** asks whether Locus has source coverage for a jurisdiction at all. Use it for a broad city, county, ZIP, or address scope check.
- **`locus_lane_availability { "place": "..." }`** is the per-address capability map. It returns which exact tools are national, local, varies, not covered, or degraded, plus buy signals for paid tools. Call this before address-specific local lanes and before paying.
- **`locus_coverage_map {}`** returns the whole registry view. Use it when an agent needs breadth, not one address.

## Workflow

1. **Discover tools.** Use the table below for common intents. The live catalog, `locus_search_tools` over MCP or `GET /tools/list` over REST, is authoritative for the full current set and exact schemas.
2. **For a broad address question, call `locus_place_facts` first if available.** It often replaces several separate calls. If lane availability marks it not covered, fall back to national free tools.
3. **For local depth, check availability for the exact place.** Call `locus_lane_availability { "place": "<ZIP or address>" }`, then call only the lanes it marks `available`. For `varies`, call the free tool once and let its returned coverage/status decide.
4. **Run the smallest tool by intent.** Use `locus_execute` over MCP, `/a2a/v1/message:send` with a DataPart over A2A, or `POST /tools/call` over free REST. Prefer one targeted free tool over a paid bundle when the question is narrow.
5. **Ground every fact.** Answer only from returned artifacts. Include source names, links or locators, fetched timestamps where present, and caveats.
6. **Pay only on explicit authorization.** A paid tool returns an x402 challenge. Show price, chain, recipient, and tool, then retry only after the user approves.

## Reading `locus_lane_availability`

`locus_lane_availability` returns a top-level result with `place`, `resolved`, `jurisdiction`, `lanes`, `buyRecommendations`, `recommendedCallOrder`, `relatedTools`, and `warnings`.

Statuses and buckets:

- **`lanes.national[]`** - free national or metadata tools. These are usable for any resolved US address.
- **`lanes.local[]`** - tools with wired sources here, including paid national bundles when applicable.
- **`lanes.varies[]`** - source may resolve. Call the free tool to confirm before relying on it or paying.
- **`lanes.notCovered[]`** - skip it. Tell the user this lane is not wired and offer `locus_request_coverage`.
- **`lanes.degraded[]`** - upstream source is temporarily failing or reduced. Use the suggested fallback.
- **`buyRecommendations[]`** - paid tool guidance with `priceUsdc`, `substanceHere`, `rationale`, endpoint, and manifest.

Trimmed response example for a rural Montana ZIP:

```json
{
  "ok": true,
  "tool": "locus_lane_availability",
  "result": {
    "place": "59047",
    "resolved": true,
    "jurisdiction": {
      "jurisdictionId": "us-mt-park",
      "displayName": "Park County, MT",
      "stack": { "state": "MT", "county": "Park County" }
    },
    "lanes": {
      "national": [
        { "tool": "locus_flood_zone", "what": "FEMA flood-zone designation at the point", "access": "free" },
        { "tool": "locus_radon_zone", "what": "EPA radon zone for the county", "access": "free" },
        { "tool": "locus_wildfire_risk", "what": "FEMA NRI wildfire risk rating", "access": "free" },
        { "tool": "locus_representatives", "what": "Cited state + federal officials for the point", "access": "free" }
      ],
      "varies": [
        { "tool": "locus_zoning", "access": "free", "why": "point zoning may resolve; rich coverage only in wired counties" }
      ],
      "notCovered": [
        { "tool": "locus_place_facts", "access": "free", "why": "needs a wired parcel backbone", "requestTool": "locus_request_coverage" }
      ],
      "degraded": []
    },
    "buyRecommendations": [
      { "slug": "locus-place-report", "priceUsdc": "0.05", "substanceHere": "low", "rationale": "Coverage varies. Confirm the free component lanes first." },
      { "slug": "locus-environmental-context", "priceUsdc": "0.05", "substanceHere": "medium", "rationale": "Wired national EPA/SDWIS sources resolve here." }
    ],
    "warnings": [
      "Not covered does not mean no records exist. It only means Locus has no wired source yet."
    ]
  }
}
```

A paid tool flagged not covered returns a free diagnostic, never a payment challenge.

## Free tools by question, arguments, and output

Use the exact JSON shapes below as safe defaults. If a tool also accepts `latitude` and `longitude`, use them together to skip geocoding. The live `GET /tools/list` schema wins if it differs.

### Start here and coverage

| The question | Tool | Exact arguments | What it returns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Which tools will return data here? | `locus_lane_availability` | `{ "place": "600 E 4th St, Charlotte, NC" }` | Jurisdiction, `lanes.national/local/varies/notCovered/degraded`, paid buy signals, warnings. |
| Is this city/county/ZIP in source coverage? | `locus_coverage_check` | `{ "place": "Raleigh, NC" }` | Resolved jurisdiction, supported/partial/discovery status, verified sources, missing source gaps. |
| What is the whole coverage registry? | `locus_coverage_map` | `{}` | Registry-level coverage inventory for tools and jurisdictions. |
| Request coverage for a missing place | `locus_request_coverage` | `{ "place": "Park County, MT" }` | Acknowledgement and demand signal. No records. |
| Inspect official source cards | `locus_source_card_check` | `{ "place": "Raleigh, NC" }` or `{ "jurisdiction": "us-nc-raleigh" }` or `{ "cardId": "us-nc-durham:permits" }` | Source-card status, provenance, endpoint, verification method, timestamp. |
| Verify a citation URL | `locus_verify_citation` | `{ "sourceUrl": "https://...", "recordId": "optional", "jurisdiction": "optional" }` | Whether a citation matches a known source card, with provenance context. |
| What policy sources govern here? | `locus_policy_sources` | `{ "place": "Raleigh, NC" }` | State, county, city policy-source list, legal geographies, source links. |
| Read aggregate coverage demand | `locus_coverage_demand` | `{}` | Aggregate requested-coverage demand, not place records. |

### Paid tools by endpoint

Use these only after `locus_lane_availability` or the paid index says the call has substance for the exact place. The live paid index is authoritative for current prices and schemas.

| Endpoint | Price | Use when | Free diagnostic behavior |
|---|---:|---|---|
| `POST /api/locus-place-report` | `$0.05` | Agent needs one compiled cited property-context artifact for an address or ZIP. | Unsupported or discovery-only places return no-charge diagnostics. |
| `POST /api/locus-place-report-batch` | `$0.25` | Agent has a 10-50 address portfolio and wants one async job plus one settlement. | If all items are unsupported or discovery-only, no charge. Unsupported items inside a paid job remain item-level diagnostics. |
| `POST /api/locus-local-trend-brief` | `$0.05` | Agent needs permit, 311, or code-case local-change series where the registry has enough source coverage. | Unsupported, discovery-only, or insufficient-data places return `charged:false` diagnostics. |
| `POST /api/locus-local-policy-brief` | `$0.07` | Agent needs property-relevant bills, agendas, ordinances, tax, fee, bond, housing, or permit-change policy context. | Unsupported places return no-charge diagnostics. |
| `POST /api/locus-before-you-sign` | `$0.07` | Agent needs a pre-decision bundle over parcel, trend, and policy components for one street address. | Weak component readiness returns no-charge component diagnostics. |
| `POST /api/locus-environmental-context` | `$0.05` | Agent needs address-level EPA TRI/RCRA/SDWIS/radon public-record context ranked by distance where possible. | Unsupported or unresolvable inputs return no-charge diagnostics. |
| `POST /api/locus-property-tax` | `$0.49` | Agent needs a residential US property-tax artifact with assessed value, annual tax, tax history, effective rate, and provenance. | Commercial, uncovered, or unresolvable addresses return `charged:false` diagnostics pointing to the free `.gov` tax lanes or place report. |

### Best first call for supported address context

| The question | Tool | Exact arguments | What it returns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Give me one broad free snapshot for this address | `locus_place_facts` | `{ "address": "1 E Edenton St, Raleigh, NC 27601" }` | One-call bundle: parcel facts where wired, FEMA flood zone, governing districts, transportation context, property-tax context where wired, citations, and caveats. Start here when available. |
| Parcel facts only | `locus_parcel_lookup` | `{ "address": "123 Oak Park Dr, Cary, NC 27519" }` | PII-safe parcel or place facts such as land use, acreage, year built where present, derived county/municipality, provenance. |
| Multiple caller-supplied parcels | `locus_parcel_set` | `{ "addresses": ["addr 1", "addr 2"] }` | Normalized facts for up to 25 supplied addresses in an assemblage. |

### 23 national free content tools

These work for geocodable US addresses at no cost. Some accept address directly. Others need county, state, ZIP, or FIPS. Use `locus_lane_availability` or any geocoder/FIPS resolver to derive those arguments when needed.

| The question | Tool | Exact arguments | What it returns |
|---|---|---|---|
| FEMA flood zone at a point | `locus_flood_zone` | `{ "address": "600 E 4th St, Charlotte, NC" }` or `{ "latitude": 35.22, "longitude": -80.84 }` | Flood zone code, SFHA flag, panel or DFIRM identifiers when returned, plain-language zone context, provenance, verify-next steps. |
| Nearby flood gauges | `locus_flood_gauges` | `{ "address": "...", "radiusMeters": 20000 }` | Nearby USGS/NWS gauges, latest stage/flow observations when available, threshold metadata, source links. |
| Governing districts | `locus_governing_districts` | `{ "address": "..." }` | Congressional, state senate, state house, county, municipality, and other governing geographies when resolved. |
| Representatives | `locus_representatives` | `{ "address": "..." }` | Cited federal and state officials for the address, districts, party/office/contact links where available. |
| Wildfire risk | `locus_wildfire_risk` | `{ "address": "..." }` | FEMA NRI tract-level wildfire rating, score, expected annual loss fields where returned, provenance, caveats. |
| Environmental history bundle | `locus_environmental_history` | `{ "address": "..." }` or `{ "state": "MT", "county": "Park County" }` | EPA TRI, RCRA, SDWIS water systems, radon zone, and event-history verify links. Read `radonHeadline` and `addressProximity` first; `countyBackground` and legacy county fields are broad context only. |
| Cleanup sites | `locus_cleanup_sites` | `{ "address": "...", "radiusMeters": 5000 }` | EPA Superfund, NPL, brownfield, or cleanup-site records nearby with program/status fields and official profile links. |
| Toxic releases | `locus_toxic_releases` | `{ "state": "MT", "county": "Park County" }` | EPA TRI facilities for the county, chemical-release reporting fields where available, profile links. |
| RCRA hazardous-waste handlers | `locus_rcra_handlers` | `{ "state": "MT", "countyFips3": "067" }` or `{ "state": "MT", "zip": "59047" }` | RCRAInfo handlers, generator status/activity fields, coordinates, ECHO verify links. |
| EPA radon zone | `locus_radon_zone` | `{ "address": "..." }` or `{ "state": "MT", "county": "Park County" }` | EPA county radon zone 1/2/3, county basis, testing/disclosure caveat, provenance. |
| Public water systems | `locus_water_systems` | `{ "state": "MT", "county": "Park County" }` | Active public water systems serving the county, PWSIDs, SDWIS/ECHO links. |
| Drinking-water violations | `locus_drinking_water_violations` | `{ "address": "..." }` or `{ "state": "MT", "county": "Park County" }` or `{ "pwsids": ["MT0000000"] }` | SDWIS/ECHO violation and enforcement rows, system ids, caveats that this is not proof of tap-water quality. |
| NOAA storm events | `locus_storm_events` | `{ "stateFips": "30", "countyName": "Park", "countyFips3": "067" }` | NOAA Storm Events history, event type, dates, damage estimates, narratives, and source links. Use `stateFips`, not `state`. |
| FEMA disaster and NFIP history | `locus_fema_events` | `{ "address": "..." }` or `{ "state": "MT", "countyFips3": "067", "zip": "59047" }` | FEMA disaster declarations by county, NFIP claims by ZIP, preliminary FIRM panel context where available. |
| HUD fair-market rents | `locus_fair_market_rents` | `{ "stateFips": "30", "countyFips3": "067", "year": 2026 }` | HUD FMR values by bedroom count and county/FIPS basis. |
| Qualified Opportunity Zone | `locus_opportunity_zone` | `{ "address": "..." }` or `{ "latitude": 35.22, "longitude": -80.84 }` | Whether the point is in a Treasury/IRS Qualified Opportunity Zone tract, cited to HUD. A `not_designated` zero-hit is a valid designation answer, not a coverage failure. Not tax or investment advice. |
| Seismic design parameters | `locus_seismic_design` | `{ "address": "..." }` or `{ "latitude": 35.22, "longitude": -80.84 }` | USGS NEHRP/ASCE 7 seismic design parameters for a point. Hazard data only, not a safety verdict. |
| County unemployment trend | `locus_unemployment` | `{ "address": "..." }` or `{ "latitude": 35.22, "longitude": -80.84 }` | Recent BLS LAUS county unemployment trend. Reported statistic only, not an area-quality label. |
| State house-price index | `locus_house_price_index` | `{ "address": "..." }` or `{ "latitude": 35.22, "longitude": -80.84 }` | Latest state-level FHFA All-Transactions House Price Index and year-over-year change via FRED. Not an appraisal or value estimate. |
| Nearby places and amenities | `locus_nearby_places` | `{ "address": "...", "radiusMeters": 800 }` | OpenStreetMap nearby amenities/places with categories, distance, and OSM provenance. |
| Data-center or large-development watch prompts | `locus_data_center_watch` | `{ "address": "..." }` or `{ "state": "NC", "county": "Wake County", "municipality": "Raleigh" }` | Bounded official-source query pack and lead-discovery prompts for large projects, data centers, utility/water/planning sources. |
| Local ordinance leads | `locus_ordinance_leads` | `{ "address": "...", "topics": ["short_term_rental", "adu"] }` or `{ "place": "Raleigh, NC" }` | Jurisdiction-locked official-source query pack for ordinance research. Leads only, not legal advice. |
| Coastal county catalog | `locus_coastal_county_catalog` | `{}` or `{ "county": "new-hanover-nc" }` | Catalog of supported coastal source packs, overlays, source leads, and limitations. |

Temporarily degraded national tools may appear in `lanes.degraded` when an upstream source is failing for every point. If `locus_regulated_facility_compliance` appears there during a future EPA ECHO outage, use `locus_environmental_history` and `locus_toxic_releases` as the functional fallback; if `locus_housing_stock` appears there during a future Census outage, use `locus_fair_market_rents` for housing-cost context meanwhile. Otherwise those tools are callable national lanes.

### Local or coverage-dependent free tools

| The question | Tool | Exact arguments | What it returns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning district and overlays | `locus_zoning` | `{ "address": "..." }` or `{ "latitude": 35.78, "longitude": -78.64 }` | Governing zoning district, overlays/planning context where wired, source links. Rich coverage only in wired jurisdictions. |
| Development or rezoning nearby | `locus_development_cases` | `{ "address": "...", "radiusMeters": 1500 }` | Nearby development/rezoning case records, statuses, dates, identifiers, citations where wired. |
| Public capital projects nearby | `locus_capital_projects` | `{ "address": "...", "radiusMeters": 1609 }` | Government capital projects, public works, assessments where wired, with project ids and source links. |
| Building permits in supported metros | `locus_metro_permits` | `{ "city": "chicago", "latitude": 41.878, "longitude": -87.629, "radiusMeters": 1000, "sinceDate": "2025-01-01" }` | Nearby issued permit records, permit number/type/status, issue date, reported cost, source URL. |
| Transportation projects and traffic counts | `locus_transportation_context` | `{ "address": "...", "radiusMeters": 2000 }` | State DOT funded projects, traffic-count stations, routes, statuses where wired. |
| Transit stops and routes | `locus_transit_context` | `{ "address": "...", "radiusMeters": 400 }` | Transit stops, routes, shelter/ADA fields, headways where supported. |
| Recent nearby parcel transfers | `locus_parcel_transfers` | `{ "address": "...", "radiusMeters": 1500, "monthsBack": 12 }` | Recorded sales/transfers near the point where parcel-sale sources are wired. |
| Property-tax rates | `locus_property_tax_rates` | `{ "place": "Wake County, NC" }`, `{ "place": "Nashville, TN" }`, `{ "place": "Austin, TX" }`, or `{ "place": "Tampa, FL" }` | Adopted rate components and jurisdiction basis from official tables where wired: NC statewide plus selected Nashville/Davidson TN, Austin/Travis TX, and Tampa/Hillsborough FL adapters. Other jurisdictions return an official-source prompt pack, not a server-emitted rate number. |
| Property-tax estimate | `locus_property_tax_estimate` | `{ "address": "..." }` | Estimated annual property tax from assessed value and NC rates where wired. Computed estimates are NC-only; out-of-NC addresses fail closed and may return official-source prompt guidance. Not a valuation. |
| Paid residential property-tax report | `locus-property-tax` | `POST https://api.locus.report/api/locus-property-tax` with `{ "address": "600 E 4th St, Charlotte, NC" }` | x402-paid residential property-tax artifact: assessed value, annual tax, tax history, effective rate, and provenance from RentCast aggregator records. Commercial or uncovered addresses return `charged:false` diagnostics. Not an official tax bill or valuation. |
| Tax calendar | `locus_tax_calendar` | `{ "county": "Harris County, TX" }` or `{ "address": "..." }` | State property-tax statutory framework (cited to the state tax code) for NC, TX, CA, FL, NY, plus the official county source pointer and a current-year live-lookup prompt for the volatile per-cycle dates; verified prior-cycle county dates where curated (NC). |
| Area reported-crime context | `locus_area_incidents` | `{ "address": "...", "radiusMeters": 1000, "lookbackDays": 365 }` | Area-level or citywide reported-incident context where wired, plus caveats. No safety verdict. |
| Local legislation preview | `locus_local_legislation` | `{ "address": "..." }` | Recent property-relevant legislation preview, status labels, source attribution. Not legal advice. |
| Dated changes around one place | `locus_ownership_loop` | `{ "address": "...", "radiusMeters": 1500, "state": "NC", "countyFips3": "183", "zip": "27601" }` | Composite dated-change bundle across available ownership, tax, flood, transfer, and local lanes. |
| Coastal overlays | `locus_coastal_county_overlays` | `{ "address": "..." }` or `{ "latitude": 34.22, "longitude": -77.88, "county": "auto" }` | Coastal hazard overlays, parcel/address facts, zoning/flood/wetland/resiliency context for supported coastal counties. |
| ACS housing stock | `locus_housing_stock` | `{ "address": "..." }` | Census tract housing units, tenure, median rent/value, year built when upstream is healthy. |
| EPA facility compliance | `locus_regulated_facility_compliance` | `{ "address": "...", "radiusMeters": 5000 }` | EPA ECHO facility compliance and inspection/enforcement summary when upstream is healthy. If lane availability lists it as degraded, use the fallback tools instead. |

## Worked example: address to free tools to answer

User: *"What should I know about 600 E 4th St, Charlotte, NC 28202?"*

1. Call `locus_lane_availability { "place": "600 E 4th St, Charlotte, NC 28202" }`.
2. If `locus_place_facts` is available, call `locus_place_facts { "address": "600 E 4th St, Charlotte, NC 28202" }` first.
3. Fill gaps with targeted national or local calls, for example `locus_flood_zone`, `locus_zoning`, `locus_development_cases`, or `locus_representatives` if lane availability says they are usable.
4. Skip not-covered lanes and say so. Offer `locus_request_coverage` for missing local lanes.
5. Compose from returned artifacts with sources and caveats. Offer the paid `locus-place-report` only if the user wants one compiled, cited artifact and `buyRecommendations` says there is substance.

## A2A call shape

```json
{
  "message": {
    "role": "ROLE_USER",
    "parts": [
      {
        "data": {
          "locusTool": "locus_lane_availability",
          "arguments": { "place": "Raleigh, NC" }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}
```

Send broad natural-language requests to your own planner first. Locus expects a concrete tool and arguments.

## Free REST examples

```bash
curl https://api.locus.report/tools/list

curl -X POST https://api.locus.report/tools/call \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"name":"locus_lane_availability","arguments":{"place":"1 E Edenton St, Raleigh, NC 27601"}}'

curl -X POST https://api.locus.report/tools/call \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"name":"locus_place_facts","arguments":{"address":"1 E Edenton St, Raleigh, NC 27601"}}'
```

## MCP call pattern

1. Call `locus_search_tools` with the user intent, place, and known source category.
2. Choose the smallest matching tool from the returned catalog.
3. Call `locus_execute` with:

```json
{
  "name": "<catalog tool name>",
  "arguments": {
    "address": "<street address>"
  }
}
```

Use the argument key from the tool schema. Do not send every place as `place`; many tools require `address`, `state` plus `county`, or FIPS fields.

## Paid report rules

- Unsupported or discovery-only places return a free diagnostic, not a payment challenge.
- Most paid single-call tools list between $0.05 and $0.07 USDC; `locus-property-tax` is $0.49 USDC because it uses a paid residential tax upstream, and `locus-place-report-batch` is $0.25 USDC per 10-50 address async job. Read `priceUsdc` from `locus_lane_availability` or the paid tool index, then confirm exact cost, network, asset, and recipient from the 402 challenge before payment.
- The price, network, asset, and recipient appear before payment.
- Paid results return only after settlement succeeds.
- Payment metadata binds to the tool and a canonical hash of arguments, not the raw address.
- Use live catalogs instead of copying prices or schemas.

## x402 payment flow

The compiled paid tools (`locus-place-report`, `locus-place-report-batch`, `locus-local-trend-brief`, `locus-local-policy-brief`, `locus-before-you-sign`, `locus-environmental-context`, `locus-property-tax`) are gated with x402 micropayments in USDC on Base. The flow is identical over REST, MCP, and A2A:

1. Call the paid tool without payment: `POST https://api.locus.report/api/<tool-slug>` over REST, `locus_execute` over MCP, or `/a2a/v1/message:send` over A2A. The free `/tools/call` facade is never paid.
2. A covered place returns **HTTP 402** with `{ "x402Version": 2, "accepts": [{ "scheme": "exact", "network", "maxAmountRequired", "payTo", "asset", "extra": { "assetTransferMethod": "eip3009" } }] }`. Read live values from the challenge.
3. Sign an EIP-3009 USDC authorization for `maxAmountRequired` to `payTo` on `network` using an x402 client such as `x402-fetch`, `x402-axios`, or the Coinbase x402 SDK. Send it in the **`X-PAYMENT`** header and resend the identical request.
4. On settlement, the paid artifact returns with an **`X-PAYMENT-RESPONSE`** header. Show price, network, and recipient. Only pay after user authorization. Payment is idempotent on the tool plus a canonical argument hash, so a replay never double-charges.

## Safety rules

Keep answers in this shape:

- What Locus found from returned artifacts.
- Why it may matter for the property question.
- Source links or locators and caveats where returned.
- What to verify next with an agency, landlord, insurer, contractor, seller, property manager, or other relevant source.

Redirect these asks back to records plus verification questions:

- Safe/unsafe, dangerous, good/bad, score, ranking, prediction, valuation, or investment conclusions.
- Tenant, employment, lending, insurance, background-check, or eligibility recommendations.
- Named-person dossiers, mugshots, exact victim/suspect addresses, or scraped personal profiles.
- Legal advice or claims that a user must or should take a legal action.

## Failure handling

- **Unsupported place:** return the coverage/source diagnostic and suggest the official source to check next.
- **Empty result:** say no matching records were returned by that source, not that no records exist.
- **Payment challenge:** do not retry automatically. Ask for authorization.
- **Source conflict:** show both records and name which agency/source to verify with.
- **User asks for a verdict:** decline that part and offer property-context records plus verification questions.

## Minimal answer shape

```text
Here is what Locus returned for this place:

- [Fact or status] - Source: [source name], [official URL/locator if returned].
- [Why it may matter / coverage caveat].

Verify next:
- [Agency/source/link/question].

Limit:
- This is property-context awareness, not a score, screening decision, valuation, legal advice, or safe/unsafe label.
```