Auction

Auction — connector documentation

• MCP endpoint: https://auction.connectorbay.com/mcp
• REST API: POST https://auction.connectorbay.com/v1/tools/{tool_name}, described by the OpenAPI 3.1 spec at https://auction.connectorbay.com/openapi.json
• Transport: Streamable HTTP, stateless, MCP specification 2025-06-18 or later
• Authentication: none required. An optional Authorization: Bearer <key> raises rate limits.
• Health: https://auction.connectorbay.com/health · Tool schemas: https://auction.connectorbay.com/tools.json
• Publisher: Unify Dynamics LLC · connectorbay.com/auction · agent@connectorbay.com

What Auction is for

"How does a Dutch auction actually work?", "what's the difference between English and once-around bidding?", "what's the winner's curse?", "how do I stop one player from always winning?" — a hand-curated auction and bidding-mechanics reference for board and card game design, written in original language, not a database of any one game's proprietary rules text.

What it does

mechanic_info gives one mechanic's full detail — category, how it works step by step, strategic notes, common variants, pros/cons, and factual real-game examples — for 25 distinct mechanics spanning English ascending, Dutch descending, sealed-bid & blind, once-around, all-pay, multi-item & combinatorial, special-purpose (turn-order and role auctions), and bid-to-declare formats. mechanic_search searches by keyword across every mechanic's name, category and notes; mechanics_by_category lists every mechanic in one of the eight categories (category_list shows all of them with counts). auction_type_comparison lines up two named mechanics' summary, typical pace, and pros/cons side by side. term_glossary defines common bidding terms — reserve price, hammer price, blind bid, winner's curse, sunk cost, kingmaking, and more. design_tip gives game-design advice for balancing auction mechanics when designing or house-ruling a game. calculate_expected_value_note gives a qualitative, conceptual note on a bidding-theory idea as it applies to tabletop play. game_examples gives real, factually referenced games known to use a given mechanic. find_game_for_group suggests which mechanics suit a given player count and why.

What it is not

Not a rules transcription of any single copyrighted board game, and not financial, real-estate, or real-world auction-house guidance. calculate_expected_value_note is tabletop game-design commentary framed around bidding theory as it applies to games — never advice for real auctions, investing, or gambling. Real game titles referenced in game_examples are factual pointers to well-known published games, not reproductions of their proprietary rules text.

Tools

Look Up a Mechanic

mechanic_info — Full detail for one auction/bidding mechanic: category, how it works step by step, strategic notes, common variants, pros/cons, and factual real-game examples. Use for "how does a Dutch auction work", "explain once-around bidding". Args: name.

mechanic_search — Keyword search across every mechanic's name, aliases, category, summary, strategic notes and example games. Use for "auction mechanics for a market theme", "any mechanic that uses tokens". Args: query.

mechanics_by_category — Every mechanic in one category. Use category_list to see valid category names. Use for "list all once-around auctions", "what sealed-bid formats do you have". Args: category.

category_list — Every auction-mechanic category with how many mechanics are in it. Use for "what categories of auction mechanics do you cover".

Compare & Recommend

auction_type_comparison — A side-by-side comparison of two named auction mechanics' summary, typical pace, and pros/cons. Use for "English vs Dutch auction, what's the difference", "compare once-around and sealed-bid". Args: a, b.

find_game_for_group — Suggests which auction/bidding mechanics suit a given player count and why, with mechanics that tend to work less well at that count. Use for "what auction mechanic works best with 6 players". Args: player_count.

game_examples — Real, factually referenced games known to use a given auction/bidding mechanic, with a short note on how. Use for "what games use sealed-bid auctions". Args: mechanic.

Design & Reference

design_tip — Game-design tips for balancing auction/bidding mechanics when designing or house-ruling a game. Use for "how do I stop the same player winning every auction". Args: topic (optional; omit to list all).

calculate_expected_value_note — A qualitative, conceptual note on a bidding-theory idea as it applies to tabletop auction mechanics — tabletop game-design commentary, not financial or real-world auction/betting advice. Use for "should I bid up to what it's worth to me". Args: topic (optional; omit to list all).

term_glossary — Definitions of common auction/bidding terms — reserve price, hammer price, blind bid, winner's curse, sunk cost, shill bid, once-around, kingmaking, and more. Use for "what's a reserve price". Args: term (optional; omit to list all).

Conventions

• Read-only. Every tool reads public reference data or computes; nothing is written anywhere and nothing about the user is stored.
• Result envelope. ok: true with data, or ok: false with a structured error (bad_input, not_found, upstream_error).
• Rate limits. Free tier 60 tool calls/minute and 300/day per user (keyed on the user identifier supplied by the host agent, else client IP); Pro keys raise this. Over-limit calls return HTTP 429 with Retry-After. initialize and tools/list are never counted.

Support

agent@connectorbay.com · connectorbay.com/auction/support

Auction — Privacy Policy

Effective 25 September 2026. Unify Dynamics LLC ("we", "us"), Menlo Park, California.

What Auction is. Auction is a connector (an MCP server and REST API) that AI assistants and personal agents call on your behalf for a hand-curated, fully local reference on auction and bidding mechanics in board and card games — mechanic detail, comparisons, a bidding-terms glossary, game-design balancing tips, qualitative expected-value notes, real-game examples, and player-count guidance. You interact with your assistant; the assistant sends us only the arguments needed for that one lookup.

What we receive. The arguments of each tool call — a mechanic name, a search keyword, a category, a topic, a player count, or two mechanic names to compare — the technical headers needed to serve the request (an IP address or a client identifier supplied by the assistant, and a Pro API key if you have one), and standard server logs.

Everything is answered from a bundled, hand-curated reference file and nothing is stored. No request is forwarded to any third party — there is no upstream call at all, live or otherwise — and no query is logged in request bodies, recorded, or used to train anything.

What we do not receive or store. We do not receive your conversation with the assistant or your name, and we do not build a profile from your queries: each request is answered independently and nothing carries over between requests. Rate-limit counters (a client identifier and timestamps) are held in memory for at most 24 hours. Hosting-provider access logs, which contain IP addresses and request paths but not request bodies, are retained for up to 30 days for security and abuse prevention.

Sub-processors. None — the entire dataset is bundled with the server and answered locally. Hosting: Vercel (United States regions).

Legal bases and your rights. Our processing is necessary to provide the service you request through your assistant. Because we store no personal data beyond short-lived logs, requests to access, correct or delete personal data are usually satisfied automatically; you can still contact agent@connectorbay.com and we will respond within 30 days. We do not sell or share personal information and do not use your data to train models.

Children. Auction is a general-audience service operated by the adult using the assistant.

Changes. We will post changes here with a new effective date.

Auction — Terms of Service

Effective 25 September 2026. These terms govern use of the Auction connector ("the Service") operated by Unify Dynamics LLC ("we", "us").

1. The Service. Auction returns a hand-curated, fully local reference on auction and bidding mechanics as used in board and card game design — mechanic detail, side-by-side comparisons, a bidding-terms glossary, game-design balancing tips, qualitative expected-value notes, factual real-game examples, and player-count guidance. It is accessed through an AI assistant or directly over MCP or HTTP.
2. A design reference, not financial or gambling advice. Auction describes tabletop auction/bidding mechanics for game design and play purposes only. calculate_expected_value_note is qualitative game-strategy commentary, not financial, investment, real-estate, real-world auction-house, or gambling/betting advice. Do not rely on this Service for any real-money bidding, investment, or wagering decision.
3. Original content. Mechanics are described in original, generic language, not transcribed from any specific copyrighted game's rulebook. Real game titles referenced as examples are factual pointers to well-known published games, not reproductions of their proprietary rules text, and are not endorsed by or affiliated with this Service.
4. Reference, not exhaustive. Content reflects general, broadly recognized tabletop auction-mechanic design patterns as of the build date stated in the Service's own data. It does not cover every published game's exact implementation and cannot replace reading a specific game's own rulebook.
5. Acceptable use. Automated use within the published rate limits is welcome.
6. Availability. The Service is provided "as is" without warranty. We may change, limit or discontinue it at any time.
7. Data. Our Privacy Policy describes what we process. In short: your query is answered from a bundled reference file, and nothing is stored.
8. Pro keys. Optional Pro API keys are issued at our discretion, are personal to the holder and may be revoked for abuse.
9. Liability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Unify Dynamics LLC is not liable for any loss, injury, or damage arising from use of, or reliance on, the Service — including any real-world financial or wagering decision made using its content. Our total liability is limited to US $100.
10. Governing law. California law; venue in San Mateo County, California.
11. Contact. Unify Dynamics LLC · agent@connectorbay.com · https://connectorbay.com/auction

Auction support

Email agent@connectorbay.com. We answer within two business days.

• MCP endpoint: https://auction.connectorbay.com/mcp
• REST API: https://auction.connectorbay.com/openapi.json
• Live status: https://auction.connectorbay.com/health

When you report a problem, include the question you asked your agent, roughly when, and which agent you used (for example Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini). Never send us passwords, account numbers or ID numbers. Auction never asks for them.