The Hoist Connector is the collective name for the three surfaces through which AI agents and developer workflows connect to Hoist Assets: the MCP server, the REST API, and the CLI. It is the layer between your agent and Australian register data.
The three surfaces
- MCP server: the primary surface for AI agents. Exposes intent-level tools (verify a counterparty, check an asset, explain risk flags) over the Model Context Protocol. Documented hosts: Claude Desktop, Claude.ai, ChatGPT, Cursor, Cline, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, and direct HTTP. Other agents can connect where their runtime supports MCP.
- REST API: the canonical surface for production integrations and custom agents. At S1-gate, endpoints are documented but not yet live with real register traffic. Live at S2-gate.
- CLI: a command-line interface for scripted workflows, testing, and local development. Calls the same service layer as the API.
What the Connector does not expose
The Connector provides read-only access to register data. It does not perform write operations on any register. It does not access individual-grantor PPSR data (Hoist Assets is org-only). It does not return raw register responses without structure; every tool returns an Evidence Pack.
Why agents need this
AI agents need a consistent, authenticated, scoped interface to register data. Calling AFSA or ABR directly from an agent session is impractical: the endpoints require different authentication schemes, return different formats, and provide no structured risk analysis. The Hoist Connector gives the agent a single, predictable surface with OAuth-scoped access, consistent Evidence Pack responses, and explicit scope boundaries.
The Connector is model-agnostic. It is not built for any single AI provider. Any agent runtime that supports MCP, HTTP, or a CLI subprocess can connect.
How Hoist uses this
The MCP server at mcp.assets.hoistai.com/mcp is the live S1-gate surface. It returns fixture-backed Evidence Packs today and will return live source data at S2-gate. The REST API and CLI are documented and will be production-live at S2-gate. Install guides for each supported host are at /docs/mcp.
What Hoist does not infer
The Connector does not know which AI model or provider is calling it. It does not store conversation context from your agent session. It does not infer intent from unstructured text; tools are called explicitly with structured inputs. If your agent runtime does not support MCP natively, you can use the REST API directly.
Related terms
- Evidence Pack: the structured result every Connector tool returns to your agent.
- AI agent: the agent runtime that calls the Hoist Connector.
- MCP: the open protocol the Hoist MCP server implements.
- Source check: an individual verification step the Connector runs against an Australian source.
- PPSR: one of the Australian sources the Connector queries for PPSR checks.
- ABN: business identifier the Connector verifies against the ABR.
- B2G Account: the AFSA authorisation framework that governs Hoist's PPSR access.