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Open Construction Estimate
by
datadrivenconstruction
· GitHub ↗
· v2.0.0
1763
Downloads
2
Stars
2
Active Installs
2
Versions
Install in OpenClaw
/install open-construction-estimate
Description
Access and utilize open construction pricing databases. Match BIM elements to standardized work items, calculate costs using public unit price databases with 55,000+ work items.
Usage Guidance
This skill appears to do what it says (semantic matching + cost calculation) and needs network/filesystem access to load databases, call pricing APIs, download ML model weights, and export Excel files. Before installing: 1) Confirm where the work-item CSV/database will come from and that it is from a trusted source; 2) Expect large model downloads (sentence-transformers) and ensure you allow or block network access accordingly; 3) If you plan to use RSMeans or other subscription APIs, be prepared to supply credentials securely — the skill does not declare them up front; 4) Consider privacy of BIM files you provide (they may be read and transmitted if network access is granted); 5) Because the skill's source and homepage are unknown, prefer running it in a controlled environment or sandbox and review any dataset files you load. If any of the above are unacceptable, do not enable the skill or restrict its network/filesystem permissions.
Capability Analysis
Type: OpenClaw Skill
Name: open-construction-estimate
Version: 2.0.0
This skill bundle is classified as benign. The code in SKILL.md implements construction cost estimation, work item matching, and database management using standard libraries like pandas, scikit-learn, and sentence-transformers. The requested 'filesystem' permission in claw.json is justified by reading/writing local CSV databases and exporting Excel reports. The 'network' permission is justified by the sentence-transformer model download and the skill's description mentioning access to online pricing databases. The instructions.md and SKILL.md contain no evidence of prompt injection attempts or malicious intent, such as data exfiltration, unauthorized execution, or persistence mechanisms.
Capability Assessment
Purpose & Capability
Name/description match the instructions: the skill is focused on matching BIM elements to standardized work items and calculating costs from open pricing databases (55k+ items). Declared permissions (network, filesystem) align with loading CSVs, exporting Excel, and calling APIs.
Instruction Scope
SKILL.md contains concrete Python examples that read a local CSV database, run TF-IDF and sentence-transformer embedding models, apply region factors, and export Excel. All actions are within the stated purpose, but the instructions assume access to datasets and may download models at runtime (sentence-transformers), which implies network usage and large downloads.
Install Mechanism
No install spec and no bundled code — instruction-only. This minimizes install-time risk. However, runtime will depend on Python packages (pandas, sklearn, sentence-transformers) which are not declared and would need to be installed in the host environment.
Credentials
The skill requests no environment variables or credentials, which is consistent. It does declare filesystem and network permissions in claw.json — appropriate for reading datasets/exporting results and accessing pricing APIs. Be aware it references RSMeans (a subscription service) without declared credential handling; it will likely require the user to supply credentials at runtime. Also, sentence-transformers will typically fetch model weights from external hosts (Hugging Face), so expect network downloads.
Persistence & Privilege
always:false and no actions that modify other skills or global agent settings. The skill does require ordinary runtime permissions but does not request permanent elevated presence.
How to Use
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install open-construction-estimate - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/open-construction-estimate - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v2.0.0
**Major update with advanced work item matching features and expanded database integration.**
- Added semantic matching engine using TF-IDF and sentence embeddings for accurate BIM-to-cost item mapping.
- Supports filtering and searching across 55,000+ open construction work items from multiple public pricing databases.
- Flexible API for matching BIM elements to standardized cost items, including CSI MasterFormat categorization.
- Detailed documentation, code examples, and database schema included for quick integration.
v1.0.0
Open Construction Estimate v1.0.0
- Initial release providing access to open construction pricing databases with over 55,000 work items.
- Enables automated cost estimation by matching BIM elements to standardized work items.
- Includes a Python-based matching engine supporting both TF-IDF and semantic (embedding) matching.
- Supports filtering by category (CSI MasterFormat Divisions) and partial BIM element mapping.
- Offers a clear work items database schema for flexible integration.
Metadata
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Open Construction Estimate?
Access and utilize open construction pricing databases. Match BIM elements to standardized work items, calculate costs using public unit price databases with 55,000+ work items. It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 1763 downloads so far.
How do I install Open Construction Estimate?
Run "/install open-construction-estimate" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is Open Construction Estimate free?
Yes, Open Construction Estimate is completely free (open-source). You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does Open Construction Estimate support?
Open Construction Estimate is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created Open Construction Estimate?
It is built and maintained by datadrivenconstruction (@datadrivenconstruction); the current version is v2.0.0.
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