| name | run-a-procurement-contract |
| description | Use when working a SpaceTraders PROCUREMENT contract — "deliver N units of X to waypoint Y". Covers the efficient buy-low / deliver pattern and when to delegate to the procurement-run workflow vs the trader/navigator crew. Triggers on "work the contract", "fulfill the contract", "we need to deliver", "get the ore". |
Run a procurement contract 🪐
A procurement contract = deliver N units of a good to a destination
waypoint for a payout (a small advance on accept, the big payment on fulfill).
The good is the prize; the only question is the cheapest way to get the units.
Decide: buy or mine?
st_find_market(system, good) — where is the good exported (buy cheap) and
where is it imported (the delivery sink, usually the contract destination)?- Buy if a market exports it — no mining cooldowns, far faster. This is the
default for procurement.
- Mine only if nothing sells it (or it's much cheaper to dig). Note: not every
asteroid holds every ore — survey before committing a long mining run.
The loop (one delivery trip; repeat if units > cargo capacity)
- Accept the contract (
st_accept_contract) if you haven't — bank the advance.
- Move the carrier ship to the buy waypoint and dock (navigator).
- Clear the hold of anything you don't need (
st_jettison/st_sell), then
st_purchase the good up to cargo capacity (trader).
- Move to the delivery waypoint and dock (navigator).
st_deliver(contract_id, ship, good, units) (trader). When delivered ≥ required,
st_fulfill_contract — that payout is the win.
Delegate, don't micromanage
For the whole run in one shot, call:
run_workflow("procurement-run",
{"good": "<GOOD>", "system": "<SYS>", "ship": "<SHIP>",
"contract_id": "<ID>", "units": <N>})
It scouts → flies → buys → flies → delivers/fulfills over the trader and
navigator crew. For a single leg, delegate directly: task the navigator
to move a ship, the trader to buy/sell/deliver, the miner to dig an ore.
Watch out
- Cargo cap < required units → multiple trips. Deliver per trip; fulfill only
once the total is met.
- Rate limit: the tools self-pace (~2 req/s) — fine, but don't spin tight
status-poll loops by hand.
- Wipe cycle: the universe resets every few weeks — ship/system/waypoint/
contract ids are all per-reset. Re-scan with the tools each session; never assume
yesterday's ids.
