Congress.gov API MCP Server

@bsmi021

Basic information

About Congress.gov API MCP Server

This is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server designed to provide access to the official Congress.gov API (v3) using a hybrid approach.

#ai #mcp #congress#us-congress#congressional#claude#congress-legislators#mcp-servers #mcp-server #modelcontextprotocol

Congress.gov API MCP Server config

No standard config provided

This server doesn't expose a parseable MCP config block in its README. See the repository for install instructions.

Repository

Congress.gov API MCP Server tools

Tool list not available yet

This listing does not currently have a tool list to display. This does not mean the server has no tools; check its documentation for supported capabilities.

We auto-extract tools from the README. The maintainer can list them under a ## Tools heading to populate this section.

Overview

What is Congress.gov API MCP Server?

Congress.gov API MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to the official Congress.gov API (v3). It uses MCP Resources for direct lookups of core legislative entities (Bills, Members, Congresses, Committees, general Info) via standardized URIs, and MCP Tools for complex searches and retrieving related data lists. It is designed for MCP clients like AI assistants or development tools needing U.S. legislative data.

How to use Congress.gov API MCP Server?

Install dependencies with npm install, add your Congress.gov API key to a .env file as CONGRESS_GOV_API_KEY, build with npm run build, and run with npm start. Connect an MCP client via stdio to the running server. Access resources using access_mcp_resource with URIs like congress-gov://bill/117/hr/3076. Use tools congress_search and congress_getSubResource in a required two-step process: first find an entity ID via search, then fetch related data using that ID.

Key features of Congress.gov API MCP Server

Direct lookups of bills, members, congresses, committees via MCP Resources
Full-text search across legislative collections (bills, members, etc.)
Retrieval of related data (actions, sponsors, text) using entity IDs
Uses standard MCP protocol, compatible with any MCP client
Built with TypeScript for type safety and reliability
Implements rate limiting and error handling for the Congress.gov API

Use cases of Congress.gov API MCP Server

AI assistants answering questions about current or past legislation
Research tools pulling detailed bill actions or member sponsorship lists
Automated monitoring of new bills or committee updates
Integration with knowledge bases to enrich legislative content
Educational applications teaching the U.S. legislative process

Frequently asked questions

What do I need to run this server?

You need a Congress.gov API key (obtained from https://api.data.gov/signup/), Node.js, and npm. The key is stored in a `.env` file.

How does the two-step search workflow work?

First, use `congress_search` to find an entity (e.g., a member) and get its ID. Second, use `congress_getSubResource` with that ID to retrieve related data like sponsored legislation. This is mandatory because related data requires a valid parent URI.

Can I filter search results by congress?

No. The Congress.gov API does not support filtering general searches (e.g., for bills or members) by congress using the `filters` parameter. Congress-specific filtering requires API paths that `congress_search` does not construct.

What happens if I use an invalid subResource?

The server will return an error. You must use a `subResource` string that is strictly valid for the `parentUri` type (e.g., `'sponsored-legislation'` for members, `'actions'` for bills).

Are there any limits on API calls?

The server includes a rate limit service (likely respecting the Congress.gov API’s own limits). The README does not specify a hard limit, but the server is designed to handle rate limiting gracefully.

Comments

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