Congress.gov API MCP Server

Created By

bsmi0218 months ago

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

Overview Content Tools Comments

Content

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:

MCP Resources: For direct lookups of core legislative entities (Bills, Members, Congresses, Committees, general Info) using standardized URIs.
MCP Tools: For more complex operations like searching across collections (congress_search) and retrieving related data lists (congress_getSubResource).

This server acts as a bridge, allowing MCP clients (like AI assistants or development tools) to easily query and utilize U.S. legislative data.

Project Structure

/src: Contains all source code.
- /config: Configuration management (ConfigurationManager.ts).
- /services: Core logic for interacting with Congress.gov API (CongressApiService.ts, RateLimitService.ts).
- /tools: MCP tool definitions (search/, subresource/, index.ts).
- /types: TypeScript interfaces and Zod schemas.
- /utils: Shared utility functions (logging, errors, etc.).
- resourceHandlers.ts: Logic for handling core entity resource requests.
- createServer.ts: Server instance creation, resource and tool registration.
- server.ts: Main application entry point.
/dist: Compiled JavaScript output (generated by npm run build).
/docs: Project documentation (PRD, Feature Spec, RFCs).
package.json: Project metadata and dependencies.
tsconfig.json: TypeScript compiler options.
.eslintrc.json, .prettierrc.json: Linting and formatting rules.
.env: (Not committed) For storing CONGRESS_GOV_API_KEY.

Getting Started

Install Dependencies:
```
npm install
```
Set API Key: Create a .env file in the project root and add your Congress.gov API key:
```
CONGRESS_GOV_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY_HERE
```
(Get a key from https://api.data.gov/signup/)
Build the Server:
```
npm run build
```
Run the Server:
```
npm start
```
(This runs node dist/server.js)

Alternatively, run in development mode using npm run dev (uses ts-node and nodemon).

Usage with MCP Client

Connect your MCP client to the running server (e.g., via stdio if running locally).

Accessing Resources

Use the access_mcp_resource command/method with the appropriate URI.

Examples:

Get Bill H.R. 3076 (117th Congress):

<access_mcp_resource>
<server_name>congress-server</server_name>
<uri>congress-gov://bill/117/hr/3076</uri>
</access_mcp_resource>

Get Member Pelosi:

<access_mcp_resource>
<server_name>congress-server</server_name>
<uri>congress-gov://member/P000197</uri>
</access_mcp_resource>

Get Info about 118th Congress:

<access_mcp_resource>
<server_name>congress-server</server_name>
<uri>congress-gov://congress/118</uri>
</access_mcp_resource>

Get API Overview:

<access_mcp_resource>
<server_name>congress-server</server_name>
<uri>congress-gov://info/overview</uri>
</access_mcp_resource>

Using Tools

Use the use_mcp_tool command/method.

!!! CRITICAL TOOL WORKFLOW: Finding Entities & Getting Related Data !!!

Many common tasks require a mandatory two-step process using both tools:

STEP 1: Find the Entity ID using congress_search
- Purpose: Locate the specific bill, member, committee, etc., you need and extract its unique identifier(s) (e.g., memberId, or the congress, billType, billNumber for a bill URI).
- Tool: congress_search
- Example: Find member "John Kennedy" (might return multiple results requiring selection):
```
<use_mcp_tool>
  <server_name>congress-server</server_name>
  <tool_name>congress_search</tool_name>
  <arguments>
    {
      "collection": "member",
      "query": "John Kennedy"
    }
  </arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>
```
- Output: Look for the memberId (e.g., K000393) or other necessary identifiers in the results.
- !!! WARNING !!! Searching might return multiple results. You MUST identify the correct entity and use its specific ID for the next step.
- !!! API LIMITATION !!! Filtering general searches by congress using the filters parameter is NOT SUPPORTED by the underlying API (e.g., for /v3/bill or /v3/member) and will be ignored. Congress-specific filtering usually requires using specific API paths (e.g., /v3/bill/117), which this tool does not construct.
STEP 2: Get Related Data using congress_getSubResource
- Purpose: Use the identifier(s) found in Step 1 to construct the parentUri and fetch related details (actions, sponsors, text, etc.).
- Tool: congress_getSubResource
- Prerequisite: You MUST have the correct parentUri (e.g., congress-gov://member/K000393) from Step 1.
- Example: Get legislation sponsored by member K000393:
```
<use_mcp_tool>
  <server_name>congress-server</server_name>
  <tool_name>congress_getSubResource</tool_name>
  <arguments>
    {
      "parentUri": "congress-gov://member/K000393",
      "subResource": "sponsored-legislation",
      "limit": 5
    }
  </arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>
```
- !!! GUARANTEED ERROR WARNING !!! You MUST use a subResource string that is STRICTLY VALID for the parentUri type (e.g., 'sponsored-legislation' for members, 'actions' for bills). Providing an invalid combination WILL cause an error. Check the tool description for valid combinations.

Following this two-step process is ESSENTIAL for reliably getting related information.

Tool Examples:

Search for Bills containing "climate" (limit 5):

<use_mcp_tool>
<server_name>congress-server</server_name>
<tool_name>congress_search</tool_name>
<arguments>
{
  "collection": "bill",
  "query": "climate",
  "limit": 5
}
</arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>

List Members (No Congress Filter Possible Here):

Note: As mentioned above, filtering by congress directly in congress_search is not supported by the API for the 'member' collection.

<use_mcp_tool>
<server_name>congress-server</server_name>
<tool_name>congress_search</tool_name>
<arguments>
{
  "collection": "member",
  "limit": 10 
  // Add "query" or other filters like "type" if needed
}
</arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>

Get Actions for Bill H.R. 3076 (117th) (Requires URI from Search or Known Info):

<use_mcp_tool>
<server_name>congress-server</server_name>
<tool_name>congress_getSubResource</tool_name>
<arguments>
{
  "parentUri": "congress-gov://bill/117/hr/3076",
  "subResource": "actions",
  "limit": 10
}
</arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>

Get Legislation Sponsored by Member P000197:

<use_mcp_tool>
<server_name>congress-server</server_name>
<tool_name>congress_getSubResource</tool_name>
<arguments>
{
  "parentUri": "congress-gov://member/P000197",
  "subResource": "sponsored-legislation",
  "limit": 5
}
</arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>