GovInbox

Search Amtrak procurement opportunities

search_amtrak

Read-onlyIdempotent

Not affiliated with the U.S. government, GSA, or SAM.gov. Not a U.S. government service. Amtrak business opportunities from Amtrak's public procurement portal, construction, non-construction services, and equipment sales that do not appear on SAM.gov - Amtrak publishes through its own portal. Amtrak rotates active solicitations off the public listing after about a week; this feed refreshes daily. Filter by keyword or category. Metadata only; full documents live on Amtrak's portal. Present as information only. One search counts as one use, regardless of how many records are returned. Every record carries a direct source link (or source name and record ID) so you can verify and cite the underlying record.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`limit`	No
`query`	No	Keyword filter over title and description
`category`	No	Category filter: construction, non-construction, or equipment (matches Amtrak's CN/NC/ES codes)

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`count`	Yes
`quota`	Yes
`coverage`	Yes
`data_caveat`	No	Data quality caveat	Amtrak business opportunities from Amtrak's public procurement portal. Amtrak rotates active solicitations off the public listing after about a week; this feed is refreshed daily. Metadata only — full solicitation documents live on Amtrak's portal. Verify terms there before acting.
`solicitations`	Yes
`analytical_disclaimer`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed33 schema fields changedOct 24, 2026

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / as_of / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / as_of / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / as_of / description

Previous value: -"UTC ISO 8601"New value: +"Known source observation time; null when not recorded. Not the query time."

removedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / as_of / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / cache_timestamp_basis

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Cache Timestamp Basis"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / cache_timestamp_field

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Cache Timestamp Field"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / exclusions

Added value: +{
+  "items": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "title": "Exclusions",
+  "type": "array"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / last_attempt_at

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Last Attempt At"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / last_attempt_scope

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "additionalProperties": true,
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Last Attempt Scope"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / last_success_record_count

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Last Success Record Count"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / last_success_scope

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "additionalProperties": true,
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Last Success Scope"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / last_successful_ingest_at

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Last Successful Ingest At"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / last_successful_refresh_at

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Last Successful Refresh At"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / latest_cached_at

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Latest Cached At"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / latest_stored_fetched_at

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Latest Stored Fetched At"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / latest_stored_ingested_at

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Latest Stored Ingested At"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / oldest_cached_at

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Oldest Cached At"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / oldest_ingested_at

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Oldest Ingested At"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / pagination_note

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Pagination Note"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / population

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Population"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / population_complete

Added value: +{
+  "default": false,
+  "title": "Population Complete",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / population_status

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Population Status"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / query_time

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "description": "When this stored-data query was calculated; not proof of source refresh",
+  "title": "Query Time"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / record_type

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Record Type"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / refresh_error_code

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Refresh Error Code"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / refresh_status

Added value: +{
+  "default": "unknown",
+  "title": "Refresh Status",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / scope_note

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Scope Note"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / source

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Source"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / source_as_of

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Source As Of"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / source_state

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "enum": [
+        "matched",
+        "no_match",
+        "not_loaded",
+        "unsupported",
+        "failed_refresh",
+        "unknown"
+      ],
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Source State"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / source_url

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Source Url"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / properties / stored_rows

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Stored Rows"
+}

removedOutput schema / $defs / Coverage / required
```
Removed value: -[
-  "as_of"
-]
```

Changed1 schema field changedOct 18, 2026

addedOutput schema / $defs / QuotaBlock / properties / mode

Added value: +{
+  "default": "ordinary",
+  "enum": [
+    "ordinary",
+    "testing",
+    "review",
+    "beta"
+  ],
+  "title": "Mode",
+  "type": "string"
+}

First observedOct 14, 2026

TDQS

A4/5.0

Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Beyond the annotations (readOnly/idempotent/non-destructive/openWorld), it discloses several things the annotations cannot: metadata-only results with documents living on Amtrak's portal, daily refresh cadence, ~1 week listing rotation, usage metering ('one search counts as one use'), and that every record carries a source link or ID for citation. It also explicitly disclaims government affiliation, which is meaningful context for a procurement feed.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness3/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Most sentences carry real information, but it opens with two near-duplicate legal disclaimers ('Not affiliated with the U.S. government, GSA, or SAM.gov. Not a U.S. government service.') that delay the actual purpose statement. The core scope sentence should have been front-loaded ahead of the boilerplate.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

An output schema exists, so return-value shape needn't be explained; the description instead covers the things structured fields can't — coverage gap vs. SAM.gov, data freshness, metadata-only limitation, and citation via source link. The only real omission is any guidance on the limit parameter and result-set size.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 67% and both documented parameters (query, category) already explain their own semantics, including the CN/NC/ES category mapping. The description's 'filter by keyword or category' adds no syntax, format, or interaction detail beyond the schema, and the undocumented limit parameter (default 20, max 50) is not addressed at all.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description names a specific resource (Amtrak's public procurement portal listings for construction, non-construction services, and equipment sales) and explicitly delimits scope: records 'that do not appear on SAM.gov.' The search verb is implicit rather than stated, but an agent can distinguish this from the SAM.gov-oriented siblings (search_opportunities, search_open_notices) from the text alone.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

It gives clear selection context: this feed covers Amtrak-only solicitations absent from SAM.gov, refreshes daily, and drops active solicitations after about a week — all of which tell the agent when this source is the right one and when recency matters. It does not explicitly name an alternative tool or state exclusions ('use search_opportunities for federal notices'), so it stops short of a full when/when-not treatment.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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