GovInbox

Search federal award history

search_award_history

Read-onlyIdempotent

Not affiliated with the U.S. government, GSA, or SAM.gov. Not a U.S. government service. Historical federal prime award records from public USAspending data: who won what, for how much, from which agency. Filter by trade lane, agency, or contractor name. Amounts are obligations as recorded, not cash paid. Present as information only; do not frame results as a bid/no-bid recommendation, eligibility determination, or partnership recommendation. 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	Default
`piid`	No
`sort`	No		amount_desc
`limit`	No	Maximum 50 records; minimum 1; default 20.
`naics`	No	NAICS prefixes, 2-6 digits; six digits match an exact lane
`agency`	No
`cursor`	No
`office`	No
`date_to`	No
`keyword`	No
`award_key`	No
`date_from`	No	Recorded signed/action date, not period-of-performance start
`contractor`	No
`solicitation`	No

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`count`	Yes
`quota`	Yes
`awards`	Yes
`coverage`	Yes
`data_note`	No	Data provenance caveat	Stored USAspending prime-award records only, not a live USAspending or SBIR.gov search. Amounts are obligations as recorded, not cash paid. Zero matching cached records do not prove that an award does not exist. An empty lanes list means no NAICS query filter was supplied, not complete source coverage.
`next_cursor`	No
`total_count`	No
`applied_filters`	No
`analytical_disclaimer`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed66 schema fields changedOct 24, 2026

removedInput schema / properties / agency / description
```
Removed value: -"Awarding agency substring filter"
```

addedInput schema / properties / award_key

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "maxLength": 200,
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Award Key"
+}

removedInput schema / properties / contractor / description
```
Removed value: -"Recipient name substring filter"
```

addedInput schema / properties / cursor

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "maxLength": 2048,
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Cursor"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / date_from

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "pattern": "^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}$",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "description": "Recorded signed/action date, not period-of-performance start",
+  "title": "Date From"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / date_to

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "pattern": "^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}$",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Date To"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / keyword

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "maxLength": 200,
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Keyword"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / limit / description

Added value: +"Maximum 50 records; minimum 1; default 20."

changedInput schema / properties / naics / description

Previous value: -"NAICS codes, 2-6 digits each; omit for all lanes"New value: +"NAICS prefixes, 2-6 digits; six digits match an exact lane"

addedInput schema / properties / office

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "maxLength": 200,
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Office"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / piid

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "maxLength": 120,
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Piid"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / solicitation

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "maxLength": 120,
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Solicitation"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / sort

Added value: +{
+  "default": "amount_desc",
+  "enum": [
+    "amount_desc",
+    "date_desc",
+    "date_asc"
+  ],
+  "title": "Sort",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / amount_null_reasons

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": true,
+  "title": "Amount Null Reasons",
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / amount_types

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": true,
+  "title": "Amount Types",
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / award_id

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

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / awarding_sub_agency

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

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / date_signed

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

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / detail_fetched_at

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

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / exercised_value

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Exercised Value"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / fetched_at

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

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / net_obligations

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Net Obligations"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / office_name

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

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / outlays

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Outlays"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / piid

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

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / potential_value

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "title": "Potential Value"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / solicitation_id

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

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / source_name

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

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / source_record_id

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

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardHistoryRow / properties / source_url_unavailable_reason

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

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"
-]
```

addedOutput schema / properties / applied_filters

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": true,
+  "title": "Applied Filters",
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / next_cursor

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

addedOutput schema / properties / total_count

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

Changed2 schema fields changedOct 18, 2026

addedOutput schema / $defs / QuotaBlock / properties / mode

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

changedOutput schema / properties / data_note / default

Previous value: -"Award records from public USAspending data; amounts are obligations as recorded, not cash paid."New value: +"Stored USAspending prime-award records only, not a live USAspending or SBIR.gov search. Amounts are obligations as recorded, not cash paid. Zero matching cached records do not prove that an award does not exist. An empty lanes list means no NAICS query filter was supplied, not complete source coverage."

First observedOct 14, 2026

TDQS

B3.3/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnly/idempotent/non-destructive, yet the description still adds material context beyond them: amounts are obligations rather than cash paid, one search consumes one use regardless of result count, and every record carries a source link or ID for citation. The remaining gap is pagination behavior, since a 50-record cap with a cursor parameter is never explained.

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?

The opening two sentences are legal/affiliation boilerplate, so the actual purpose statement is not front-loaded. The middle content is dense and earns its place, but the non-affiliation and no-recommendation framing occupies roughly half the text and pushes operational details like the record cap and sourcing to the tail.

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

Completeness3/5

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

With an output schema the description need not describe return shape, and annotations cover safety, but a 13-parameter search tool with zero required fields needs at least a note on how filters combine and how to page via cursor/limit. That operational gap keeps it at minimum-viable for its complexity.

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

Parameters2/5

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

Schema coverage is only 23% across 13 parameters, so the description must carry the load, and it names only three filters (trade lane/naics, agency, contractor). It says nothing about piid, office, keyword, award_key, solicitation, sort, or the cursor used for paging, leaving the majority of the surface undocumented in both places.

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 second sentence gives a specific verb+resource: historical federal prime award records from USAspending, with 'who won what, for how much, from which agency.' The word 'prime' implicitly separates it from search_subawards and list_reported_subawards, but no sibling is named, so an agent must infer the boundary against search_ota_awards, list_awards_by_period_end, or get_record on its own.

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

Usage Guidelines3/5

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

'Filter by trade lane, agency, or contractor name' is filter inventory, not a when-to-use rule. The description does add hard usage constraints (present as information only, no bid/no-bid or eligibility framing), which is real guidance, but there is no explicit statement of when to prefer this over adjacent tools such as search_subawards or get_record.

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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