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congressgov-mcp-server

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Congress.gov Member Lookup

congressgov_member_lookup
Read-onlyIdempotent

Discover congressional members and their legislative activity. No name search. For 'list', filter by stateCode (optionally with district), by congress, or by both together (e.g., 118th Congress + CA, or CA district 12 in the 118th). Add currentMember=true to restrict to currently serving members. Once you have a bioguideId, use 'get' for full profile or 'sponsored'/'cosponsored' for their legislative portfolio.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
limitNoResults per page (1-250).
offsetNoPagination offset.
congressNoCongress number to filter by.
districtNoCongressional district number. Requires stateCode. Use 0 for at-large.
operationYesWhich data to retrieve.
stateCodeNoTwo-letter state code (e.g., 'CA', 'TX').
bioguideIdNoUnique member identifier (e.g., 'P000197'). Required for get/sponsored/cosponsored.
currentMemberNoFilter to currently serving members. Omit to include both current and former members.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
dataNoResult rows. Per-tool item shape is rendered in the markdown body.
errorNoPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
memberNoDynamic upstream JSON record.
noticeNoGuidance when results are empty, a page is past the end, or a caveat applies.
paginationNoPagination metadata: total count and next offset.
totalCountNoTotal results across all pages.
effectiveQueryNoThe browse scope and applied filters.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed5 schema fields changed
    • addedInput schema / properties / bioguideId / pattern
      Added value: +"^[A-Za-z]\\d{6}$"
    • removedInput schema / properties / stateCode / maxLength
      Removed value: -2
    • removedInput schema / properties / stateCode / minLength
      Removed value: -2
    • addedInput schema / properties / stateCode / pattern
      Added value: +"^[A-Za-z]{2}$"
    • addedOutput schema / properties / member
      Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "description": "Dynamic upstream JSON record.",
+  "properties": {},
+  "type": "object"
+}
  2. Changed6 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / $schema
      Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"
    • addedInput schema / additionalProperties
      Added value: +false
    • changedOutput schema / $schema
      Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"
    • addedOutput schema / anyOf
      Added value: +[
+  {
+    "not": {
+      "required": [
+        "error"
+      ]
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "effectiveQuery",
+      "totalCount"
+    ]
+  },
+  {
+    "required": [
+      "error"
+    ]
+  }
+]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / error
      Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "description": "Present when the call failed. Absent on success.",
+  "properties": {
+    "code": {
+      "description": "JSON-RPC error code for this failure.",
+      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+      "minimum": -9007199254740991,
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "data": {
+      "additionalProperties": {},
+      "properties": {
+        "reason": {
+          "description": "Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `not_found`: A requested bill, member, committee, report, vote, or nomination does not exist in Congress.gov. `rate_limited`: The Congress.gov API rate limit (5,000 requests/hour per key) was exceeded. `invalid_request`: Congress.gov rejected the request as malformed — a bad date range or an identifier with an unexpected shape. `upstream_error`: Congress.gov returned an unexpected error (5xx or another non-2xx status). Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler.",
+          "examples": [
+            "not_found",
+            "rate_limited",
+            "invalid_request",
+            "upstream_error"
+          ],
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "recovery": {
+          "additionalProperties": {},
+          "description": "Actionable next step for the caller.",
+          "properties": {
+            "hint": {
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          },
+          "required": [
+            "hint"
+          ],
+          "type": "object"
+        },
+        "retryable": {
+          "description": "Whether retrying may succeed.",
+          "type": "boolean"
+        }
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "message": {
+      "description": "Human-readable description of what went wrong.",
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "code",
+    "message"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}
    • removedOutput schema / required
      Removed value: -[
-  "effectiveQuery",
-  "totalCount"
-]
  3. Changed6 schema fields changed
    • removedOutput schema / description
      Removed value: -"Detail-mode key 'member' carries: Member profile for `get` (name, state, terms, party history, leadership, legislation counts); absent for `list`, `sponsored`, `cosponsored`."
    • addedOutput schema / properties / effectiveQuery
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "The browse scope and applied filters.",
+  "type": "string"
+}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / notice
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Guidance when results are empty, a page is past the end, or a caveat applies.",
+  "type": "string"
+}
    • removedOutput schema / properties / query
      Removed value: -{
-  "description": "Echo of the applied filters for list-mode queries. Rendered as the first line of the response.",
-  "type": "string"
-}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / totalCount
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Total results across all pages.",
+  "type": "number"
+}
    • addedOutput schema / required
      Added value: +[
+  "effectiveQuery",
+  "totalCount"
+]
  4. Changed4 schema fields changed
    • changedOutput schema / description
      Previous value: -"Member data from Congress.gov API."New value: +"Detail-mode key 'member' carries: Member profile for `get` (name, state, terms, party history, leadership, legislation counts); absent for `list`, `sponsored`, `cosponsored`."
    • addedOutput schema / properties / data
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Result rows. Per-tool item shape is rendered in the markdown body.",
+  "items": {
+    "additionalProperties": {},
+    "description": "Upstream JSON record. Per-tool item shape is rendered in the markdown body.",
+    "properties": {},
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / pagination
      Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "description": "Pagination metadata: total count and next offset.",
+  "properties": {
+    "count": {
+      "description": "Total result count across all pages.",
+      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "nextOffset": {
+      "anyOf": [
+        {
+          "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+          "minimum": 0,
+          "type": "integer"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "null"
+        }
+      ],
+      "description": "Offset to pass for the next page, or null when there are no more pages."
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "count"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / query
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Echo of the applied filters for list-mode queries. Rendered as the first line of the response.",
+  "type": "string"
+}
  5. Changed3 schema fields changed
    • removedOutput schema / properties / data
      Removed value: -{
-  "description": "Paginated member or legislation results. Preserves upstream item shapes.",
-  "items": {},
-  "type": "array"
-}
    • removedOutput schema / properties / member
      Removed value: -{
-  "additionalProperties": {},
-  "description": "Member profile detail when operation=\"get\".",
-  "propertyNames": {
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "type": "object"
-}
    • removedOutput schema / properties / pagination
      Removed value: -{
-  "additionalProperties": false,
-  "description": "Pagination metadata for list, sponsored, and cosponsored operations.",
-  "properties": {
-    "count": {
-      "description": "Total number of matching members or bills.",
-      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
-      "minimum": 0,
-      "type": "integer"
-    },
-    "nextOffset": {
-      "anyOf": [
-        {
-          "maximum": 9007199254740991,
-          "minimum": 0,
-          "type": "integer"
-        },
-        {
-          "type": "null"
-        }
-      ],
-      "description": "Offset to request the next page, or null when there is no next page."
-    }
-  },
-  "required": [
-    "count",
-    "nextOffset"
-  ],
-  "type": "object"
-}
  6. Changed4 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / currentMember / description
      Previous value: -"Filter to currently serving members. Defaults to false."New value: +"Filter to currently serving members. Omit to include both current and former members."
    • addedOutput schema / properties / data
      Added value: +{
+  "description": "Paginated member or legislation results. Preserves upstream item shapes.",
+  "items": {},
+  "type": "array"
+}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / member
      Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "description": "Member profile detail when operation=\"get\".",
+  "propertyNames": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "object"
+}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / pagination
      Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "description": "Pagination metadata for list, sponsored, and cosponsored operations.",
+  "properties": {
+    "count": {
+      "description": "Total number of matching members or bills.",
+      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "nextOffset": {
+      "anyOf": [
+        {
+          "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+          "minimum": 0,
+          "type": "integer"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "null"
+        }
+      ],
+      "description": "Offset to request the next page, or null when there is no next page."
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "count",
+    "nextOffset"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}
  7. First observed

TDQS

A4.5/5.0
Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already supply readOnly, idempotent, and openWorld hints. The description adds meaningful behavioral context beyond those: it states that name search is not supported, that currentMember=true restricts to currently serving members, and that 'list' filtering follows specific combination patterns. No contradiction with annotations.

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

Conciseness5/5

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

Three sentences carry a large amount of operational guidance without fluff. The most important scoping caveat ('No name search') and the filtering rules are front-loaded, and the workflow progression from list to get/sponsored/cosponsored is logically structured.

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

Completeness5/5

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

For an 8-parameter tool with four operations, the description covers filter combinations, required dependencies, operation selection once bioguideId is known, and an explicit exclusion. Combined with a 100% described schema, rich annotations, and an output schema, nothing essential is missing for an agent to invoke it correctly.

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

Parameters4/5

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

Schema coverage is 100%, so baseline is 3. The description adds value by clarifying relationships: district requires stateCode, stateCode can pair with congress, and bioguideId is the key for get/sponsored/cosponsored. Concrete examples (e.g., 'CA district 12 in the 118th') reinforce parameter semantics beyond dry schema text.

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

Purpose5/5

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

The description names the resource ('congressional members and their legislative activity') with a clear verb ('Discover') and immediately delimits scope with 'No name search.' It also names the four operation modes, making the tool's purpose and boundaries obvious relative to sibling lookup tools.

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 explicit usage patterns for the 'list' operation—filter by stateCode, optionally with district, by congress, or both—and explains when to switch to 'get' or 'sponsored'/'cosponsored' once a bioguideId is known. It doesn't explicitly compare to sibling tools, but the domain and operation guidance are clear enough for correct invocation.

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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