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congressgov-mcp-server

Congress.gov Senate Nominations

congressgov_senate_nominations
Read-onlyIdempotent

Browse presidential nominations to federal positions and track the Senate confirmation process. Use 'list' to browse, 'get' for nomination detail, 'actions'/'committees'/'hearings' for confirmation pipeline data, or 'nominees' to retrieve individual appointees in a multi-nominee batch. Nominations use 'PN' (Presidential Nomination) numbering. Most nominations carry confirmation activity on the parent (e.g., PN1000); multi-part parents (e.g., PN851) carry no activity of their own — their actions, committees, hearings, and nominees live on partitioned children (PN851-1, PN851-2, …). 'get' on a parent that has no nominees array signals the partitioned form is needed for everything below it. An action that cites its own Senate record vote — an actions row, or latestAction on list and get — carries rollVote, the congressgov_roll_votes arguments for that vote.

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
limitNoResults per page (1-250).
offsetNoPagination offset.
ordinalNoBatch ordinal within a multi-nominee nomination. Each ordinal addresses a group of nominees; the 'nominees' operation returns every individual in that batch. Use 'get' first to see available ordinals on the nomination's `nominees` array (multi-part parents have no nominees array — use a partitioned form like '851-1' instead).
congressYesCongress number.
operationYesWhich data to retrieve.
nominationNumberNoNomination number. Use the bare form (e.g. '1000') for nominations whose activity sits on the parent; use the partitioned form (e.g. '851-1') for sub-resources of a multi-part nomination. Required for detail operations.

Output Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
dataNoResult rows for `list` and the sub-resource operations.
errorNoPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
noticeNoGuidance when results are empty, a page is past the end, or a caveat applies.
nominationNoNomination record for `get` (description, dates, nominees array, sub-resource counts); absent for `list` and sub-resources.
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. Changed8 schema fields changed
    • changedOutput schema / properties / data / description
      Previous value: -"Result rows. Per-tool item shape is rendered in the markdown body."New value: +"Result rows for `list` and the sub-resource operations."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / data / items / description
      Previous value: -"Upstream JSON record. Per-tool item shape is rendered in the markdown body."New value: +"Upstream JSON record: a nomination (`list`), an action (`actions`), a committee, a hearing, or a nominee. A `list` row's `latestAction` and an `actions` row carry `rollVote` when they cite their own Senate record vote."
    • addedOutput schema / properties / data / items / properties / latestAction
      Added value: +{
      +  "anyOf": [
      +    {
      +      "additionalProperties": {},
      +      "properties": {
      +        "rollVote": {
      +          "additionalProperties": false,
      +          "description": "Arguments for congressgov_roll_votes that retrieve the Senate roll call vote this action cites as its own. Absent when the action cites no vote of its own (a back-reference such as \"(Record Vote No. 318)\" names another action's vote), and for votes before the feed starts — the Senate publishes roll call votes from the 101st Congress (1989) onward.",
      +          "properties": {
      +            "chamber": {
      +              "const": "senate",
      +              "description": "Always 'senate'. Pass it: congressgov_roll_votes defaults to 'house', whose vote with the same number is a different vote.",
      +              "type": "string"
      +            },
      +            "congress": {
      +              "description": "Congress the vote was cast in.",
      +              "exclusiveMinimum": 0,
      +              "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +              "type": "integer"
      +            },
      +            "session": {
      +              "description": "Session the vote was cast in, from the action date: the congress's first year is session 1; its second year, and January 1–3 of the year after, session 2.",
      +              "maximum": 2,
      +              "minimum": 1,
      +              "type": "integer"
      +            },
      +            "voteNumber": {
      +              "description": "Senate roll call number the action cites.",
      +              "exclusiveMinimum": 0,
      +              "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +              "type": "integer"
      +            }
      +          },
      +          "required": [
      +            "chamber",
      +            "congress",
      +            "session",
      +            "voteNumber"
      +          ],
      +          "type": "object"
      +        }
      +      },
      +      "type": "object"
      +    },
      +    {
      +      "type": "null"
      +    }
      +  ],
      +  "description": "Most recent action (`actionDate`, `text`), with `rollVote` when its text cites its own Senate record vote. Null or absent on a multi-part parent (e.g. PN730)."
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / data / items / properties / rollVote
      Added value: +{
      +  "additionalProperties": false,
      +  "description": "Arguments for congressgov_roll_votes that retrieve the Senate roll call vote this action cites as its own. Absent when the action cites no vote of its own (a back-reference such as \"(Record Vote No. 318)\" names another action's vote), and for votes before the feed starts — the Senate publishes roll call votes from the 101st Congress (1989) onward.",
      +  "properties": {
      +    "chamber": {
      +      "const": "senate",
      +      "description": "Always 'senate'. Pass it: congressgov_roll_votes defaults to 'house', whose vote with the same number is a different vote.",
      +      "type": "string"
      +    },
      +    "congress": {
      +      "description": "Congress the vote was cast in.",
      +      "exclusiveMinimum": 0,
      +      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +      "type": "integer"
      +    },
      +    "session": {
      +      "description": "Session the vote was cast in, from the action date: the congress's first year is session 1; its second year, and January 1–3 of the year after, session 2.",
      +      "maximum": 2,
      +      "minimum": 1,
      +      "type": "integer"
      +    },
      +    "voteNumber": {
      +      "description": "Senate roll call number the action cites.",
      +      "exclusiveMinimum": 0,
      +      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +      "type": "integer"
      +    }
      +  },
      +  "required": [
      +    "chamber",
      +    "congress",
      +    "session",
      +    "voteNumber"
      +  ],
      +  "type": "object"
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description
      Previous value: -"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`: A process-local attempt budget or the shared upstream credential/IP quota was reached; upstream hourly limits vary and DEMO_KEY also has a daily quota. `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). `upstream_timeout`: The Congress.gov request deadline expired or the upstream returned an HTTP timeout response. `incompatible_identity`: A list operation carries an entity identifier that only a detail operation uses. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"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`: A process-local attempt budget or the shared upstream credential/IP quota was reached; upstream hourly limits vary and DEMO_KEY also has a daily quota. `invalid_request`: Congress.gov rejected the request as malformed — a bad date range or an identifier with an unexpected shape. `api_key_rejected`: The api.data.gov gateway rejected the server's configured CONGRESS_API_KEY (missing, invalid, disabled, unauthorized, or unverified); the gateway code is in data.upstreamCode. No change to the call's arguments can fix it. `upstream_error`: Congress.gov returned an unexpected error (5xx or another non-2xx status) or could not be reached, or the Senate LIS feed failed (5xx, a timeout, or a senate.gov HTTP 403 refusal, which carries retryable: false). `upstream_timeout`: A Congress.gov request or a congress.gov document fetch timed out or returned an HTTP timeout response, or the call's upstream requests could not finish inside its 50-second budget. `incompatible_identity`: A list operation carries an entity identifier that only a detail operation uses. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples
      Previous value: -[
      -  "not_found",
      -  "rate_limited",
      -  "invalid_request",
      -  "upstream_error",
      -  "upstream_timeout",
      -  "incompatible_identity"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "not_found",
      +  "rate_limited",
      +  "invalid_request",
      +  "api_key_rejected",
      +  "upstream_error",
      +  "upstream_timeout",
      +  "incompatible_identity"
      +]
    • changedOutput schema / properties / nomination / description
      Previous value: -"Dynamic upstream JSON record."New value: +"Nomination record for `get` (description, dates, nominees array, sub-resource counts); absent for `list` and sub-resources."
    • addedOutput schema / properties / nomination / properties / latestAction
      Added value: +{
      +  "anyOf": [
      +    {
      +      "additionalProperties": {},
      +      "properties": {
      +        "rollVote": {
      +          "additionalProperties": false,
      +          "description": "Arguments for congressgov_roll_votes that retrieve the Senate roll call vote this action cites as its own. Absent when the action cites no vote of its own (a back-reference such as \"(Record Vote No. 318)\" names another action's vote), and for votes before the feed starts — the Senate publishes roll call votes from the 101st Congress (1989) onward.",
      +          "properties": {
      +            "chamber": {
      +              "const": "senate",
      +              "description": "Always 'senate'. Pass it: congressgov_roll_votes defaults to 'house', whose vote with the same number is a different vote.",
      +              "type": "string"
      +            },
      +            "congress": {
      +              "description": "Congress the vote was cast in.",
      +              "exclusiveMinimum": 0,
      +              "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +              "type": "integer"
      +            },
      +            "session": {
      +              "description": "Session the vote was cast in, from the action date: the congress's first year is session 1; its second year, and January 1–3 of the year after, session 2.",
      +              "maximum": 2,
      +              "minimum": 1,
      +              "type": "integer"
      +            },
      +            "voteNumber": {
      +              "description": "Senate roll call number the action cites.",
      +              "exclusiveMinimum": 0,
      +              "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +              "type": "integer"
      +            }
      +          },
      +          "required": [
      +            "chamber",
      +            "congress",
      +            "session",
      +            "voteNumber"
      +          ],
      +          "type": "object"
      +        }
      +      },
      +      "type": "object"
      +    },
      +    {
      +      "type": "null"
      +    }
      +  ],
      +  "description": "Most recent action (`actionDate`, `text`), with `rollVote` when its text cites its own Senate record vote. Null or absent on a multi-part parent (e.g. PN730)."
      +}
  2. Changed2 schema fields changed
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description
      Previous value: -"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."New value: +"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`: A process-local attempt budget or the shared upstream credential/IP quota was reached; upstream hourly limits vary and DEMO_KEY also has a daily quota. `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). `upstream_timeout`: The Congress.gov request deadline expired or the upstream returned an HTTP timeout response. `incompatible_identity`: A list operation carries an entity identifier that only a detail operation uses. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples
      Previous value: -[
      -  "not_found",
      -  "rate_limited",
      -  "invalid_request",
      -  "upstream_error"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "not_found",
      +  "rate_limited",
      +  "invalid_request",
      +  "upstream_error",
      +  "upstream_timeout",
      +  "incompatible_identity"
      +]
  3. Changed1 schema field changed
    • addedOutput schema / properties / nomination
      Added value: +{
      +  "additionalProperties": {},
      +  "description": "Dynamic upstream JSON record.",
      +  "properties": {},
      +  "type": "object"
      +}
  4. 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"
      -]
  5. Changed6 schema fields changed
    • removedOutput schema / description
      Removed value: -"Detail-mode key 'nomination' carries: Nomination record for `get` (description, dates, nominees array, sub-resource counts); absent for `list` and sub-resources."
    • 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"
      +]
  6. Changed4 schema fields changed
    • changedOutput schema / description
      Previous value: -"Nomination data from Congress.gov API."New value: +"Detail-mode key 'nomination' carries: Nomination record for `get` (description, dates, nominees array, sub-resource counts); absent for `list` and sub-resources."
    • 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"
      +}
  7. Changed2 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / nominationNumber / description
      Previous value: -"Nomination number (e.g., '1064'). Required for detail operations."New value: +"Nomination number. Use the bare form (e.g. '1000') for nominations whose activity sits on the parent; use the partitioned form (e.g. '851-1') for sub-resources of a multi-part nomination. Required for detail operations."
    • changedInput schema / properties / ordinal / description
      Previous value: -"Batch ordinal within a multi-nominee nomination. Each ordinal addresses a group of nominees; the 'nominees' operation returns every individual in that batch. Use 'get' first to see available ordinals on the nomination's `nominees` array."New value: +"Batch ordinal within a multi-nominee nomination. Each ordinal addresses a group of nominees; the 'nominees' operation returns every individual in that batch. Use 'get' first to see available ordinals on the nomination's `nominees` array (multi-part parents have no nominees array — use a partitioned form like '851-1' instead)."
  8. Changed1 schema field changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / ordinal / description
      Previous value: -"Position ordinal within a nomination (for multi-nominee nominations)."New value: +"Batch ordinal within a multi-nominee nomination. Each ordinal addresses a group of nominees; the 'nominees' operation returns every individual in that batch. Use 'get' first to see available ordinals on the nomination's `nominees` array."
  9. First observed

TDQS

A4.6/5.0
Behavior5/5

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

Beyond the readOnly/openWorld/idempotent annotations, the description discloses important domain behavior: PN numbering, parent-versus-partitioned nomination structure, the fact that multi-part parents carry no activity of their own, and the signal that a missing `nominees` array indicates partitioned children are needed. It also notes that action rows and latestAction may carry `rollVote` arguments for congressgov_roll_votes.

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

Conciseness4/5

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

The description is dense but front-loaded: purpose first, then operation mapping, then the PN and partition rules. Every sentence carries useful information, though the parent/partition and rollVote explanations are necessarily complex and could be easier to scan if formatted.

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 a complex, multi-operation tool with six parameters and an output schema, the description covers the key call-routing rules and the main structural gotcha around partitioned nominations. Return-value details are appropriately left to the output schema.

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 description coverage is 100%, so the schema already defines the parameters. The description still adds meaningful semantics for `operation` by mapping each enum value to a purpose, and for `nominationNumber` by explaining bare versus partitioned forms.

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 states a specific verb and resource: browsing presidential nominations and tracking the Senate confirmation process. It immediately distinguishes the relevant data domain and enumerates the available operations, so an agent can tell that this tool handles nominations rather than bills, committees, members, or votes.

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 operation-selection guidance: 'list' to browse, 'get' for detail, 'actions'/'committees'/'hearings' for pipeline data, and 'nominees' for multi-nominee batches. It also explains when partitioned forms like '851-1' are needed, though it does not explicitly contrast this tool with sibling Congress.gov tools beyond pointing to congressgov_roll_votes for rollVote arguments.

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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