openfec-mcp-server

Openfec Search Filings

openfec_search_filings

Read-onlyIdempotent

Search FEC filings and reports by committee, candidate, form type, or date range. Covers financial reports (F3/F3P/F3X), statements of candidacy (F2), organizational filings (F1), 24-hour IE notices (F24), and amendments.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`page`	No	Page number (1-indexed).
`cycle`	No	Two-year election cycle (even year).
`per_page`	No	Results per page. At most 65 are requested upstream, keeping the response under a 100,000-byte budget. A page bounded below your request reports truncated and cap, and pagination.per_page echoes the size applied — page numbers count at that size, so continue with the next page number.
`form_type`	No	FEC form type. Common: F3 (House/Senate quarterly), F3P (Presidential), F3X (PAC/party), F24 (24-hour IE notice), F1 (statement of organization), F2 (statement of candidacy), F5 (IE by persons).
`filer_name`	No	Full-text filer name search.
`is_amended`	No	Filter to original or amended filings only.
`most_recent`	No	Only the most recent version (filters out superseded amendments).
`report_type`	No	Report type code. Common: Q1/Q2/Q3 (quarterly), YE (year-end), M3-M12 (monthly), 12G/12P/30G (pre/post election).
`report_year`	No	Filing year.
`candidate_id`	No	Associated candidate ID (e.g., P00003392). Get IDs from openfec_search_candidates results.
`committee_id`	No	Filing committee ID (e.g., C00358796). Get IDs from openfec_search_committees results.
`max_receipt_date`	No	Latest FEC receipt date (YYYY-MM-DD).
`min_receipt_date`	No	Earliest date FEC received the filing (YYYY-MM-DD).

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`cap`	No	The per_page this call applied in place of the one requested — the page-size ceiling for this tool and scope. Present only when truncated is true.
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`shown`	No	Rows in this page. Present only when truncated is true.
`notice`	No	Guidance when the response needs context: how to broaden a search that matched nothing, which requested position ran out when filings did match, that the total is an estimate, or that the page was bounded below the per_page requested and how to continue.
`results`	No	Filing result set; one record per match.
`truncated`	No	True when this page holds fewer rows than the per_page requested because a full page would exceed the 100,000-byte response budget, and more rows remain. Absent on a complete page, including a naturally short last page.
`pagination`	No	Page-based pagination metadata.
`totalCount`	No	Total matching filings before pagination.
`search_criteria`	No	Echo of the search filters this call applied, as the server parsed them, minus paging arguments. Always present — compare it against what you sent to confirm every filter was honoured.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed5 schema fields changedSep 24, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / per_page / description

Previous value: -"Results per page."New value: +"Results per page. At most 65 are requested upstream, keeping the response under a 100,000-byte budget. A page bounded below your request reports truncated and cap, and pagination.per_page echoes the size applied — page numbers count at that size, so continue with the next page number."

addedOutput schema / properties / cap

Added value: +{
+  "description": "The per_page this call applied in place of the one requested — the page-size ceiling for this tool and scope. Present only when truncated is true.",
+  "type": "number"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description

Previous value: -"Guidance when the response needs context: how to broaden a search that matched nothing, which requested position ran out when filings did match, or that the total is an estimate."New value: +"Guidance when the response needs context: how to broaden a search that matched nothing, which requested position ran out when filings did match, that the total is an estimate, or that the page was bounded below the per_page requested and how to continue."

addedOutput schema / properties / shown

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Rows in this page. Present only when truncated is true.",
+  "type": "number"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / truncated

Added value: +{
+  "description": "True when this page holds fewer rows than the per_page requested because a full page would exceed the 100,000-byte response budget, and more rows remain. Absent on a complete page, including a naturally short last page.",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

Changed2 schema fields changedSep 22, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description

Previous value: -"Guidance when no filings matched — echoes filters and suggests how to broaden."New value: +"Guidance when the response needs context: how to broaden a search that matched nothing, which requested position ran out when filings did match, or that the total is an estimate."

addedOutput schema / properties / pagination / properties / count_is_approximate

Added value: +{
+  "description": "True when OpenFEC reports this count as an estimate rather than a tally, which it does on its highest-volume datasets. Absent means the count is a tally. An estimated count — and the pages derived from it — can be off by a wide margin; treat it as an order of magnitude, not a figure to quote.",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

Changed6 schema fields changedAug 25, 2026

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": [
+      "results",
+      "pagination",
+      "search_criteria",
+      "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.",
+          "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: -[
-  "results",
-  "pagination",
-  "search_criteria",
-  "totalCount"
-]

Changed2 schema fields changedJul 26, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / search_criteria / description

Previous value: -"Echo of the search filters that produced this result set. Populated when results are empty to help diagnose why nothing matched."New value: +"Echo of the search filters this call applied, as the server parsed them, minus paging arguments. Always present — compare it against what you sent to confirm every filter was honoured."

changedOutput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "results",
-  "pagination",
-  "totalCount"
-]New value: +[
+  "results",
+  "pagination",
+  "search_criteria",
+  "totalCount"
+]

Changed2 schema fields changedJun 8, 2026
- removedInput schema / properties / candidate_id / pattern
```
Removed value: -"^[HSP][0-9A-Z]+$"
```
- removedInput schema / properties / committee_id / pattern
```
Removed value: -"^C\\d+$"
```

Changed3 schema fields changedMay 30, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / notice

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Guidance when no filings matched — echoes filters and suggests how to broaden.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / totalCount

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Total matching filings before pagination.",
+  "type": "number"
+}

changedOutput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "results",
-  "pagination"
-]New value: +[
+  "results",
+  "pagination",
+  "totalCount"
+]

Changed4 schema fields changedMay 27, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / candidate_id / description

Previous value: -"Associated candidate ID."New value: +"Associated candidate ID (e.g., P00003392). Get IDs from openfec_search_candidates results."

addedInput schema / properties / candidate_id / pattern
```
Added value: +"^[HSP][0-9A-Z]+$"
```

changedInput schema / properties / committee_id / description

Previous value: -"Filing committee ID."New value: +"Filing committee ID (e.g., C00358796). Get IDs from openfec_search_committees results."

addedInput schema / properties / committee_id / pattern
```
Added value: +"^C\\d+$"
```

Changed15 schema fields changedMay 8, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / most_recent / default
```
Added value: +true
```

changedInput schema / properties / most_recent / description

Previous value: -"Only the most recent version (filters out superseded amendments). Default true."New value: +"Only the most recent version (filters out superseded amendments)."

addedInput schema / properties / page / default
```
Added value: +1
```

changedInput schema / properties / page / description

Previous value: -"Page number (1-indexed). Default 1."New value: +"Page number (1-indexed)."

addedInput schema / properties / page / maximum
```
Added value: +9007199254740991
```
addedInput schema / properties / page / minimum
```
Added value: +1
```

changedInput schema / properties / page / type

Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"

addedInput schema / properties / per_page / default
```
Added value: +20
```

changedInput schema / properties / per_page / description

Previous value: -"Results per page. Default 20, max 100."New value: +"Results per page."

addedInput schema / properties / per_page / maximum
```
Added value: +100
```
addedInput schema / properties / per_page / minimum
```
Added value: +1
```

changedInput schema / properties / per_page / type

Previous value: -"number"New value: +"integer"

removedOutput schema / properties / filings

Removed value: -{
-  "description": "Filing records with form_type, committee, report_type, financial totals, pdf_url, etc.",
-  "items": {
-    "additionalProperties": {},
-    "description": "A filing record (form_type, committee, report_type, financial totals, pdf_url, ...).",
-    "properties": {},
-    "type": "object"
-  },
-  "type": "array"
-}

addedOutput schema / properties / results

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Filing result set; one record per match.",
+  "items": {
+    "additionalProperties": {},
+    "description": "Filing record; common keys include form_type, committee_id, committee_name, report_type, financial totals, and pdf_url.",
+    "properties": {},
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

changedOutput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "filings",
-  "pagination"
-]New value: +[
+  "results",
+  "pagination"
+]

Changed1 schema field changedApr 24, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / filings / items / description

Added value: +"A filing record (form_type, committee, report_type, financial totals, pdf_url, ...)."

Changed4 schema fields changedApr 21, 2026
- addedOutput schema / properties / filings / items / properties
```
Added value: +{}
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / filings / items / propertyNames
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / search_criteria / properties
```
Added value: +{}
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / search_criteria / propertyNames
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}
```
First observedApr 13, 2026

TDQS

A3.8/5.0

Behavior3/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint=true and idempotentHint=true, so the read-only safety profile is covered and the bar is lower. The description adds the scope of covered forms (financial reports, statements of candidacy, organizational filings, etc.) but discloses no behavioral traits such as result truncation, pagination semantics, or response structure — those live in the per_page parameter schema rather than the description.

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?

Two sentences with zero filler: the verb-resource-scope is front-loaded, and the form-type list earns its place by mapping directly to the form_type parameter and bounding the tool's coverage. Nothing extraneous and no repetition of annotation or schema content.

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?

Given a fully described 13-parameter schema, an output schema, and read-only/idempotent annotations, the description is largely complete for a search tool. The only high-level behavior it omits (truncation and pagination semantics for large page sizes) is already well documented in the per_page parameter description, so an agent is not left without guidance.

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 description coverage is 100%, so every one of the 13 parameters is already documented in the schema, including per_page's detailed truncation/budget explanation and form_type's common-code enumeration. The description's phrase 'by committee, candidate, form type, or date range' is a light echo of those param descriptions, adding little semantic value beyond the baseline 3.

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 opens with a specific verb-resource-scope statement: 'Search FEC filings and reports by committee, candidate, form type, or date range.' The enumerated form types (F3/F3P/F3X, F2, F1, F24) make the resource unambiguous and visibly distinguish it from siblings openfec_search_candidates, openfec_search_committees, openfec_search_contributions, and the expenditure/disbursement searches. An agent can tell this is the filings search without opening the schema.

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?

Usage is implied rather than stated: the description makes clear this is the general filings search, and siblings are cleanly separated by the resource name. However, it never explicitly says when to use this tool versus alternatives, nor does it warn that candidate/committee searches have their own dedicated siblings — an agent might attempt to use this tool to find candidate or committee profiles, which are other tools' jobs.

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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Openfec Search Filings

Input Schema

Output Schema

Schema Changelog

TDQS

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