MatchAwards

Search grants

search_grants

Read-onlyIdempotent

Use this when the user wants US federal grants or funding opportunities.

Filters: naics (up to 10 codes), keyword (title only), posted_within_days (1 to 180), open (default true: open grants of any age), limit (1 to 50, default 20). Grant notices carry no state. If has_more is true, call again with cursor=next_cursor and the same filters. Example: keyword="broadband". Pass several NAICS codes in one call.

Open status may lag for grants that closed recently, so check response_deadline.

Print each result's url as a markdown link.

Do not use for contracts to bid on (search_contracts) or jobs (search_jobs).

When you are done searching, call show_results once with the best ids; it shows them as a card the user can pick from.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`open`	No	true (the default): only items with a response deadline of today or later, US Eastern; an item with no deadline counts as closed. false: include closed ones.
`limit`	No	Number of results to return, 1 to 50.
`naics`	No	Up to 10 six-digit NAICS codes, comma-separated, e.g. '236220' or '541511,541512'. A record matches on its own codes (matched_naics says which). Unknown codes are ignored.
`cursor`	No	next_cursor from the previous response. Pass it with the same filters to get the next page.
`keyword`	No	2 to 100 characters matched against the title only.
`posted_within_days`	No	Only items posted in the last N days, 1 to 180 (default 180).

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`note`	No
`as_of`	No	When the API generated the results (ISO time).
`results`	Yes
`warning`	No	Set when paging stopped early; the results so far are still valid.
`has_more`	Yes	true: call again with cursor=next_cursor and the same filters.
`next_cursor`	No

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed6 schema fields changedOct 13, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / naics / description

Previous value: -"Up to 10 six-digit NAICS codes, comma-separated, e.g. '236220' or '541511,541512'. Unknown codes are ignored."New value: +"Up to 10 six-digit NAICS codes, comma-separated, e.g. '236220' or '541511,541512'. A record matches on its own codes (matched_naics says which). Unknown codes are ignored."

addedOutput schema / $defs

Added value: +{
+  "Naics": {
+    "properties": {
+      "code": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "title": "Code"
+      },
+      "title": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "title": "Title"
+      }
+    },
+    "title": "Naics",
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "OpportunityRow": {
+    "description": "One search result. Jobs fill title, agency (the employer), state, city, posted_at and url only.",
+    "properties": {
+      "agency": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "title": "Agency"
+      },
+      "agency_id": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "description": "The agency's MatchAwards id.",
+        "title": "Agency Id"
+      },
+      "ai_matched_naics": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "items": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "type": "array"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "description": "Only when you filtered by naics: requested codes this contract notice matched only because MatchAwards' AI suggested them, not its own codes. Call such a match AI-suggested.",
+        "title": "Ai Matched Naics"
+      },
+      "city": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "title": "City"
+      },
+      "id": {
+        "description": "Pass to get_opportunity for the description and contacts.",
+        "title": "Id",
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "matched_naics": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "items": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "type": "array"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "description": "Only when you filtered by naics: the requested codes this record carries: its own code (in naics) or, for a grant or job, another code of its program or occupation.",
+        "title": "Matched Naics"
+      },
+      "naics": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "$ref": "#/$defs/Naics"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "description": "On state notices (type state) the naics code itself is AI-assigned."
+      },
+      "no_fixed_deadline": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "boolean"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "description": "true: the deadline is a placeholder date.",
+        "title": "No Fixed Deadline"
+      },
+      "office": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "title": "Office"
+      },
+      "posted_at": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "description": "Date, YYYY-MM-DD.",
+        "title": "Posted At"
+      },
+      "response_deadline": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "description": "Date, YYYY-MM-DD; null if none.",
+        "title": "Response Deadline"
+      },
+      "sam_url": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "description": "The SAM.gov notice (federal only). Show it as a markdown link.",
+        "title": "Sam Url"
+      },
+      "set_aside": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "title": "Set Aside"
+      },
+      "solicitation_number": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "title": "Solicitation Number"
+      },
+      "state": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "title": "State"
+      },
+      "title": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "title": "Title"
+      },
+      "type": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "description": "federal, state, grant or job.",
+        "title": "Type"
+      },
+      "url": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "null"
+          }
+        ],
+        "default": null,
+        "description": "The posting on matchawards.com. Show it as a markdown link.",
+        "title": "Url"
+      }
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "id"
+    ],
+    "title": "OpportunityRow",
+    "type": "object"
+  }
+}

removedOutput schema / additionalProperties
```
Removed value: -true
```

addedOutput schema / properties

Added value: +{
+  "as_of": {
+    "anyOf": [
+      {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      {
+        "type": "null"
+      }
+    ],
+    "default": null,
+    "description": "When the API generated the results (ISO time).",
+    "title": "As Of"
+  },
+  "has_more": {
+    "description": "true: call again with cursor=next_cursor and the same filters.",
+    "title": "Has More",
+    "type": "boolean"
+  },
+  "next_cursor": {
+    "anyOf": [
+      {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      {
+        "type": "null"
+      }
+    ],
+    "default": null,
+    "title": "Next Cursor"
+  },
+  "note": {
+    "anyOf": [
+      {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      {
+        "type": "null"
+      }
+    ],
+    "default": null,
+    "title": "Note"
+  },
+  "results": {
+    "items": {
+      "$ref": "#/$defs/OpportunityRow"
+    },
+    "title": "Results",
+    "type": "array"
+  },
+  "warning": {
+    "anyOf": [
+      {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      {
+        "type": "null"
+      }
+    ],
+    "default": null,
+    "description": "Set when paging stopped early; the results so far are still valid.",
+    "title": "Warning"
+  }
+}

addedOutput schema / required

Added value: +[
+  "results",
+  "has_more"
+]

changedOutput schema / title

Previous value: -"search_grantsDictOutput"New value: +"SearchResult"

First observedOct 8, 2026

TDQS

A4.5/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already cover read-only/idempotent/non-destructive, so the bar is lower, and the description still adds real behavior: grant notices carry no state, open-status can lag for recently closed grants so response_deadline should be checked, and pagination is driven by has_more/next_cursor with the same filters. It stops short of describing result cardinality or ordering, but the lag caveat is genuinely useful context beyond the 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?

Front-loads the trigger, then filters, then pagination, then exclusions, then the closing action — each sentence carries a distinct instruction. The output-format line ("print each result's url as a markdown link") is instruction rather than description, but it is one short sentence and earns its place.

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?

An output schema exists, so return values need no explanation, and the description still names the response fields that drive behavior (has_more, next_cursor, response_deadline, matched_naics). For a 6-param, zero-required search tool, an agent has everything needed to call it and to chain it correctly.

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 parameter is already documented (including the subtle "no deadline counts as closed" rule and the NAICS pattern). The description mostly restates those constraints and adds only marginal value — the example keyword="broadband" and "pass several NAICS codes in one call". Baseline 3 is correct.

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?

States a specific verb and resource (US federal grants / funding opportunities) and scopes it geographically and by record type. It explicitly names what it is not for (search_contracts, search_jobs), so an agent can route between near-identical siblings without opening a schema.

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

Usage Guidelines5/5

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

Gives an explicit when-to-use trigger ("user wants US federal grants"), two named exclusions with the alternative tool for each, and a follow-up choreography rule ("call show_results once with the best ids"). Nothing about selection is left to inference.

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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