GovGazette

Search federal records

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Read-onlyIdempotent

Search public opportunities, vendors, awards, exclusions, or reference collections. Results include provenance and a generation-pinned cursor.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`q`	No	Plain-language search terms; empty lists the selected collection.
`limit`	No	Maximum records to return, from 1 to 50.
`cursor`	No	Opaque next_cursor from the preceding search page.
`collection`	Yes	Public collection name, such as opportunities, vendors, awards, exclusions, or naics.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`items`	Yes	Matching public records.
`coverage`	No	Exclusion-specific source age and freshness warnings, when applicable.
`collection`	Yes	Collection searched, such as opportunities or awards.
`generation`	Yes	UUID of the snapshot used for every result on this page.
`next_cursor`	No	Opaque cursor for the next page, or null at the end.
`coverage_url`	No	Public source-date endpoint, when this collection supplies it.
`award_coverage`	No	Dated award coverage and official release availability, when applicable.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed4 schema fields changedOct 25, 2026

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardAvailability / properties / failure_kind
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": [
+    "string",
+    "null"
+  ]
+}
```
addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardAvailability / properties / failure_retry_seconds
```
Added value: +{
+  "format": "uint64",
+  "minimum": 0,
+  "type": "integer"
+}
```
addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardAvailability / properties / failure_stage
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": [
+    "string",
+    "null"
+  ]
+}
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / AwardAvailability / required

Previous value: -[
-  "state",
-  "check_interval_seconds",
-  "max_check_age_seconds"
-]New value: +[
+  "state",
+  "check_interval_seconds",
+  "failure_retry_seconds",
+  "max_check_age_seconds"
+]

Changed3 schema fields changedOct 8, 2026

addedOutput schema / $defs / SourceFreshness / properties / attention_required
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "boolean"
+}
```

addedOutput schema / $defs / SourceFreshness / properties / warn_age_seconds

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Early-warning boundary, separate from the stale-source boundary.",
+  "format": "int64",
+  "type": "integer"
+}

changedOutput schema / $defs / SourceFreshness / required

Previous value: -[
-  "state",
-  "evaluated_at",
-  "max_age_seconds"
-]New value: +[
+  "state",
+  "evaluated_at",
+  "max_age_seconds",
+  "warn_age_seconds",
+  "attention_required"
+]

Changed4 schema fields changedOct 7, 2026

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardAvailability

Added value: +{
+  "properties": {
+    "artifact_http_status": {
+      "format": "uint16",
+      "maximum": 65535,
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": [
+        "integer",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "check_interval_seconds": {
+      "format": "uint64",
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "checked_at": {
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "inventory_http_status": {
+      "format": "uint16",
+      "maximum": 65535,
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": [
+        "integer",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "latest_release_date": {
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "latest_release_url": {
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "max_check_age_seconds": {
+      "format": "int64",
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "state": {
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "state",
+    "check_interval_seconds",
+    "max_check_age_seconds"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardCoverage

Added value: +{
+  "properties": {
+    "dataset": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "freshness": {
+      "$ref": "#/$defs/AwardFreshness"
+    },
+    "source_date": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "source_url": {
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "dataset",
+    "source_date",
+    "source_url",
+    "freshness"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / AwardFreshness

Added value: +{
+  "properties": {
+    "age_state": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "age_warning_after_days": {
+      "format": "int64",
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "effective_source_date": {
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "source_age_days": {
+      "format": "int64",
+      "type": [
+        "integer",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "upstream": {
+      "$ref": "#/$defs/AwardAvailability"
+    },
+    "warning": {
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "age_state",
+    "age_warning_after_days",
+    "upstream"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / award_coverage

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Dated award coverage and official release availability, when applicable.",
+  "items": {
+    "$ref": "#/$defs/AwardCoverage"
+  },
+  "type": [
+    "array",
+    "null"
+  ]
+}

Changed4 schema fields changedOct 6, 2026

addedOutput schema / $defs / ExclusionCoverage

Added value: +{
+  "properties": {
+    "freshness": {
+      "$ref": "#/$defs/SourceFreshness",
+      "description": "Fresh, stale, unknown or unavailable, with age and the 24-hour warning policy."
+    },
+    "observed_at": {
+      "description": "Observation time does not replace the official source timestamp.",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "scope": {
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "sha256": {
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "source_date": {
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "source_url": {
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "status": {
+      "description": "Present as unavailable when no SAM coverage exists in this generation.",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "freshness"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / FreshnessState

Added value: +{
+  "enum": [
+    "fresh",
+    "stale",
+    "unknown",
+    "unavailable"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / $defs / SourceFreshness

Added value: +{
+  "properties": {
+    "evaluated_at": {
+      "description": "UTC time when age was evaluated; source and observation dates are unchanged.",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "max_age_seconds": {
+      "description": "Explicit warning threshold for this daily snapshot. Not a scheduler promise.",
+      "format": "int64",
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "source_age_seconds": {
+      "description": "Age of the official source timestamp, never the import or enrichment timestamp.",
+      "format": "int64",
+      "type": [
+        "integer",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "state": {
+      "$ref": "#/$defs/FreshnessState"
+    },
+    "warning": {
+      "description": "User-facing warning, or null when within the warning threshold.",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "state",
+    "evaluated_at",
+    "max_age_seconds"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / coverage

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "$ref": "#/$defs/ExclusionCoverage"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "description": "Exclusion-specific source age and freshness warnings, when applicable."
+}

Changed2 schema fields changedOct 2, 2026
- addedInput schema / properties / limit / maximum
```
Added value: +50
```
- changedInput schema / properties / limit / minimum
```
Previous value: -0New value: +1
```

Changed5 schema fields changedSep 24, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / collection / description

Added value: +"Public collection name, such as opportunities, vendors, awards, exclusions, or naics."

addedInput schema / properties / cursor / description

Added value: +"Opaque next_cursor from the preceding search page."

addedInput schema / properties / limit / description

Added value: +"Maximum records to return, from 1 to 50."

addedInput schema / properties / q / description

Added value: +"Plain-language search terms; empty lists the selected collection."

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "$defs": {
+    "JsonObject": {
+      "description": "Source-specific JSON map. The envelope is stable; map keys vary by official source.",
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "RecordSummary": {
+      "properties": {
+        "data": {
+          "$ref": "#/$defs/JsonObject",
+          "description": "Source-specific fields, including provenance and official identifiers."
+        },
+        "id": {
+          "description": "Stable identifier for a record in this generation.",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "summary": {
+          "description": "Short searchable text, when returned by this operation.",
+          "type": [
+            "string",
+            "null"
+          ]
+        },
+        "title": {
+          "description": "Human-readable record title.",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "url": {
+          "description": "Public canonical path for the record.",
+          "type": "string"
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "id",
+        "title",
+        "url",
+        "data"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    }
+  },
+  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
+  "properties": {
+    "collection": {
+      "description": "Collection searched, such as opportunities or awards.",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "coverage_url": {
+      "description": "Public source-date endpoint, when this collection supplies it.",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "generation": {
+      "description": "UUID of the snapshot used for every result on this page.",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "items": {
+      "description": "Matching public records.",
+      "items": {
+        "$ref": "#/$defs/RecordSummary"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "next_cursor": {
+      "description": "Opaque cursor for the next page, or null at the end.",
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "generation",
+    "collection",
+    "items"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

AddedSep 22, 2026

TDQS

A3.8/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnly, idempotent, openWorld, and non-destructive, so the safety profile is covered. The description adds genuinely new behavioral detail — results carry provenance and the cursor is generation-pinned, meaning pagination is stable against index changes — which is exactly the kind of context annotations cannot convey.

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, no filler. The scope of searchable collections comes first and the result-shape note second, which is the right front-loading order.

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?

With an output schema present and full schema coverage, the description needn't explain return values, and it correctly restricts itself to the pagination/provenance caveat. The one missing piece is routing guidance versus the specialized search_* siblings, which matters given how many of them exist.

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 q, limit, cursor, and collection are all documented in the schema, establishing the baseline of 3. The description's collection enumeration mirrors the schema's own examples and adds no syntax, format, or defaulting detail beyond it.

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?

States a specific verb (search) and enumerates the resource families it covers (opportunities, vendors, awards, exclusions, reference collections), which is far more informative than the bare name. It doesn't differentiate itself from the specialized siblings search_opportunities and search_exclusions, so an agent can't tell from this text alone whether this is the general-purpose entry point or a duplicate.

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 only implied by the collection list: it hints that this tool spans multiple collections, while the siblings are collection-specific. There is no explicit 'use this when searching across collections' or 'prefer search_opportunities for opportunity-only queries' statement, and no prerequisites or exclusions are given.

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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