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Oravan

by org.oravan
OverviewDiscussionsAdmin

Search bills

search_bills
Read-only

Search Oravan's bilingual federal bill corpus by free-text query, issue topic, status, or active-only. Returns short teasers (headline, status, decision_state, urgency) for matching bills, most urgent first. The urgency_score is ranked from status and recency alone; decision_state says whether a decision is still ahead.

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "search_bills"
  }
}

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
limitNoMax results (default 20, max 50).
queryNoFree-text search. Every word must appear somewhere in the bill title, short title, plain-language headline and summary, or topic names (any order, accents ignored). A bill number in any common form ("H.Con.Res. 89", "hconres 89", "hconres-89-119") matches that bill exactly.
topicNoOne of the 12 issue categories.
localeNoResponse language: "en" (default) or "es".
statusNoBill status to filter to.
active_onlyNoExclude signed/vetoed (terminal) bills when true.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed1 schema field changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / query / description
      Previous value: -"Free-text search over the bill title and plain-language summary."New value: +"Free-text search. Every word must appear somewhere in the bill title, short title, plain-language headline and summary, or topic names (any order, accents ignored). A bill number in any common form (\"H.Con.Res. 89\", \"hconres 89\", \"hconres-89-119\") matches that bill exactly."
  2. First observed

TDQS

A3.7/5.0
Behavior4/5

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

Annotations only declare readOnlyHint and openWorldHint=false; the description goes further by explaining that results are short teasers, that they come back most-urgent-first, and that urgency_score is derived from status and recency alone while decision_state indicates whether a decision is still ahead. This is genuine behavioral context about how results are computed and shaped.

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?

Three tight sentences with the search scope front-loaded, followed by return shape and ranking semantics. No filler, though the phrasing is dense enough that it could be split for easier scanning.

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 no output schema, the description correctly compensates by naming the returned fields (headline, status, decision_state, urgency) and clarifying that they are teasers rather than full bill text. All six parameters are documented 100% in the schema, so nothing critical is missing for correct invocation.

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 the schema already documents limit, query syntax, topic enum, locale, status enum and active_only in detail. The description merely restates the filter categories and adds no syntax or format information beyond what the schema carries, making the baseline 3 appropriate.

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 resource (bilingual federal bill corpus) and enumerates the four filter dimensions (query, topic, status, active-only). It does not explicitly distinguish itself from the sibling whats_moving, which arguably overlaps with the 'most urgent first' framing.

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: returning 'short teasers' suggests this is a discovery step before get_bill for full detail, and the urgency framing hints at a relationship with whats_moving. But neither alternative is named and there is no explicit when-to-use or when-not-to-use statement.

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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