CongressMCP-full

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Get Members by Congress - All members who served in a specific Congress

get_members_by_congress

Retrieve members of a specific U.S. Congress by number, with optional current-member filtering and result limits for precise legislative lookups.

Instructions

Get members who served in a specific Congress.

Args:
    ctx: Context for API requests
    congress: Congress number (e.g., 118 for 118th Congress)
    current_member: Whether to only show current members
    limit: Maximum number of members to return

Returns:
    List of members who served in the specified Congress

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`limit`	No
`congress`	Yes
`current_member`	No

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`error`	No	Present when success is false: the section-9 error envelope
`items`	No	Results of other kinds (bills, reports, communications, nominations), as returned by Congress.gov
`context`	Yes	Context about the search or operation performed
`members`	No	Member results
`success`	Yes	Whether the operation was successful
`summary`	Yes	Human-readable summary of the results
`item_kind`	No	What `items` contains (bill, committee_report, communication, nomination, ...)
`operation`	Yes	The operation that was performed
`committees`	No	Committee results
`results_count`	Yes	Number of items returned (equals the populated list's length)

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed34 schema fields changedv2.2.0Aug 26, 2026

addedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / chamber / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / chamber / default
```
Added value: +null
```
removedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / chamber / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / committee_code / description

Previous value: -"Official committee code"New value: +"Official committee system code (e.g. hsju00)"

addedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / committee_type / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / committee_type / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / committee_type / description

Previous value: -"Type of committee (Standing, Select, etc.)"New value: +"Type of committee (Standing, Select, ...)"

removedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / committee_type / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```
addedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / url / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / url / description

Previous value: -"Congress.gov URL for committee details"New value: +"Congress.gov API URL for committee details"

changedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / required

Previous value: -[
-  "committee_code",
-  "name",
-  "chamber",
-  "committee_type",
-  "url"
-]New value: +[
+  "committee_code",
+  "name"
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / ErrorInfo

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Section-9 error payload: stable code, human message, secret-safe\ndetail, actionable remediation. Mirrors the bill-text tools' envelope\n(documentation/fulltext/04-tools-responses.md section 9).",
+  "properties": {
+    "code": {
+      "description": "Stable machine-readable error code (lowercase)",
+      "title": "Code",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "detail": {
+      "anyOf": [
+        {
+          "additionalProperties": true,
+          "type": "object"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "null"
+        }
+      ],
+      "default": null,
+      "description": "Structured context; never carries secrets",
+      "title": "Detail"
+    },
+    "message": {
+      "description": "What went wrong",
+      "title": "Message",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "remediation": {
+      "anyOf": [
+        {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "null"
+        }
+      ],
+      "default": null,
+      "description": "What the caller should do about it",
+      "title": "Remediation"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "code",
+    "message"
+  ],
+  "title": "ErrorInfo",
+  "type": "object"
+}

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / description

Previous value: -"Summary information about a member of Congress."New value: +"Summary information about a member of Congress (list-level fields)."

addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / chamber / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / chamber / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / chamber / description

Previous value: -"Chamber (House or Senate)"New value: +"Chamber of the member's most recent term"

removedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / chamber / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```

addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / current_member / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "boolean"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / current_member / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / current_member / description

Previous value: -"Whether this person is currently serving"New value: +"Whether currently serving (None if unknown)"

removedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / current_member / type
```
Removed value: -"boolean"
```
addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / district / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / district / description

Previous value: -"District number (for House members)"New value: +"District number (House members)"

addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / party / default
```
Added value: +null
```
changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / party / description
```
Previous value: -"Political party (D, R, I)"New value: +"Political party"
```
addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / state / default
```
Added value: +null
```
addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / url / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / url / description

Previous value: -"Congress.gov URL for member details"New value: +"Congress.gov API URL for member details"

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / required

Previous value: -[
-  "bioguide_id",
-  "name",
-  "party",
-  "state",
-  "district",
-  "chamber",
-  "current_member",
-  "url"
-]New value: +[
+  "bioguide_id",
+  "name"
+]

changedOutput schema / description

Previous value: -"Response from the members and committees tool."New value: +"Response from the members and committees tools.\n\nSome operations return items that are neither members nor committees\n(a member's sponsored bills, a committee's reports/communications/\nnominations); those arrive in `items` as the API's own dicts, labeled\nby `item_kind`."

addedOutput schema / properties / error

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "$ref": "#/$defs/ErrorInfo"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "description": "Present when success is false: the section-9 error envelope"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / item_kind

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "description": "What `items` contains (bill, committee_report, communication, nomination, ...)",
+  "title": "Item Kind"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / items

Added value: +{
+  "default": [],
+  "description": "Results of other kinds (bills, reports, communications, nominations), as returned by Congress.gov",
+  "items": {
+    "additionalProperties": true,
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "title": "Items",
+  "type": "array"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / results_count / description

Previous value: -"Number of results returned"New value: +"Number of items returned (equals the populated list's length)"

First observedv2.0.0Apr 3, 2026

TDQS

A3.6/5.0

Behavior2/5

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

No annotations were provided, so the description carries the full burden of behavioral disclosure. It only says it returns a list and gives basic argument explanations; it does not clarify semantics like current_member=null vs false, pagination behavior, limit bounds, or the read-only nature of the operation.

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 compact and front-loads the core purpose before listing arguments and return type. The Args block partially duplicates the schema, but it adds useful explanatory text rather than just restating names, so the structure is appropriate and not bloated.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness3/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

With an output schema present, the return value does not need more explanation. However, with no annotations and minimal behavioral guidance, the description is only minimally complete for a three-parameter tool; missing edge-case semantics and alternative routing keep it from being fully contextual.

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 0%, so the parameter explanations in the description are valuable: congress gets an example (118), current_member is clarified as filtering to only current members, and limit is defined as a maximum. This compensates well for the schema's lack of descriptions, though it adds little about defaults, bounds, or null behavior.

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 ('Get'), a clear resource ('members'), and a precise scope ('served in a specific Congress'). This cleanly differentiates it from sibling tools that get members by state, district, or combined congress/state/district.

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?

The usage context is implied by the name and description: use this when you need members for a particular Congress number. However, there is no explicit guidance about when to prefer this tool over nearby siblings, nor any conditions or exclusions, so it stays at the implied level.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.