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mcp-sam-gov

by cliwant
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TypeScript
Remote

lda_search_filings

Read-only

Search U.S. Senate LDA filings by client, registrant, lobbyist, year, or issue to reveal lobbying payments and targeted federal agencies.

Instructions

Search US Senate LDA (Lobbying Disclosure Act) filings — who is paid how much to lobby which federal agency on which issue (lda.senate.gov/api/v1/filings, KEYLESS — anonymous access works; optional free LDA_API_KEY only raises the rate limit). Filters (all optional): registrantName (the lobbying firm/in-house filer), clientName, lobbyistName, filingYear (4-digit), filingType (e.g. 'Q1'/'RR'/'YE'), agency (NOTE: /filings/ has NO server-side agency filter — the LDA API silently ignores it, so it is reported in _meta.filtersDropped and NOT applied; government entities are nested per activity in lobbyingActivities[].governmentEntities), issue, page (1-based), pageSize (1..25). Returns { filings:[{ filingUuid, filingType, filingYear, filingPeriod, incomeUsd, expensesUsd, registrant, client, lobbyingActivities:[{issueCode, description, governmentEntities:[names]}], documentUrl, postedDate, terminationDate }] } + honest _meta. HONESTY: totalAvailable is the API's REAL total match count (corpus ~1.95M filings) — NOT the rows on this page; pagination is page-based. incomeUsd/expensesUsd parsed from null-or-decimal-string — null (not reported) → null, NEVER 0 (genuine 0 stays 0); a filing reports EITHER income OR expenses, so the other is typically null. Missing lobbying_activities/government_entities → empty arrays. Genuine no-match → honest empty; 400 → invalid_input; 429 → rate_limited THROWS (Retry-After honored); 5xx/timeout THROWS; 200 non-JSON/non-array results/non-number count → schema_drift. Token rides ONLY in the Authorization: Token header.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
pageNo1-based page number (default 1). Page with the next page number from _meta.notes / when _meta.pagination.hasMore.
issueNoFilter by the specific lobbying issues text (maps to filing_specific_lobbying_issues), e.g. 'appropriations'.
agencyNoNOTE: /filings/ has NO server-side government-entity filter — the LDA API silently ignores this field (reported in _meta.filtersDropped, never as a narrowed total). Government entities are nested per activity in lobbyingActivities[].governmentEntities; narrow by registrantName/clientName/issue and inspect those nested entities. Retained for discoverability.
pageSizeNoFilings per page, 1..25 (the LDA API caps at 25), default 25.
clientNameNoFilter by the client name (who the lobbying is FOR), e.g. 'Google'. Substring match, upstream-validated.
filingTypeNoFilter by the filing type short code (e.g. 'Q1' Q1 report, 'RR' registration, 'YE' year-end). A bad code ⇒ upstream HTTP 400 ⇒ invalid_input (surfaced).
filingYearNoFilter by filing year, a 4-digit year (e.g. '2024'). Validated ^\d{4}$.
lobbyistNameNoFilter by an individual lobbyist's name. Substring match, upstream-validated.
registrantNameNoFilter by the registrant (the lobbying firm / in-house filer) name, e.g. 'Akin Gump'. Substring match, upstream-validated.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed1 schema field changedv1.14.0
    • changedInput schema / properties / agency / description
      Previous value: -"NOTE: the keyless /filings/ endpoint has NO server-side government-entity filter — the LDA API silently ignores it, so this value is NOT applied (reported in _meta.filtersDropped, never as a narrowed total). Government entities are nested per lobbying activity (each filing's lobbyingActivities[].governmentEntities); to find who lobbied an agency, narrow by registrantName/clientName/issue and inspect those nested entities. Retained for discoverability of the limitation."New value: +"NOTE: /filings/ has NO server-side government-entity filter — the LDA API silently ignores this field (reported in _meta.filtersDropped, never as a narrowed total). Government entities are nested per activity in lobbyingActivities[].governmentEntities; narrow by registrantName/clientName/issue and inspect those nested entities. Retained for discoverability."
  2. Addedv1.12.0

TDQS

A4.5/5.0
Behavior5/5

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

This is exceptionally transparent. It discloses that the agency filter is silently dropped and reported in _meta.filtersDropped, that totalAvailable is the real corpus count rather than page rows, that null income/expenses stays null rather than becoming 0, that missing nested fields return empty arrays, and that the token must travel only in the Authorization header. It also details error-throwing behavior and schema_drift detection. No contradiction with readOnlyHint/openWorldHint.

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?

The description is long but every clause earns its place: filters, response shape, honest pagination semantics, null handling, error taxonomy, and auth placement. It is front-loaded with the core purpose and access model, then cascades into expected behaviors. No filler or redundancy.

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?

With no output schema, the description carries the full burden of explaining the return shape, and it does so thoroughly: filings fields, lobbyingActivities nesting, governmentEntities, documentUrl, postedDate, terminationDate, and _meta. It also covers edge cases and failure modes, making the tool safely callable by an agent without external documentation.

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 baseline applies. The description adds some context, such as the agency filter caveat and the optional key behavior, but the schema already provides thorough per-parameter descriptions including examples, validation patterns, and the same agency caveat. The description's parameter-level contribution is marginal beyond the schema.

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 and resource: "Search US Senate LDA (Lobbying Disclosure Act) filings". It clearly explains the domain (who is paid to lobby which agency on which issue) and names the underlying API, making it distinguishable from the many other search tools in the sibling list.

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

Usage Guidelines4/5

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

The description clearly implies when to use it — whenever an agent needs LDA lobbying disclosure filing data — and gives practical access guidance (keyless anonymous access, optional API key only affects rate limits). It does not explicitly name alternative tools or exclusion conditions, but no sibling provides equivalent LDA filing search functionality, so the absence of explicit alternatives is acceptable.

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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