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Apify Public Data & Leads

Apify Public Data & Leads

by jlucasmcrell
OverviewSchemaSourceRelated ServersDiscussionsAdmin
Python
Hybrid

US Federal Register Rule and Notice Search

federal_register_search
Read-only

Search official US Federal Register rules, proposed rules, notices, and presidential documents to monitor rulemaking, track agency actions, and find comment periods with citations and source links.

Instructions

Search official US Federal Register rules, proposed rules, notices, and presidential documents. Returns agencies, publication and effective dates, abstracts, citations, CFR references, dockets, comment links, and source documents.

Behavioral Transparency:

  • Execution: Network call executed synchronously in the cloud via Apify Actor 'captainhandsome/federal-register-search'.

  • Side Effects: Creates a billed Actor run and dataset on your Apify account; queries the official Federal Register API.

  • Authentication: Requires APIFY_TOKEN; no Federal Register key is required.

  • Latency & Limits: Typical runs take 5-30 seconds; timeout capped at 120 seconds.

Usage Guidelines:

  • When to use: Use for rulemaking monitoring, regulatory research, agency-action tracking, comment-period discovery, and government-affairs workflows.

  • When NOT to use: Do not use as legal advice or assume a proposed rule is in force.

  • Named alternatives: Use 'sec_edgar_filings' for SEC company filings, or 'grants_gov_opportunity_search' for funding opportunities.

Tool call template

Replace each placeholder with a value matching the input schema. Only required parameters are included; add optional parameters as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {
      "query": "<query>"
    },
    "name": "federal_register_search"
  }
}

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
queryYesFree text across titles, abstracts, and indexed document content.
sort_orderNoResult ordering.newest
max_resultsNoMaximum documents returned and billed.
document_typesNoFederal Register document types to include.

Output Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
runNo
errorNo
statusYes
resultsYes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Addedv1.3.0

TDQS

A4.3/5.0
Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnly, openWorld, non-destructive, but the description adds genuinely new context: synchronous cloud execution, a billed Actor run and dataset created on the Apify account, APIFY_TOKEN requirement, 5-30s typical latency and a 120s timeout. The only gap is it does not state pagination or result-cap behavior, though max_results partly covers that in schema.

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?

Labeled sections (Behavioral Transparency, Usage Guidelines) front-load the essentials and every line carries information. Slightly verbose for a 4-parameter tool, and some phrasing restates that the source is the official Federal Register.

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, full annotation coverage, and complete schema descriptions, the definition supplies auth, cost, and latency context and routes to alternatives. Complete enough to call correctly; only minor gaps around result ordering semantics and dataset output handling remain.

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% with per-parameter descriptions, enums, and defaults, so the baseline is 3. The description adds no parameter-specific meaning; the field list it gives describes return values rather than input semantics.

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 first sentence names a specific verb (Search) and resource (US Federal Register rules, proposed rules, notices, presidential documents) and enumerates the returned fields, so an agent can distinguish it from sec_edgar_filings or grants_gov_opportunity_search 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?

It gives explicit when-to-use scenarios (rulemaking monitoring, comment-period discovery, government-affairs workflows), an explicit when-not-to-use caveat, and named alternatives with the condition that selects each.

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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