Connector

GovBot.ai MCP connector for U.S. public data

A remote Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets an AI assistant read bounded records from U.S. federal and state public-data services. It is read-only and needs no account.

Last updated 14 October 2026 · Ideation Lab, Corp. · 31 sources, 59 read handles, three tools.

Connection details

Setting	Value
Server URL	`https://mcp.govbot.ai/mcp/` (keep the trailing slash)
Transport	Streamable HTTP
Authentication	None. The server returns public data only.
Rate limit	120 requests per minute per source network address, and a shared limit on total throughput per server instance. Requests above either limit receive HTTP 429; retry after a short pause.
Cost	No charge from Ideation Lab, Corp.
Support	hello@govbot.ai

Adding the connector

Claude

Open Settings, then Connectors, then Add custom connector. Enter the server URL above and save. Enable the connector in the conversation where it is needed. Availability of custom connectors depends on the plan and, for organizations, on administrator settings.

ChatGPT

Open Plugins, then Add custom MCP server, and enter the server URL above with authentication set to none. Custom MCP servers may require developer mode, depending on the plan and workspace policy.

Other MCP clients

Any client that supports remote Streamable HTTP servers can use the same URL.

Tools

The server exposes three tools. Each is annotated read-only (readOnlyHint: true, destructiveHint: false). The assistant selects a source and handle from the conversation; the server does not rank or route free-text queries.

Tool	Title	Function
`search_capabilities`	Browse optional task families and exact source handles	Lists the six task families, then the sources and read handles within one family or source. Optional when the source or handle is already known.
`get_tool_schema`	Inspect one exact read contract	Returns the input schema, provenance, record grain, count meaning, geography and time coverage, and limits for one handle.
`invoke_read_only`	Run one bounded public-data read	Validates the arguments against the handle schema and runs that one read. Results carry source, provenance and coverage fields. Errors are typed and state the next step.

Sources and publishers

The six task families group 31 sources (59 handles, including the six GovBot-held sources described below; the National Weather Service appears in two families). Each handle returns a small, bounded page: typically one to ten records, at most 50, and no more than 512 KiB per result. Every read states its source and the limits of what the records show. Descriptions below are taken from the server's capability metadata.

Funding and procurement (`funding_procurement`)

Source ID	Publisher	What a read returns	Limits
`sam`	SAM.gov Opportunities Public API v2, U.S. General Services Administration	Contracting notice metadata for an explicit posted-date window (at most 363 days), optionally filtered by title or solicitation number.	Notices only; no award data. A listed deadline does not confirm that responses are still open.
`grants`	Grants.gov, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	Posted funding opportunities found by keyword or exact opportunity number.	Search results only, not the full notice of funding opportunity; no eligibility or award data.
`usaspending`	USAspending.gov, U.S. Department of the Treasury	Keyword search of federal contract awards and one exact contract award record.	Contract awards only; no geographic filter; amounts and dates are source fields.

Laws and policy (`laws_policy`)

Source ID	Publisher	What a read returns	Limits
`congress`	Congress.gov API v3, Library of Congress	Public-law metadata; bill lists by Congress and bill type; one bill's record, actions and CRS summaries.	Metadata and summaries, not bill or statutory text; a text test applies only to the fetched page of a bill list.
`ecfr`	Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Office of the Federal Register	Title metadata; search excerpts; the text of one CFR section; content versions of a title by issue date (at most 366 days); the hierarchy of a citation.	An editorial compilation, not the official legal edition; section text is cut at 16,000 characters; a content version does not state what changed.
`federalregister`	FederalRegister.gov, Office of the Federal Register	Publication search by term (first three hits), metadata for one document number, and publications for one docket ID or RIN (up to ten of the first 20).	Publication date is not an effective date; no full text.
`regulations`	Regulations.gov API v4, U.S. General Services Administration	Rulemaking documents by keyword, agency, docket, type or posted day (5 to 25 per page), and one document's metadata and download links.	Public comment text and submitter details are not returned; comment-period flags are as of the query time.
`states`	Open States API v3, Plural	Virginia bill search.	Virginia only; not a legislative-status determination.
`virginia`	Virginia Legislative Information System, Virginia General Assembly	Bill search and one bill record for the 2025 Regular Session.	2025 Regular Session only; not current or codified law.

Communities and economy (`communities_economy`)

Source ID	Publisher	What a read returns	Limits
`census`	U.S. Census Bureau	ACS 5-year variables (1 to 12) for one state and one survey year, 2010 to 2025; the population estimate for one county.	ACS reads are state-level; the county population estimate is the 2019 vintage only.
`bls_public_v1`	Public Data API v1, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics	One named series for one calendar year.	Exact series ID required; the unregistered BLS API documents a limit of 25 requests per day.
`rapt`	Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool (RAPT), Federal Emergency Management Agency	Active production layer search, one layer's field schema, and one county's Community Resilience Challenges Index profile.	Relative county comparison for planning; not a site hazard probability or a current observation.

Hazards and emergencies (`hazards_emergencies`)

Source ID	Publisher	What a read returns	Limits
`weather`	weather.gov API, National Weather Service (NOAA)	Grid metadata, seven-day forecast periods and currently active alerts for one latitude/longitude point.	Coordinates required; no address or place-name lookup.
`openfema`	OpenFEMA API, Federal Emergency Management Agency	Dataset catalog, field dictionaries and record pages (at most 25 records) from a named dataset.	Record grain varies by dataset; returned rows are not automatically distinct disasters.
`ipaws`	IPAWS archived alerts, via OpenFEMA	Historical public alert message metadata for a sent-time window of at most 31 days.	Archive only; not a current warning.
`storm`	Storm Events Database, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information	Up to three historical event reports from one annual file, optionally by state and event type.	Archive only; area labels are not county joins.
`lsr`	NWS Local Storm Reports, via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet	Flood and flash-flood reports for one state in a window of at most 14 days (up to 40).	Preliminary, unverified reports; not a count of flood events or damage.
`iem`	NWS storm-based warning polygons, via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet	Flood warning polygons issued in a window of at most three days (up to 50), with issuing office and centroid.	Issued products, not confirmed flooding or current alerts; outlines are not returned.
`nld`	National Levee Database, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers	Leveed areas by state or small bounding box, and levee crossings by small bounding box (up to 25).	Inventory only; not a safety rating, certification or protection level.

Water sites and rainfall (`water_sites_rainfall`)

Source ID	Publisher	What a read returns	Limits
`nwps`	National Water Prediction Service, NOAA	Identity and observed/forecast status availability for one gauge, by five-character NWSLI.	Metadata only; no measurements, no nearest-gauge search, not a warning.
`nwis`	National Water Information System Site Service, U.S. Geological Survey	Up to three active stream-site inventory rows in a bounding box of at most 0.2 degrees per axis.	Site inventory only; no live readings.
`atlas14`	Atlas 14 Precipitation Frequency Data Server, NOAA National Weather Service	The 24-hour, 100-year precipitation depth (inches) at one point.	Fixed duration and recurrence; a statistical estimate, not a forecast.
`mrms`	Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS), NOAA, via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet	The radar-gauge estimated daily rainfall total at one point for one past UTC day (2015 onward).	A gridded estimate, not a gauge reading or a forecast.
`weather`	National Weather Service (NOAA)	As listed under Hazards and emergencies.	As listed under Hazards and emergencies.

Data and collection catalogs (`data_collection_catalogs`)

Source ID	Publisher	What a read returns	Limits
`datagov`	Data.gov Catalog API, U.S. General Services Administration	Dataset catalog metadata (title, publisher, dates) by search text.	Metadata only; no dataset rows and no statement about reuse rights.
`planetary-computer`	NOAA NClimGrid monthly collection, through the Microsoft Planetary Computer STAC catalog	Collection record and up to three item metadata records for a bounding box and date window.	Metadata only; no raster values or asset downloads.

Example requests

Recent FEMA disaster declaration records for a state, with that state's Census ACS 5-year population estimate.
Posted Grants.gov opportunities on a topic, with Federal Register publications on the same topic.
Metadata for one NOAA river gauge, with active National Weather Service alerts at the gauge's coordinates.
NOAA Atlas 14 24-hour, 100-year rainfall depth for a coordinate, with the National Weather Service forecast for that point.
The CFR sections a bill is assessed to affect, the current text and recent content versions of those sections, and the bill's latest actions.
The documents in a rulemaking docket on Regulations.gov and the Federal Register publications for the same docket.
For a named county or city: one brief with the hazard mitigation plans that cover it, NFIP participation and CRS class, flood studies held, the county's resilience profile and recent disaster declarations.
Flood storm reports and flood warning polygons in a state and window, with the estimated daily rainfall at a point.

What the connector does not do

It does not write, submit, file or change anything, at GovBot or at any publisher.
It does not read or store user account data and requires no sign-in.
It does not determine eligibility, award status, legal effect or safety. A listed grant, notice, bill or alert is a record from the publisher, not a conclusion about any applicant or location.
It does not return full documents, dataset rows, raster values or downloads where a handle is described as metadata-only.
It does not join records across sources. Where an assistant combines results, the source, date and geographic grain of each remain separate.
It is not a warning system. Archived and historical alert records are not current warnings.

GovBot-held sources

Six sources are compiled by GovBot from public documents and are served with their qualifications on every result.

Hazard mitigation plan actions (hmp_plans: plan_actions, search_plans, get_citation). Actions extracted from locally adopted, FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plans, each cited to its plan and PDF page. The corpus holds 2,334 of 3,950 adopted or expired plans in the OpenFEMA registries. Status is as recorded in the plan at adoption; timeline, responsible party, cost and funding are as extracted. Measured accuracy on a two-reader check of 300 rows: real action 86%, title 81%, jurisdiction 82%, status class 94%, other fields 69%. Page images are not served in this release.
Flood-study elevations (flood_record: list_county_studies, get_stream_profile). Cross-section water-surface elevations by annual-chance frequency (10, 4, 2, 1 and 0.2 percent) from FEMA flood-study databases for 477 counties, cited to the FEMA product and record, in the vertical datum recorded (no conversion). Standing: independently checked, not owner-accepted. These values are not a determination of current regulatory applicability or of a building's flood depth or insurance status.
CFR bill impact (cfr_impact: search_bills, bill_impact, regulation_exposure, corpus_status). Stored assessments of which CFR sections a bill section is likely to affect or would require amending, for 66 bills of the 119th Congress (28 with judged results), compiled from Congress.gov bill text and eCFR. Standing: pilot; assessments are model-assisted judgements, checked against hand-built lists for 8 of 10 test bills. An assessment is not a legal determination, and absence from the corpus does not mean a regulation is unaffected.
Place lookup (place_lookup: resolve_place). A county, city, town or township name resolved to Census GEOIDs, with the hazard mitigation plans the FEMA plan registry lists for it. Names match exactly after normalisation; an ambiguous name returns every candidate. No plan record is not evidence that a place has no plan.
NFIP community status (community_status: get_community_status). National Flood Insurance Program participation, Community Rating System class and map dates for the communities in a county, from FEMA files retrieved 27 September 2026. Status can change after that date.
County brief (place_brief: get_place_brief). For one county GEOID, the requested groups in one read: identity and ACS population; plan coverage with action counts by hazard; NFIP and CRS status; flood studies held; the RAPT resilience profile; recent FEMA disaster declarations; and active NWS alerts at the county's internal point. Each group carries its own source, vintage and limits; values are reported side by side and are not combined across sources. A live group that does not answer in time is marked unavailable without failing the brief.

Data handling

The connector receives the tool arguments the assistant sends: a handle name and its arguments, such as search terms, identifiers, state codes or coordinates. It does not receive the rest of the conversation, the user's identity, or any account.
To answer a read, the connector's services query the public APIs listed above and return the result. The publisher receives the query from GovBot's servers, not from the user's device.
GovBot keeps standard request logs and per-network request counters used to enforce the rate limit. It stores no account data.
The assistant's provider handles the conversation under its own terms.

Full detail is in the privacy notice; usage terms are in the terms.

Support

Write to hello@govbot.ai with the date, the handle, and the arguments of the request concerned. Ideation Lab, Corp. is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any government agency named on this page.