MCP Openfec

🚀 MCP OpenFEC Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides access to Federal Election Commission (FEC) campaign finance data through the OpenFEC API.

✨ Features

• Search for candidates by name, state, or position.
• Get detailed information and financial data of candidates.
• Access committee information.
• View individual contributions.
• Track independent expenditures.
• Access FEC filings and audit cases.
• Download bulk data.

📋 Requirements

• Node.js (v16 or higher).
• An OpenFEC API key (Get one).

📦 Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/psalzman/mcp-openfec
cd mcp-openfec

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Create a .env file in the root directory and add your OpenFEC API key:

OPENFEC_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

4. Build the server:

npm run build

⚙️ Configuration

To use this MCP server with Claude Desktop:

1. Locate your Claude Desktop configuration file:

   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
   • Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add the following configuration to the file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openfec": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-openfec/build/server.js"],
      "env": {
        "OPENFEC_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

⚠️ Important Note

1. Replace /absolute/path/to/mcp-openfec with the actual path where you cloned the repository.
2. Use absolute paths instead of relative paths.
3. Set disabled to false to enable the server.
4. Keep autoApprove as an empty array for security.
5. Add your OpenFEC API key in the env section.

💻 Available Tools

1. get_candidate: Get detailed information of a candidate.
2. get_candidate_financials: Get financial data of a candidate.
3. search_candidates: Search for candidates by name or other criteria.
4. get_committee: Get detailed information of a committee.
5. get_candidate_contributions: Get individual contributions of a candidate.
6. get_filings: Get official FEC filings.
7. get_independent_expenditures: Get independent expenditures.
8. get_electioneering: Get electioneering communications.
9. get_party_coordinated_expenditures: Get party - coordinated expenditures.
10. get_communication_costs: Get communication costs of corporations and unions.
11. get_audit_cases: Get FEC audit cases and results.
12. get_bulk_downloads: Get bulk data download links.

⏱️ Rate Limiting

The server implements rate limiting to comply with OpenFEC API guidelines:

• 1000 requests per hour.
• Requests exceeding the limit will receive an error response.

🛠️ Development

To modify the server:

1. Modify the dependencies in package.json:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "@microsoft/mcp-openfec-server": "^1.0.0"
  }
}

2. Install the updated dependencies:

npm install

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.