Congressgov MCP Server

Access U.S. congressional data - bills, votes, members, committees - through MCP. STDIO & Streamable HTTP.

Remote serverstreamable-http

What is the Congressgov MCP server?

Most file and storage access work still happens through a UI a human drives. Congressgov MCP server moves it into the conversation instead. Access U.S. congressional data - bills, votes, members, committees - through MCP. STDIO & Streamable HTTP.

The short version

  • Declarative tool definitions — single file per tool, framework handles registration and validation
  • Unified error handling across all tools
  • Pluggable auth (none, jwt, oauth)
  • Swappable storage backends: in-memory, filesystem, Supabase
  • Structured logging with optional OpenTelemetry tracing
  • Runs locally (stdio/HTTP) or in Docker from the same codebase

Getting it running

Because this one is hosted, setup is mostly authentication — you point your client at the endpoint and approve access. Nothing runs on your machine, so there is no runtime to keep patched.

The tools it exposes

The server publishes 13 tools. What each one is for:

  • congressgov_bill_lookup — Browse and retrieve U.S. legislative bill data — actions, sponsors, summaries, text, related bills
  • congressgov_enacted_laws — Browse enacted public and private laws by congress
  • congressgov_member_lookup — Discover congressional members by state/district/congress, retrieve legislative portfolios
  • congressgov_committee_lookup — Browse congressional committees and their legislation, reports, and nominations
  • congressgov_roll_votes — Retrieve House and Senate roll call votes and individual member voting positions
  • congressgov_senate_nominations — Browse presidential nominations to federal positions and track the Senate confirmation process
  • congressgov_bill_summaries — Browse recent CRS bill summaries — the "what's happening" feed
  • congressgov_crs_reports — Browse and retrieve nonpartisan CRS policy analysis reports
  • congressgov_committee_reports — Browse and retrieve committee reports accompanying legislation
  • congressgov_daily_record — Browse the daily Congressional Record — floor speeches, debates, and proceedings
  • congressgov_search_bills — Keyword-search bill titles and CRS summaries via a local full-text mirror (opt-in, off by default)
  • Prerequisites — The Prerequisites tool exposed by this server

What it needs from you

Configuration is passed through the environment: CONGRESS_API_KEY, DEMO_KEY, CONGRESS_API_BASE_URL. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.

Things to watch

  • Your data travels to the provider's service, so the usual questions apply about what you send and what they retain.
  • With 13 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch Congressgov.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

How it compares

Plenty of file and storage access servers cover similar ground. The differences that matter in practice are scope of access and how much setup stands between you and a working tool call. Congressgov's toolset — congressgov_bill_lookup, congressgov_enacted_laws, congressgov_member_lookup and 10 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by cyanheads; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
congressgov_bill_lookupBrowse and retrieve U.S. legislative bill data — actions, sponsors, summaries, text, related bills
congressgov_enacted_lawsBrowse enacted public and private laws by congress
congressgov_member_lookupDiscover congressional members by state/district/congress, retrieve legislative portfolios
congressgov_committee_lookupBrowse congressional committees and their legislation, reports, and nominations
congressgov_roll_votesRetrieve House and Senate roll call votes and individual member voting positions
congressgov_senate_nominationsBrowse presidential nominations to federal positions and track the Senate confirmation process
congressgov_bill_summariesBrowse recent CRS bill summaries — the "what's happening" feed
congressgov_crs_reportsBrowse and retrieve nonpartisan CRS policy analysis reports
congressgov_committee_reportsBrowse and retrieve committee reports accompanying legislation
congressgov_daily_recordBrowse the daily Congressional Record — floor speeches, debates, and proceedings
congressgov_search_billsKeyword-search bill titles and CRS summaries via a local full-text mirror (opt-in, off by default)
PrerequisitesThe Prerequisites tool exposed by this server.
InstallationThe Installation tool exposed by this server.

How to install the Congressgov MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "congressgov-mcp-server": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "https://congressgov.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
CONGRESS_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
DEMO_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
CONGRESS_API_BASE_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Congressgov to congressgov bill lookup.
  • Use Congressgov to congressgov enacted laws.
  • Use Congressgov to congressgov member lookup.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Congressgov to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 13 tools (congressgov_bill_lookup, congressgov_enacted_laws, congressgov_member_lookup, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Congressgov directly.