Fred MCP Server

Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) MCP Server - Access all 800,000+ economic time series with search, browse, and data retrieval capabilities

Local serverstdio

What is the Fred MCP server?

Fred MCP server is a locally run integration for AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) MCP Server - Access all 800,000+ economic time series with search, browse, and data retrieval capabilities.

What you get

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server providing universal access to all 800,000+ Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED®) time series through three powerful tools.

Setting it up

Installation goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at @smithery/cli on npm and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.

What the assistant can call

Once Fred is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

  • fred_browse — The fred_browse tool exposed by this server
  • fred_search — The fred_search tool exposed by this server
  • fred_get_series — The fred_get_series tool exposed by this server

Configuration and credentials

You will need 2 environment variables: FRED_API_KEY, YOUR_API_KEY. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

Before you rely on it

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the fred mcp server does with a few real requests.

Choosing this one

This sits in the developer tooling group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Fred's toolset — fred_browse, fred_search, fred_get_series — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by stefanoamorelli; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

This entry was verified against Fred's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
fred_browseThe fred_browse tool exposed by this server.
fred_searchThe fred_search tool exposed by this server.
fred_get_seriesThe fred_get_series tool exposed by this server.

How to install the Fred MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fred": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@smithery/cli"],
      "env": {
        "FRED_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "YOUR_API_KEY": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
FRED_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
YOUR_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Fred to fred browse.
  • Use Fred to fred search.
  • Use Fred to fred get series.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Fred to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 3 tools (fred_browse, fred_search, fred_get_series) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Fred directly.