MCP OpenFEC Server: Real-Time Compliance & Political Insights

MCP OpenFEC Server

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

Features

• Search for candidates by name, state, or office
• Get detailed candidate information and financial data
• 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 here)

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 configuration notes:

1. Replace /absolute/path/to/mcp-openfec with the actual path where you cloned the repository
2. Use absolute paths, not 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 about a candidate
2. get_candidate_financials: Get financial data for a candidate
3. search_candidates: Search for candidates by name or other criteria
4. get_committee: Get detailed information about a committee
5. get_candidate_contributions: Get individual contributions for a candidate
6. get_filings: Retrieve 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 corporate/union communication costs
11. get_audit_cases: Get FEC audit cases and findings
12. get_bulk_downloads: Get links to bulk data downloads

Rate Limiting

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

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

Development

To modify the server:

1. Make changes to the TypeScript files in the src directory
2. Rebuild the server:

npm run build

License

This project is licensed under the BSD 3-Clause License - a permissive open source license that ensures maximum freedom for users while maintaining attribution requirements. The license allows you to:

• Use the code commercially
• Modify the code
• Distribute the code
• Use the code privately

With three main conditions:

1. You must include the original copyright notice
2. You must include the license text in distributions
3. You cannot use the names of contributors to endorse derived products without permission

The BSD 3-Clause License is widely used in academic and commercial settings, offering a good balance between permissiveness and protecting contributors.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/my-new-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -am 'Add some feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/my-new-feature)
5. Create a new Pull Request

Copyright

Copyright (c) 2025, Phillip Salzman & Foundry Peak, LLC. All rights reserved. Web: http://foundrypeak.com/

For licensing details, see the LICENSE file.