# FRED Categories MCP for AI Agents AI Agent Connect

> FRED Categories — Economic Data Taxonomy lets your agent navigate the St. Louis Fed's massive database of economic indicators. Instead of guessing which data points exist, you can browse the full hierarchy of categories, from labor markets and prices to banking and production. It helps you find the exact series you need by drilling down into specific topics, checking available tags, and filtering by frequency or units.

## Overview
- **Category:** brain-trust
- **Price:** Free
- **Endpoint:** https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_7WfCwB6FJpqqvaBfhRIMugTcP0b5LXhSsO5nuLbV/ai-agent-connect
- **Tags:** economic-data, taxonomy, data-discovery, financial-indicators, time-series, macroeconomics

## Description

Finding the right economic data in a massive database usually feels like looking for a needle in a haystack. You spend way too much time clicking through submenus or trying to remember if a specific inflation metric exists. This Connector changes that by letting your agent act like a librarian for the FRED database. It can walk through the entire taxonomy tree, starting from the top level and digging into specific subcategories like interest rates or national accounts. You can ask your agent to find all series related to a specific topic, and it'll pull them back sorted by popularity. It also lets the agent check what tags are available for a category, which helps you figure out how to filter by things like frequency or units before you even start pulling numbers. If you're already using Vinkius to manage your tools, this is the missing piece for anyone who needs to do heavy lifting with macroeconomics. It turns a manual search process into a structured conversation where your agent does the digging for you. Instead of having to memorize hundreds of different IDs or navigate through endless nested menus on a website, you can just describe what you're looking for in plain English. Your agent then handles the heavy lifting of identifying the correct category, drilling down into the relevant sub-sections, and presenting you with a clean list of options. This makes it much easier to build consistent reports or research projects that rely on accurate, high-quality economic indicators.

## Tools

### get_category
Look up a specific category by its ID to see its name and details. This is useful for confirming you are looking at the right section of the economic database.

### get_category_tags
Get the available tags for a category to see what filters you can use. This helps you understand the different dimensions of the data before you start pulling it.

### get_category_children
Find all subcategories under a parent category to explore the data tree. It is the primary way to discover what data is available in a specific domain like labor or prices.

### get_category_series
List every series in a category with filters for frequency, units, and tags. This lets you pull the exact data points you need for your analysis while ignoring the rest.

## Prompt Examples

**Prompt:** 
```
What kind of data does FRED have for labor and employment?
```

**Response:** 
```
FRED has a dedicated category for Population, Employment, and Labor Markets (ID: 10). Within this, you can find:

- Unemployment rates
- Labor force participation
- Wage data

I can drill down into this category to find specific subcategories like Labor Markets or Employment if you'd like.
```

**Prompt:** 
```
Find all series related to inflation in the Prices category.
```

**Response:** 
```
I've looked into the Prices category (32455). Here are some of the top inflation-related series:

| Series ID | Name |
|---|---|
| CPIAUCSL | Consumer Price Index (All Urban)|
| CPILFESL | Core CPI (Ex Food & Energy)|
| PCEPI | PCE Price Index|

There are over 3,000 series in this category. Would you like me to filter these by a specific frequency?
```

**Prompt:** 
```
What tags are available for the Money and Banking category?
```

**Response:** 
```
The Money, Banking, & Finance category (32991) includes several dimensions you can use to filter data. These tags include:

- Frequency (e.g., Monthly, Quarterly)
- Units (e.g., Percent, Dollars)
- Regional markers

I can use these to help you find the exact series you're looking for.
```

## Capabilities

### Browse the full FRED category tree
Navigate from the root category down to specific economic sub-domains.

### Find all series within a category
Pull a list of every data series available in a specific topic area.

### Check available data dimensions
See what tags are available for a category to understand your filtering options.

### Filter series by units and frequency
Narrow down data results by specific requirements like monthly or quarterly updates.

### Identify top-level economic domains
Quickly find major categories like Money, Banking, and Finance or Prices.

## Use Cases

### Finding specific inflation series
A researcher needs to find all inflation-related series in the Prices category. They ask the agent to list all series in category 32455.

### Exploring interest rate options
An analyst wants to see what kind of interest rate data is available. They use get_category_children on the root to find the right subcategory.

### Checking data dimensions
A data scientist needs to know if a category supports monthly data. They use get_category_tags to see what's actually available.

### Gathering labor market data
A student wants to see all series related to population. They use get_category_series to pull a list of all employment and labor data.

## Benefits

- No more manual clicking: Use get_category_children to let your agent map out the entire data hierarchy in seconds.
- Precise filtering: Use get_category_series to grab only the data that matches your specific units or frequency requirements.
- Better discovery: Use get_category_tags to understand what dimensions are available before you start your analysis.
- Faster research: Quickly identify top-level domains like Money, Banking, and Finance using get_category.
- Data consistency: Ensure your agent pulls the same categories every time by using specific category IDs.
- Reduced search time: Stop guessing which series exist and let your agent browse the taxonomy to find them directly.

## How It Works

The bottom line is you get the exact economic data series you need without having to manually search the FRED website.

1. Ask your agent to find a specific category, like Prices or Employment.
2. Have the agent drill down into subcategories to find the exact niche you need.
3. Get a list of all series within that niche, filtered by your preferred units or frequency.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Can the FRED Categories MCP find specific series for me?**
Yes, it helps your agent navigate the hierarchy to find the exact data points you need without you having to search the website manually.

**Is this Connector good for finding inflation data?**
Yes, it lets your agent browse the Prices category to find all relevant inflation series and filter them by frequency or units.

**How does this help with macroeconomics research?**
It automates the discovery of economic indicators, making it much faster to identify relevant data for research papers and reports.

**Can I use this to see what categories exist in FRED?**
Yes, it can list all top-level domains like Production, Business, and International data so you can see the full scope of the database.

**Will this help me filter data by frequency?**
Yes, it allows your agent to check tags and filter series by units and frequency, ensuring you get the specific data format you need.

**Do I need to know the FRED IDs to use this?**
No, you can start from the root and let the agent discover the IDs as it drills down into the categories you describe.

**How is FRED organized?**
FRED uses a hierarchical tree of categories. The root (ID 0) branches into 8 domains like Money & Banking, Employment, and Prices. Each domain subdivides into hundreds of subcategories, each containing related series. Start from root and drill down to discover data.