How to Use the FOIA.gov (Freedom of Information) MCP in OpenAI Agents SDK

Q: Do I need to manually register the request form tools?

No. The SDK auto-discovers getagencycomponentrequestform and the other three tools automatically. Just pass the server object and the agent handles the rest.

Fetch US government FOIA data and generate actionable request forms straight from your OpenAI Agents SDK production system.

See Vinkius in Action

Works with every AI agent you already use

…and any MCP-compatible client

MCP Servers - Free for Subscribers

Connect FOIA.gov (Freedom of Information) MCP to OpenAI Agents SDK

Create your Vinkius account to connect FOIA.gov (Freedom of Information) to OpenAI Agents SDK and route execution through our secure gateway. The platform manages server hosting, runtime updates, and security layers. Configuration requires no manual server provisioning.

GDPR Free for Subscribers

Setup FOIA.gov (Freedom of Information) with OpenAI Agents SDK

Ask AI about this MCP

ChatGPT

Claude

Perplexity

Traceable FOIA data extraction

The `list_agency_components` tool connects your agent directly to the federal government's public directory. You pass the query, and the OpenAI Agents SDK handles the routing. We built this to pull sparse fieldsets so you don't choke your token limits on bloated government JSON. Once you identify the right office, `get_agency_component` grabs the specific UUID details. Every API call gets tracked in your OpenAI dashboard. If an agent tries to hallucinate a non-existent agency, built-in guardrails catch the error before it breaks your pipeline.

Parse complex XML with an MCP Server

Government transparency usually means staring at terrible XML files. The `get_annual_report_xml` tool fetches raw annual FOIA reports directly from the source. It hands that unformatted mess straight to your specialized agent for parsing. You can set up a dedicated analyst agent just for this task. It reads the XML, extracts the backlog numbers, and hands the clean data off to a reporting agent. You get longitudinal trend analysis without writing custom XML parsers.

Dynamic request form generation

You need to actually file requests, not just read about them. The `get_agency_component_request_form` tool pulls the exact JSON schema required by any specific government office. It tells your agent exactly what fields are mandatory. Because you're using OpenAI's production guards, the agent validates the user's input against that schema before doing anything else. It prevents incomplete submissions. No more kicked-back requests because someone forgot to include a tracking number.

Setup guide

Set up FOIA.gov (Freedom of Information) MCP in OpenAI Agents SDK

Prerequisites

Python 3.10+ installed
openai-agents package (pip install openai-agents)
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Install the SDK

Run pip install openai-agents to install the OpenAI Agents SDK. The MCP integration is built-in — no extra dependencies needed.
2

Connect via SSE transport

Use MCPServerSse with your Vinkius endpoint URL. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your token from cloud.vinkius.com. The SDK auto-discovers all FOIA.gov (Freedom of Information) tools at runtime.
3

Create your Agent

Pass the MCP to Agent(mcp_servers=[server]). The agent receives FOIA.gov (Freedom of Information) tools as native definitions — JSON schemas resolve automatically.
4

Run the agent

Call Runner.run(agent, prompt) to execute. The agent invokes the appropriate FOIA.gov (Freedom of Information) tools and returns structured results. Copy the full example on the right to get started.

agent.py

import asyncio
from agents import Agent, Runner
from agents.mcp import MCPServerSse

async def main():
    async with MCPServerSse(
        url="https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    ) as server:
        agent = Agent(
            name="FOIA.gov (Freedom of Information) Agent",
            instructions="You have access to FOIA.gov (Freedom of Information) tools.",
            mcp_servers=[server],
        )
        result = await Runner.run(agent, "List recent transactions")
        print(result.final_output)

asyncio.run(main())

Get your connection token →

Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by FOIA.gov. All third-party trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. Their use on this website is strictly for informational purposes to identify service compatibility and interoperability.

Why Choose Vinkius

Vinkius connects your tools to AI with real-time monitoring and automatic cost savings — all from one dashboard.

Connect FOIA.gov (Freedom of Information) now

Real-time monitoring

Live

visibility into every interaction

Connect your favorite tools to your AI and see exactly what's happening — every request, every response, in real time.

Built-in savings

60%

lower AI costs

Vinkius compresses data between your apps and your AI automatically. Lower bills every month — no configuration required.

Single dashboard

One

place for every integration

Every tool your AI connects to, managed from a single screen. One account, complete control.

Common questions about FOIA.gov (Freedom of Information) MCP in OpenAI Agents SDK

Install openai-agents via pip. Create an MCPServerStreamableHttp instance with your endpoint URL. Pass it into the mcp_servers array when you initialize your Agent constructor.

Yes. Set cacheToolsList=True when configuring the server parameters. This prevents the agent from re-fetching the entire federal directory every time it boots.

The SDK's built-in tracing logs the timeout. Your agent can catch the failed get_agency_component execution and trigger a fallback response instead of crashing the whole application.

No. The SDK auto-discovers get_agency_component_request_form and the other three tools automatically. Just pass the server object and the agent handles the rest.

The server only pulls public records like annual report XMLs and empty request form schemas. It never stores user inputs or submitted FOIA requests. Everything runs ephemerally inside the V8 Isolate Sandbox, ensuring your production agent's data stays isolated.

Use it with your favorite AI tools

Connect this server to Cursor, Claude, VS Code, and more.

OpenAI Agents SDK sdk-python

Google ADK sdk-python

Pydantic AI sdk-python

Vercel AI SDK sdk-typescript