How to Use the FRED Tags & Sources — Data Discovery MCP in Claude

Q: How many sources does the FRED API track?

The listsources tool returns exactly 107 official data providers. This includes major federal agencies and regional reserve banks.

Fast macroeconomic data discovery for Claude Desktop. Find the exact FRED series you need without digging through web portals.

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Connect FRED Tags & Sources — Data Discovery MCP to Claude Desktop

Create your Vinkius account to connect FRED Tags & Sources — Data Discovery to Claude Desktop and route execution through our secure gateway. The platform manages server hosting, runtime updates, and security layers. Configuration requires no manual server provisioning.

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Setup FRED Tags & Sources — Data Discovery with Claude Desktop

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Perplexity

Search millions of series with Claude Desktop

`search_tags` is how you start looking for data. You tell your agent you need monthly inflation numbers, and this MCP Server queries the FRED API for relevant topic and frequency labels like 'inflation' and 'monthly'. Instead of guessing the exact series ID, you browse the actual taxonomy. The tool returns matching tags across geographic regions and topics, giving you the exact spelling and formatting required for the next step.

Combine tags for pinpoint accuracy

`get_series_by_tags` executes the actual filtering logic. You pass in a semicolon-separated list of tags like 'usa;gdp', and the MCP Server returns every series that matches both criteria. You can also exclude tags to filter out noise. If you want national employment numbers but keep getting state-level data, you just tell your client to drop the 'state' tag. It narrows down the results immediately.

Audit the official data origins

`list_sources` pulls the complete catalog of 107 official institutions feeding data into FRED. This includes the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, and international central banks. You use this when you need to verify where a specific metric originated. Your agent reads the source list, confirms the publishing institution, and checks the exact legal name of the data provider.

Setup guide

Set up FRED Tags & Sources — Data Discovery MCP in Claude Web or Desktop

1

Open Claude Settings

Go to claude.ai, click your profile icon, then navigate to Customize → Connectors.
2

Add Custom Connector

Click the "+" button and select Add custom connector. Paste your Vinkius endpoint URL: https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your token from cloud.vinkius.com. For OAuth-protected servers, expand Advanced settings to add credentials.
3

Start a conversation

Open a new chat. The FRED Tags & Sources — Data Discovery MCP tools are available immediately — no restart needed.

Endpoint URL

https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp

No configuration file needed — paste the URL directly in the Claude web interface.

Available on Free (1 connector), Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans.

Prerequisites

Claude Desktop installed (macOS or Windows)
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Open Claude Desktop Settings

Click the menu icon at the top-left corner, go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config. This opens claude_desktop_config.json in your default text editor.
2

Paste the FRED Tags & Sources — Data Discovery MCP configuration

Copy the JSON snippet on the right into the mcpServers object. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your endpoint token from cloud.vinkius.com.
3

Restart Claude Desktop

Close and reopen the application. Claude needs a full restart to load new MCPs — refreshing a conversation is not enough.
4

Verify the connection

Open a new conversation. Click the 🔌 icon at the bottom of the message input. You should see tools listed under fred-tags-sources-data-discovery-mcp.

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fred-tags-sources-data-discovery-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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 FRED. 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.

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Common questions about FRED Tags & Sources — Data Discovery MCP in Claude Desktop

Open your desktop app and go to Settings, then Developer. Edit the `claude_desktop_config.json` file to add the server under the `mcpServers` key, then restart the app. You can also paste the remote URL directly into Claude Web via the Integrations menu.

No. This specific MCP Server handles data discovery. It finds the series IDs and source metadata using tags. You will need a separate tool to fetch the actual time-series observations once you have the ID.

You might be using a generic term instead of an official FRED tag. Ask your agent to run `search_tags` with a broad keyword first. That returns the exact tag strings the Federal Reserve uses.

The `list_sources` tool returns exactly 107 official data providers. This includes major federal agencies and regional reserve banks.

Your search terms and tag combinations go directly to the Federal Reserve Economic Data API. The MCP host only processes your specific text inputs like 'gdp' or 'monthly'. Claude does not store your search history on the server side, and the connection drops immediately after the request finishes.

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