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

Q: How do I configure the FRED Tags & Sources — Data Discovery MCP Server in Cursor?

Create a .cursor/mcp.json file in your project root. Add the server details under the mcpServers object. Turn on Agent mode in the chat panel to let the editor call the tools.

Inject accurate FRED series IDs directly into your code using Cursor. Stop hardcoding the wrong macroeconomic tags.

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Connect FRED Tags & Sources — Data Discovery MCP to Cursor

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Setup FRED Tags & Sources — Data Discovery with Cursor

Ask AI about this MCP

ChatGPT

Claude

Perplexity

Find metadata without leaving Cursor

`search_tags` lets you query the Federal Reserve taxonomy right from your editor. When you are writing a Python script to fetch regional housing data, your agent hits the API to find the exact geographic and topic tags you need. This prevents you from breaking your code with guessed strings. The tool returns the official labels like 'monthly' or 'bea', which you then feed into your actual data fetching functions.

Filter series through this MCP Server

`get_series_by_tags` handles the intersection of multiple metadata labels. You tell the agent you need US GDP data, and it passes 'usa;gdp' to the endpoint, returning only the series that match both. You can refine the query by passing an exclude list. If your script requires federal data only, you exclude 'state' or 'county' tags. The agent writes the exact matching series IDs straight into your constants file.

Verify upstream data providers

`list_sources` returns the 107 official organizations that publish data to the St. Louis Fed. Your agent can call this to populate a dropdown menu in the frontend you are building. It pulls the exact names of institutions like the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You get real data for your UI components instead of writing mock arrays.

Setup guide

Set up FRED Tags & Sources — Data Discovery MCP in Cursor

Prerequisites

Cursor installed (macOS, Windows, or Linux)
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Open MCP Settings

Go to Cursor Settings → MCP or open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and search for "MCP: Add Server".
2

Add the FRED Tags & Sources — Data Discovery MCP

Cursor will create or open .cursor/mcp.json in your project root. Paste the JSON snippet on the right. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your endpoint token from cloud.vinkius.com.
3

Enable Agent mode

Open Composer (Cmd+I / Ctrl+I) and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown at the top. MCP tools are only available in Agent mode.
4

Verify the connection

Ask Cursor something like "List my recent FRED Tags & Sources — Data Discovery transactions." If the MCP tools are loaded correctly, Cursor will call the FRED Tags & Sources — Data Discovery tools automatically. You can also check Settings → MCP for a green status indicator.

.cursor/mcp.json

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

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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 Cursor

Create a `.cursor/mcp.json` file in your project root. Add the server details under the `mcpServers` object. Turn on Agent mode in the chat panel to let the editor call the tools.

Yes. The agent uses the discovery tools to find the correct series IDs. It then writes the Python or TypeScript code needed to fetch the actual observations from those specific series.

You probably requested an impossible combination of tags. The St. Louis Fed categorizes strictly. Have your agent run `get_series_by_tags` with fewer tags to broaden the search scope.

Yes. Tags include frequency labels. You can filter for 'monthly', 'quarterly', or 'annual' to ensure your application only ingests data matching your required time intervals.

The MCP protocol keeps your credentials local to your machine environment. When the server requests the 107 data sources, it only sends the standard authentication token to the FRED API. Your project code and proprietary algorithms never leave your local workspace.

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