OpenStates MCP Server for OpenAI Agents SDK 7 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
The OpenAI Agents SDK enables production-grade agent workflows in Python. Connect OpenStates through Vinkius and your agents gain typed, auto-discovered tools with built-in guardrails. no manual schema definitions required.
ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER
Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.
import asyncio
from agents import Agent, Runner
from agents.mcp import MCPServerStreamableHttp
async def main():
# Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
async with MCPServerStreamableHttp(
url="https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
) as mcp_server:
agent = Agent(
name="OpenStates Assistant",
instructions=(
"You help users interact with OpenStates. "
"You have access to 7 tools."
),
mcp_servers=[mcp_server],
)
result = await Runner.run(
agent, "List all available tools from OpenStates"
)
print(result.final_output)
asyncio.run(main())
* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
About OpenStates MCP Server
Equip your AI agent with the most comprehensive US state-level legislative intelligence via OpenStates. This unified server provides your agent with instant access to bills, legislators, and committee metadata across all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. Your agent can instantly search for specific legislation, audit legislator profiles, and retrieve committee memberships without you ever manually checking a government site. Whether you are tracking policy trends or verifying legislative actions, your agent acts as a dedicated political analyst through natural conversation.
The OpenAI Agents SDK auto-discovers all 7 tools from OpenStates through native MCP integration. Build agents with built-in guardrails, tracing, and handoff patterns. chain multiple agents where one queries OpenStates, another analyzes results, and a third generates reports, all orchestrated through Vinkius.
What you can do
- Bill Discovery — Search for thousands of legislative bills by keyword, jurisdiction, and session.
- Legislator Auditing — Fetch complete profiles, contact information, and current roles for state legislators.
- Committee Intelligence — List all legislative committees in a jurisdiction and retrieve their detailed membership lists.
- Jurisdiction Lookup — List and inspect all supported states and jurisdictions to understand current legislative coverage.
- Deep Metadata — Retrieve detailed actions and versions for specific bills to analyze the legislative process.
The OpenStates MCP Server exposes 7 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to OpenAI Agents SDK in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.
How to Connect OpenStates to OpenAI Agents SDK via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the OpenStates MCP Server with OpenAI Agents SDK.
Install the SDK
Run pip install openai-agents in your Python environment
Replace the token
Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your Vinkius token from cloud.vinkius.com
Run the script
Save the code above and run it: python agent.py
Explore tools
The agent will automatically discover 7 tools from OpenStates
Why Use OpenAI Agents SDK with the OpenStates MCP Server
OpenAI Agents SDK provides unique advantages when paired with OpenStates through the Model Context Protocol.
Native MCP integration via `MCPServerSse`, pass the URL and the SDK auto-discovers all tools with full type safety
Built-in guardrails, tracing, and handoff patterns let you build production-grade agents without reinventing safety infrastructure
Lightweight and composable: chain multiple agents and MCP servers in a single pipeline with minimal boilerplate
First-party OpenAI support ensures optimal compatibility with GPT models for tool calling and structured output
OpenStates + OpenAI Agents SDK Use Cases
Practical scenarios where OpenAI Agents SDK combined with the OpenStates MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Automated workflows: build agents that query OpenStates, process the data, and trigger follow-up actions autonomously
Multi-agent orchestration: create specialist agents. one queries OpenStates, another analyzes results, a third generates reports
Data enrichment pipelines: stream data through OpenStates tools and transform it with OpenAI models in a single async loop
Customer support bots: agents query OpenStates to resolve tickets, look up records, and update statuses without human intervention
OpenStates MCP Tools for OpenAI Agents SDK (7)
These 7 tools become available when you connect OpenStates to OpenAI Agents SDK via MCP:
get_bill_details
Get bill details
get_committee_details
Get committee details
get_legislator_details
Get legislator details
list_committees
List committees in a jurisdiction
list_jurisdictions
List all jurisdictions
search_bills
Search for legislative bills
search_legislators
Search for legislators
Example Prompts for OpenStates in OpenAI Agents SDK
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your OpenAI Agents SDK agent to start working with OpenStates immediately.
"Search for education bills in California."
"Who are the members of the New York Senate Finance Committee?"
"Get the latest actions for bill TX HB-500."
Troubleshooting OpenStates MCP Server with OpenAI Agents SDK
Common issues when connecting OpenStates to OpenAI Agents SDK through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
MCPServerStreamableHttp not found
pip install --upgrade openai-agentsAgent not calling tools
OpenStates + OpenAI Agents SDK FAQ
Common questions about integrating OpenStates MCP Server with OpenAI Agents SDK.
How does the OpenAI Agents SDK connect to MCP?
MCPServerSse(url=...) to create a server connection. The SDK auto-discovers all tools and makes them available to your agent with full type information.Can I use multiple MCP servers in one agent?
MCPServerSse instances to the agent constructor. The agent can use tools from all connected servers within a single run.Does the SDK support streaming responses?
Connect OpenStates with your favorite client
Step-by-step setup guides for every MCP-compatible client and framework:
Anthropic's native desktop app for Claude with built-in MCP support.
AI-first code editor with integrated LLM-powered coding assistance.
GitHub Copilot in VS Code with Agent mode and MCP support.
Purpose-built IDE for agentic AI coding workflows.
Autonomous AI coding agent that runs inside VS Code.
Anthropic's agentic CLI for terminal-first development.
Python SDK for building production-grade OpenAI agent workflows.
Google's framework for building production AI agents.
Type-safe agent development for Python with first-class MCP support.
TypeScript toolkit for building AI-powered web applications.
TypeScript-native agent framework for modern web stacks.
Python framework for orchestrating collaborative AI agent crews.
Leading Python framework for composable LLM applications.
Data-aware AI agent framework for structured and unstructured sources.
Microsoft's framework for multi-agent collaborative conversations.
Connect OpenStates to OpenAI Agents SDK
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 7 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.
