How many datasets does the ONS have?

The ONS API currently exposes 337+ datasets covering economy, population, health, trade, business, census, well-being, and more. New datasets are added regularly as part of the ONS Beta programme.

What format does the data come in?

The API provides programmatic access to statistical observations in JSON format. It uses a hypermedia-driven architecture, nesting dimension links, options, and hierarchy information within the responses.

Is the API free to use?

Yes, the ONS Developer API is completely free and open, requiring no authentication or API keys, allowing developers unrestricted access to UK national statistics.

UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets MCP Server for OpenAI Agents SDK 6 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

openai.github.io/openai-agents-python/mcp

Built by Vinkius GDPR 6 Tools SDK

The OpenAI Agents SDK enables production-grade agent workflows in Python. Connect UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets through the Vinkius and your agents gain typed, auto-discovered tools with built-in guardrails — no manual schema definitions required.

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Open in ChatGPT Open in Claude Open in Perplexity

Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.

python

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="UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets Assistant",
            instructions=(
                "You help users interact with UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets. "
                "You have access to 6 tools."
            ),
            mcp_servers=[mcp_server],
        )

        result = await Runner.run(
            agent, "List all available tools from UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets"
        )
        print(result.final_output)

asyncio.run(main())

UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets

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* 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 UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets MCP Server

Full access to the ONS dataset catalog with discovery and query tools.

The OpenAI Agents SDK auto-discovers all 6 tools from UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets through native MCP integration. Build agents with built-in guardrails, tracing, and handoff patterns — chain multiple agents where one queries UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets, another analyzes results, and a third generates reports, all orchestrated through the Vinkius.

What you can do

Search — Find datasets by keyword
Browse — Paginated catalog access
Metadata — Dataset details, methodology, contacts
Dimensions — Available filter variables
Options — Valid values for each dimension
Query — Flexible observations with dimension filters

The UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets MCP Server exposes 6 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 UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets to OpenAI Agents SDK via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets 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 6 tools from UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets

Why Use OpenAI Agents SDK with the UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets MCP Server

OpenAI Agents SDK provides unique advantages when paired with UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets 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

UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets + OpenAI Agents SDK Use Cases

Practical scenarios where OpenAI Agents SDK combined with the UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Automated workflows: build agents that query UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets, process the data, and trigger follow-up actions autonomously

Multi-agent orchestration: create specialist agents — one queries UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets, another analyzes results, a third generates reports

Data enrichment pipelines: stream data through UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets tools and transform it with OpenAI models in a single async loop

Customer support bots: agents query UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets to resolve tickets, look up records, and update statuses without human intervention

UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets MCP Tools for OpenAI Agents SDK (6)

These 6 tools become available when you connect UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets to OpenAI Agents SDK via MCP:

get_dataset_info

Get metadata for an ONS dataset: dimensions, editions, versions

get_dimension_options

g., all geography codes, all time periods, all aggregate categories). Use this to find the correct filter values for observations. Get all option values for a specific dimension in an ONS dataset

get_dimensions

Each dimension has options you can use to filter observations. Essential for understanding what query parameters to use. Get available dimensions and filter options for an ONS dataset

get_observations

Provide dataset ID and dimension filters. Use search_datasets to find IDs and get_dimensions to discover available filters. Set time=* for full time series. Query any ONS dataset by ID with flexible dimension filters

list_datasets

The catalog contains 337+ datasets covering economy, population, health, trade, business, and more. Browse the complete ONS dataset catalog with pagination

search_datasets

Returns matching dataset IDs, titles, and descriptions. Use this to find the right dataset before querying data. Search ONS datasets by keyword — explore 337+ available datasets

Example Prompts for UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets in OpenAI Agents SDK

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your OpenAI Agents SDK agent to start working with UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets immediately.

"What ONS datasets are available about housing?"

"Can you list the variables (dimensions) available for the house-prices dataset?"

"What is the latest data on the UK employment rate?"

Troubleshooting UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets MCP Server with OpenAI Agents SDK

Common issues when connecting UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets to OpenAI Agents SDK through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

MCPServerStreamableHttp not found

Ensure you have the latest version: pip install --upgrade openai-agents

Agent not calling tools

Make sure your prompt explicitly references the task the tools can help with.

UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets + OpenAI Agents SDK FAQ

Common questions about integrating UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets MCP Server with OpenAI Agents SDK.

How does the OpenAI Agents SDK connect to MCP?

Use MCPServerSse(url=...) to create a server connection. The SDK auto-discovers all tools and makes them available to your agent with full type information.