Do I need an API key for Data.gov?

No. All Data.gov data is in the public domain, so this MCP does not require an API key to function.

Which AI clients can use this MCP?

You can use this MCP with any compatible client, including Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf.

What kind of data formats can I get?

The MCP can find datasets available in CSV, JSON, XML, Shapefile, GeoJSON, and PDF formats.

How many datasets are available?

The catalog contains over 300,000 federal datasets.

Can I search for data from specific agencies?

Yes. You can browse datasets by specific organizations like NASA, the USDA, or the EPA.

Do I need an API key?

No! Data.gov data is public domain and freely accessible. No authentication required.

What organizations publish data?

Over 200 federal agencies including NASA, USDA, EPA, NOAA, Department of Education, Census Bureau, Department of Transportation, FBI, CDC, FDA and many more.

What formats are available?

Common formats: CSV, JSON, XML, Shapefile, GeoJSON, PDF, HTML, RDF, KML, ZIP. Use list_resource_formats to see all available formats.

An astronaut overseeing a futuristic data hub

Download PDF Markdown Version

Connect Data.gov to ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini

Set it up once and it works in ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, and any other client you love. It all runs safely in the background, so you can relax and focus on what really matters. Pull real government datasets into your AI agent instantly.

Ask AI about this Connector

Developed, maintained, and hosted by Vinkius.

MCP VERIFIED · PRODUCTION READY · VINKIUS GUARANTEED

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Works with modern AI clients that support MCP, including ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, and more.

Your AI does the work. We keep it safe and sound.

No other AI tool gives you this. Your workflow runs in the client you already love, your account stays protected, and you decide what the agent can and cannot do. It is the whole reason to make the switch.

Each Connector lives inside our infrastructure, the same place where your workflow runs. The three things below are already part of it, working quietly in the background so you never have to think about them. Nothing to add, nothing to set up, nothing to worry about.

V8 Isolate01

Each Connector runs inside its own sealed environment.

Each Connector runs inside its own sealed V8 runtime — no access to your files, your system, or other servers. A Connector never sees past its own request.

Kill Switch02

One switch stops every agent. Instantly.

One action deactivates every Connector, revokes every token, and ends every session at once. AI Governance keeps the record.

FinOps per User03

Spending limits that pause instead of surprise.

Every user keeps their own connections and credentials, isolated from everyone else. Anything that would cross your spending limit is held for your approval, not billed.

Three controls, built into the layer your AI connects through.

Curated set · 13 capabilities

We ship only the actions that matter.

Capability set01 / 04

01-04

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 13 available through Data.gov.

01
Get tag
Retrieves details for a specific tag, including the dataset count and a list of up to 20 associated datasets.
02
Search datasets
Searches the federal catalog using keywords, organizations, or tags. It returns titles, descriptions, and direct download links.
03
Get dataset
Fetches full metadata for a specific dataset using its ID or name, including licenses and data dictionaries.
04
Get group
Provides details for a specific topic group like agriculture or climate, along with its published datasets.

Capability set02 / 04

05-07

3 capabilities in this set.

Part of 13 available through Data.gov.

05
Get organization
Returns information about a federal agency, including its description, contact info, and published datasets.
06
Get organization datasets
Lists all datasets published by a specific organization, providing titles and download links.
07
Get status
Checks the current Data.gov API status and provides total counts for datasets, organizations, and groups.

Capability set03 / 04

08-10

3 capabilities in this set.

Part of 13 available through Data.gov.

08
Get tag datasets
Finds all datasets associated with a specific tag, including their descriptions and download links.
09
Get group datasets
Retrieves all datasets belonging to a specific topic group.
10
List groups
Lists all available topic groups on Data.gov, such as education or public safety.

Capability set04 / 04

11-13

3 capabilities in this set.

Part of 13 available through Data.gov.

11
List organizations
Provides a list of all federal organizations that publish data on the platform.
12
List resource formats
Shows all available file formats, such as CSV or GeoJSON, used within the Data.gov catalog.
13
List tags
Returns a list of all tags used to categorize datasets across the platform.

Real work

What teams actually run

Academic Research

A researcher asks for recent climate datasets to support a new environmental study.

Data Visualization

A developer finds specific Census Bureau datasets to build a new demographic dashboard.

Investigative Journalism

A reporter queries education spending data to verify local school district budgets.

App Development

A programmer pulls public safety datasets to feed into a custom mapping capability.

Automate a task

Put Data.gov to work on one thing.

Step-by-step automations your AI runs through this Connector: the workflow, the prompts to start with, and the exact capabilities behind each move.

One connector, every AI

Data.gov works with the most popular AI clients.

These are the most popular clients, each with a step-by-step guide: one link, set up once, with governance and visibility built in. And because everything runs on the MCP standard, the same connection also works in any other compatible client — nothing to rebuild.

Building your own app? The connector is yours to use.

You don't need a client to put Data.gov to work: the same hosted connection plugs into your own applications and agent code, with the same governance on every request. Build with it, chat with it — one connection for both.

Observed, not estimated

1013ms average. Fast in production.

Data.gov is checked daily against the live service.

Daily averagePeak 1249ms

Oct 3Today

Fastest day: 752ms
Slowest day: 1249ms
14-day trend: Slowing+6%

Connect your client

One URL. Every client.

Activate the Connector, copy your link, and paste it into the client you already use. 13 capabilities arrive ready to run.

Preview access · not provider authentication

The vk_preview_* token belongs to Vinkius preview infrastructure. It lets Claude discover and display the capabilities of Data.gov, so you can see the experience inside your AI.

It does not authenticate your account with Data.gov. Actions requiring credentials or live account data may not run until you activate the Connector and authorize the service.

Data.gov Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_XL0EskGwimJcfOAPuiIfCCZsi7qszoFMPMYdY9Ka/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
3Click Add and start a new chat — Data.gov capabilities are ready to use.

Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "datagov-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_XL0EskGwimJcfOAPuiIfCCZsi7qszoFMPMYdY9Ka/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Claude
ChatGPT
Cursor
VS Code
Windsurf
Claude Code
JetBrains
Cline

Step-by-step instructions for each client are in the guide. How to connect

Guided setup for Claude? Set up Data.gov in Claude and other AIs

See all the AI clients this connector works with ↑

Who it's for

Built for the work Data.gov owners hand off.

This MCP is built for professionals who need reliable, real-world data without the friction of manual web searching.

01
Researchers
They ask the agent to find specific federal datasets for academic studies and data analysis.
02
Journalists
They use the agent to uncover government data for investigative reporting projects.
03
Developers
They instruct the agent to find data files to integrate into new applications or visualizations.

FAQ

Questions Data.gov owners ask.

01
Do I need an API key for Data.gov?
No. All Data.gov data is in the public domain, so this MCP does not require an API key to function.
02
Which AI clients can use this MCP?
You can use this MCP with any compatible client, including Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf.
03
What kind of data formats can I get?
The MCP can find datasets available in CSV, JSON, XML, Shapefile, GeoJSON, and PDF formats.
04
How many datasets are available?
The catalog contains over 300,000 federal datasets.
05
Can I search for data from specific agencies?
Yes. You can browse datasets by specific organizations like NASA, the USDA, or the EPA.
06
Do I need an API key?
No! Data.gov data is public domain and freely accessible. No authentication required.
07
What organizations publish data?
Over 200 federal agencies including NASA, USDA, EPA, NOAA, Department of Education, Census Bureau, Department of Transportation, FBI, CDC, FDA and many more.
08
What formats are available?
Common formats: CSV, JSON, XML, Shapefile, GeoJSON, PDF, HTML, RDF, KML, ZIP. Use list_resource_formats to see all available formats.

Explore

More in Knowledge Management

Connect Data.gov to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more

Your AI does the work. We keep it safe and sound.

Each Connector runs inside its own sealed environment.

One switch stops every agent. Instantly.

Spending limits that pause instead of surprise.

We ship only the actions that matter.

01-04

Get tag

Search datasets

Get dataset

Get group

05-07

Get organization

Get organization datasets

Get status

08-10

Get tag datasets

Get group datasets

List groups

11-13

List organizations

List resource formats

List tags

What teams actually run

Academic Research

Data Visualization

Investigative Journalism

App Development

Building your own app? The connector is yours to use.

Data.gov Connector

Claude Desktop

Researchers

Journalists

Developers

Do I need an API key for Data.gov?

Which AI clients can use this MCP?

What kind of data formats can I get?

How many datasets are available?

Can I search for data from specific agencies?

Do I need an API key?

What organizations publish data?

What formats are available?

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