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Connect OpenStates 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. Track bills and monitor state legislators through natural conversation.

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.

ChatGPTClaudeCursorPerplexityGeminiMicrosoft CopilotRaycastMeta AI

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.

A futuristic MCP client docking bay
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 · 7 capabilities

We ship only the actions that matter.

Capability set01 / 02

01-04

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 7 available through OpenStates.

  1. 01

    Get committee details

    Retrieves specific information about a legislative committee. Use this to see the scope and details of a particular group.

  2. 02

    Search bills

    Searches for legislative bills using keywords, specific jurisdictions, or sessions. This is how you find relevant legislation.

  3. 03

    Search legislators

    Finds legislators within the system. Use this to locate specific representatives by name or other criteria.

  4. 04

    List jurisdictions

    Provides a list of all supported states and jurisdictions. Use this to see which areas are covered by the MCP.

Capability set02 / 02

05-07

3 capabilities in this set.

Part of 7 available through OpenStates.

  1. 05

    List committees

    Returns a list of all committees within a chosen jurisdiction. This helps you identify which groups are active in a state.

  2. 06

    Get bill details

    Fetches the full details and history of a specific bill. Use this to track the exact progress and versions of legislation.

  3. 07

    Get legislator details

    Provides complete profiles for individual legislators. Use this to get contact info and current roles.

Real work

What teams actually run

01

Policy Monitoring

An advocacy team uses the agent to watch for specific keywords in new bills across multiple states.

02

Representative Research

A researcher asks the agent for the contact details and committee roles of a specific legislator.

03

Legislative Auditing

A legal team checks the most recent version and action history of a specific bill.

04

Committee Analysis

A policy expert identifies all members of a specific state committee to understand influence.

Automate a task

Put OpenStates 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

OpenStates 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.

ClaudeClaudeChatGPTChatGPTGeminiGeminiPerplexityPerplexityGrokGrokMicrosoft CopilotMicrosoft CopilotCursorCursorVS CodeVS CodeWindsurfWindsurfJetBrainsJetBrainsClineClineLangChainLangChainVercel AI SDKVercel AI SDKLovableLovableZ.aiZ.aiRaycastRaycastQwen CodeQwen CodeKimi CodeKimi CodeLe ChatLe Chat

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

You don't need a client to put OpenStates 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

878ms average. Fast in production.

OpenStates is checked daily against the live service.

Daily averagePeak 1124ms
Oct 3Today
Fastest day
748ms
Slowest day
1124ms
14-day trend
Stable0%

Connect your client

One URL. Every client.

Activate the Connector, copy your link, and paste it into the client you already use. 7 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 OpenStates, so you can see the experience inside your AI.

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

OpenStates Connector

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

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_sD6562FRY77OdiZ66ZUdC7qPkcP5IdmhpV0Llg1z/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — OpenStates capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openstates-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_sD6562FRY77OdiZ66ZUdC7qPkcP5IdmhpV0Llg1z/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 OpenStates in Claude and other AIs

See all the AI clients this connector works with ↑

Who it's for

Built for the work OpenStates owners hand off.

This MCP is built for professionals who need to turn raw legislative data into actionable insights without manual searching.

  • 01

    Policy Analysts

    They hand off the task of monitoring bill progress and legislator stances to their agent.

  • 02

    Journalists

    They use the agent to quickly pull historical data and committee lists for reporting.

  • 03

    Civic Tech Developers

    They use the capability to feed clean legislative data into transparency dashboards.

  • 04

    Legal Professionals

    They rely on the agent to verify the current version and status of state laws.

FAQ

Questions OpenStates owners ask.

  • 01

    Which jurisdictions are covered by this MCP?

    The MCP provides access to data from all 50 US states, DC, and Puerto Rico.

  • 02

    How do I get started with OpenStates?

    You need to subscribe to the MCP on Vinkius and enter your OpenStates API key to begin using the capabilities in your AI client.

  • 03

    Can I track the progress of a specific bill?

    Yes, you can use the agent to retrieve detailed actions and the current status for specific bills.

  • 04

    What kind of legislator information is available?

    You can pull complete profiles, including contact information and current committee roles, for state legislators.

  • 05

    Is this compatible with my existing AI capabilities?

    Yes, this MCP works with any compatible client such as Claude, Cursor, or Windsurf.

  • 06

    Which US states are covered by this integration?

    OpenStates covers all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. You can use the list_jurisdictions capability to see the full list of currently active jurisdictions.

  • 07

    Can I search for bills by specific keywords like 'environment' or 'education'?

    Yes! Use the search_bills capability, provide the state name in the jurisdiction parameter, and your keywords in the q parameter. Your agent will return all matching legislation.

  • 08

    How do I get the contact information for my state representative?

    First, find the legislator using search_legislators with their name or district. Then, use the get_legislator_details capability with their ID to retrieve their official email, office address, and phone number.

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