• KEYWORD
  • TAG
  • AGENCY
  • HUMAN

How to search federal datasets with your AI

Connect Data.gov to your AI client once. After that, you can pull specific datasets using natural language.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How can I find specific government data using my AI?

You tell your AI what you're looking for, and it queries Data.gov using keywords, tags, or specific agencies. It returns the relevant dataset files and metadata directly in your chat. This breakdown shows how it handles different search types.

Search outcomes

Where your data lands

Depending on how you phrase your request, your AI delivers different types of data groupings.

KEYWORD

Keyword matches

The AI scans the entire Data.gov catalog for your specific terms. You get a list of datasets that match your description.

TAG

Tag-based results

Your AI pulls datasets categorized under specific subject tags. This is useful for finding data within a niche topic.

AGENCY

Agency-specific data

The AI filters the catalog to show only what a specific government organization has published. It narrows the scope to a single source.

HUMAN

Manual review

The AI presents the metadata and file links. You decide which specific files are worth downloading or analyzing further.

The workflow

What your AI does when you ask for data.

The AI translates your plain English request into specific API calls to the Data.gov catalog.

  1. Identify search intent

    Your AI determines if you are looking for a general topic, a specific tag, or data from a particular agency.

    search_datasets

  2. Filter by subject tags

    If you mention a specific topic like 'climate' or 'agriculture', the AI narrows the results using metadata tags.

    get_tag_datasets

  3. Isolate agency files

    When you name a specific department, the AI pulls only the datasets belonging to that organization.

    get_organization_datasets

  4. Group by category

    The AI can retrieve datasets that belong to specific functional groups within the federal catalog.

    get_group_datasets

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to begin your search.

Starting points

Swap the bracketed text for the actual keywords, tags, or agency names you need.

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.

  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 — Data.gov capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "datagov-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_XL0EskGwimJcfOAPuiIfCCZsi7qszoFMPMYdY9Ka/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Find datasets related to [keyword] on Data.gov.

  • Show me all datasets tagged with [tag name].

  • What datasets does the [agency name] have available?

  • List all datasets in the [group name] group.

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect Data.gov once, then ask.

Click the link to connect the MCP to your client. Your credentials stay encrypted, and you can start searching immediately.

Connect Data.gov to your AI

FAQ

How the search behaves

  • 01

    Can the AI download the files for me?

    No. The AI finds the datasets and provides the metadata and download links, but you must handle the actual file downloads.

  • 02

    Can I use this to upload my own data to Data.gov?

    No. This Connector is for searching and retrieving existing federal datasets, not for submitting new ones.

  • 03

    Does it search all government websites?

    No. It specifically searches the Data.gov catalog.

  • 04

    Can I search by a specific date range?

    The current tools allow for keyword, tag, group, and agency searches, but they do not support direct date-range filtering through the AI.

  • 05

    Can the AI edit the dataset descriptions?

    No. The AI can only read the information provided by the Data.gov API.

  • More questions about Data.gov? See everything the Data.gov Connector can do

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