• MATCHES
  • RISK
  • HUMAN
  • LOGS

How to perform PEP and AML checks with your AI

Connect OpenSanctions to your AI client to automate identity screening. Your agent handles the data matching so you can focus on risk assessment.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How can I use my AI for PEP and AML checks?

Your AI uses OpenSanctions to cross-reference names against global watchlists and PEP databases. It flags potential matches and provides the data you need to make a compliance decision. You'll see the specific hits and risk indicators immediately.

Compliance outcomes

Where your risk data lands.

The AI processes the raw datasets and organizes the results into these categories.

MATCHES

Identified PEP hits

The AI finds direct matches between your subject and the OpenSanctions database. You get a list of specific individuals flagged as politically exposed.

RISK

AML watchlist hits

The agent identifies names appearing on sanctions or AML watchlists. This highlights high-risk entities that require closer scrutiny.

HUMAN

Manual review needed

When the AI finds a potential name match that isn't a perfect hit, it flags it for you. You decide if the person is actually the same individual.

LOGS

Audit trail ready

Every check performed is documented through the chat history. You can use these logs to prove you performed due diligence.

The workflow

What your AI does when a name arrives.

The AI handles the heavy lifting of searching massive datasets so you don't have to manually browse watchlists.

  1. Identify the person

    The agent starts by looking up the specific individual in the global datasets to gather baseline information.

    search_person

  2. Check for PEP status

    The AI scans for any political exposure associated with that person to determine if they are a PEP.

    match_pep

  3. Verify AML hits

    The agent runs the identity against AML watchlists to find any sanctions or regulatory flags.

    match_pep

  4. Summarize findings

    The AI compiles the hits, the risk levels, and the source data into a clear report for your review.

    search_person

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to trigger the OpenSanctions tools immediately.

Starting points

Replace the names and entities in these prompts with the actual people or companies you need to check.

OpenSanctions Connector

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

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_ZsvZF1zehQBkE9Qy8D6NL3kDsgqsOFIaEJphQI9f/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 — OpenSanctions capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "opensanctions-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_ZsvZF1zehQBkE9Qy8D6NL3kDsgqsOFIaEJphQI9f/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Run a PEP check on Jane Doe to see if she is a politically exposed person.

  • Search for any AML watchlist matches for the entity 'Global Tech Corp'.

  • Check if the person in my contact list, John Smith, has any PEP status in OpenSanctions.

  • Summarize all PEP and AML hits found for the name Alexander Volkov.

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

Start here

Connect OpenSanctions once, then ask.

Just link your account to Vinkius. Your credentials stay encrypted and your AI client gets instant access to the OpenSanctions tools.

Connect OpenSanctions to your AI

FAQ

How the compliance task behaves

  • 01

    Can the AI automatically clear a person as 'safe'?

    No. The AI only identifies matches and hits. You must perform the final determination to decide if a person is cleared or flagged.

  • 02

    Does the AI update the OpenSanctions database?

    No. The tools are read-only. The AI can search and match against the data, but it cannot add or change records in the OpenSanctions datasets.

  • 03

    What happens if there is a name match but no PEP status?

    The AI will report the name match from the search but will confirm that no PEP status was found for that specific individual.

  • 04

    Can I use this to automate my entire compliance department?

    No. The AI acts as a research assistant to find hits. It does not replace the legal or compliance officer responsible for making final decisions.

  • 05

    How does the AI handle partial name matches?

    The AI uses the search tools to find the closest matches. If a match is ambiguous, it will present the findings to you for manual verification.

  • More questions about OpenSanctions? See everything the OpenSanctions Connector can do

Connect OpenSanctions to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more