# GovInfo MCP MCP

> GovInfo connects your AI client directly to official U.S. Federal Government publications and records. It lets you search congressional bills, federal regulations, court opinions, and presidential documents using natural language queries. Instead of navigating complex government databases, your agent finds the exact source material for legal analysis or policy research.

## Overview
- **Category:** the-unthinkable
- **Price:** Free
- **Tags:** public-records, federal-documents, legislation, regulatory-data, document-discovery

## Description

Need a specific piece of legislation or a detailed court ruling? GovInfo connects your AI client to all three branches of the U.S. Federal Government through one API. You can ask anything—whether you need the full text of an older federal rule, want to know which bills are related to a new regulation, or just need a list of everything published yesterday. Your agent handles the complexity; you get clean data right in your workspace. When you connect this MCP via Vinkius, it acts like having a dedicated research assistant on retainer, capable of instantly locating and summarizing official records for compliance, journalism, or deep academic work.

## Tools

### get_collection
Fetches a set of document packages within an established collection based on specific date ranges.

### get_granule_summary
Retrieves detailed summary metadata for a single, small unit (granule) of a document package.

### get_package_summary
Gets the overall summary metadata for an entire organized group or 'package' of documents.

### get_published
Lists every document that was officially published on a specific day.

### get_related_documents
Finds and lists other documents linked to a known package, helping trace history or context.

### list_collections
Shows you a list of all major document categories available on the platform (e.g., Bills, CFR).

### list_package_granules
Lists every single small sub-document unit that makes up a larger package.

### search_documents
Performs complex, full-text searches across the entire GovInfo database using keywords and criteria.

## Prompt Examples

**Prompt:** 
```
What collections of documents are available on GovInfo?
```

**Response:** 
```
Fetching collections... GovInfo currently offers access to several collections, including:
1. BILLS (Congressional Bills)
2. FR (Federal Register)
3. CFR (Code of Federal Regulations)
4. USCOURTS (United States Courts Opinions)
Which collection would you like to explore?
```

**Prompt:** 
```
Show me the summary for the Federal Register package 'FR-2023-01-10'.
```

**Response:** 
```
Retrieving package summary... The package 'FR-2023-01-10' is the Federal Register issue from January 10, 2023. It contains 124 individual documents (granules). I have the download links for the PDF and XML formats. Would you like me to list the specific documents inside this package?
```

## Capabilities

### Search all federal documents
Find specific legislative or regulatory texts across the entire GovInfo database using natural language.

### List available document types
See every official collection, like bills or court opinions, that the system tracks.

### Find documents for a date range
Retrieve groups of records published within specific time frames.

### Get summary data on any document set
Pull detailed metadata, like the publication date or chapter count, for both entire collections and single documents.

### Discover connected records
Map out a document’s history by finding related bills or regulations it references.

## Use Cases

### Tracking regulatory changes
A policy analyst needs to know everything that changed in environmental law last quarter. They use `list_collections` to find the correct category, then run `get_collection` for the date range, and finally ask their agent to filter down only the sections relevant to emissions.

### Legal discovery for a case
A compliance officer needs to prove how a specific court ruling influenced subsequent regulations. They start by getting the summary of the original document using `get_package_summary`, then immediately use `get_related_documents` to pull the entire chain of connected rules.

### Journalistic deep dive
A journalist wants to write an article on a topic and needs primary source material. They run `search_documents` with keywords, then use `get_granule_summary` on the top results to pull key dates and authors for their draft.

## Benefits

- Stop guessing where to look. Use `list_collections` first to map out every available category (like bills or court records) before running a deep search, saving time and scope creep.
- Need context? Instead of just finding one bill, use `get_related_documents` to automatically pull up the entire regulatory history or linked legislation. It paints the full picture.
- The metadata is gold. Use `get_package_summary` or `get_granule_summary` when you need proof points—the exact dates, authors, and classification of a document without reading it all.
- Tracking daily changes? Run `get_published` for any specific date to instantly get a list of everything that went live. Perfect for compliance checks.
- Searching the whole mess is tough. Use `search_documents` to run one query against every piece of data, letting your agent handle the complex filtering.

## How It Works

The bottom line is, your AI agent treats government research like a simple chat query instead of requiring complex database navigation.

1. Subscribe to this MCP and provide your free API key from data.gov.
2. Connect the GovInfo MCP to your AI client (like Cursor or Claude).
3. Tell your agent what you need—e.g., 'Find all regulations related to carbon emissions published last quarter'—and it handles the search.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**How do I know what kind of documents are available using list_collections?**
You run `list_collections` first. It gives you a clean list of all major document categories, like BILLS or CFR, so you know exactly where to focus your search.

**Can I find documents published on a specific date using get_published?**
Yep. `get_published` accepts a date and gives you every document that went live that day, letting you monitor rapid changes in regulations or law.

**What is the difference between get_package_summary and get_granule_summary?**
A package summary gets details for a whole group of documents. A granule summary digs into the metadata for one tiny, specific document within that package.

**How does search_documents work if I don't know the collection name?**
`search_documents` runs across everything. You just give it keywords and parameters; it handles querying all collections without you having to specify them up front.

**How do I track the legislative history of a bill using get_related_documents?**
It pulls together related records for you. Instead of guessing, this tool finds documents that share context with a package, helping you map out the entire regulatory or legal trail associated with a specific piece of legislation.

**When should I use get_collection to narrow down my search?**
You use it when you need to filter packages by date range within a known collection. This helps limit the scope, ensuring your agent only pulls documents relevant to a specific time window.

**What happens if I forget the API key when running search_documents?**
The system will throw an authentication error because the credentials are missing or invalid. Make sure you pass your free data.gov API key correctly to allow the agent to access GovInfo.

**How does list_package_granules help me process a large package?**
It returns a detailed manifest of all sub-documents inside a larger package. This is essential because it gives you explicit identifiers for each granule, allowing your agent to fetch metadata or details one piece at a time.

**What kind of documents can I find on GovInfo?**
GovInfo provides access to a vast array of federal documents, including Congressional Bills (BILLS), the Federal Register (FR), Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), United States Courts Opinions (USCOURTS), and Presidential Documents (CPD). Use the `list_collections` tool to see all available categories.

**How do I find the actual text or PDF of a document?**
The `get_package_summary` tool returns metadata which includes download links (URLs) for various formats like PDF, XML, or Text. You can then use those links to access the full document.