MCP OpenFEC Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to Federal Election Commission (FEC) campaign finance data through the OpenFEC API.

Features

• Search for candidates by name, state, or office
• Get detailed candidate information and financial data
• Access committee information
• View individual contributions
• Track independent expenditures
• Access FEC filings and audit cases
• Download bulk data

Requirements

• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• An OpenFEC API Key (Get one here)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/psalzman/mcp-openfec
cd mcp-openfec

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Create a .env file in the root directory and add your OpenFEC API key:

OPENFEC_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

4. Build the server:

npm run build

Configuration

To use this MCP server with Claude Desktop:

1. Locate your Claude Desktop configuration file:

   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
   • Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add the following configuration to the file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openfec": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-openfec/build/server.js"],
      "env": {
        "OPENFEC_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Important configuration notes:

1. Replace /absolute/path/to/mcp-openfec with the actual path where you cloned the repository
2. Use absolute paths, not relative paths
3. Set disabled to false to enable the server
4. Keep autoApprove as an empty array for security
5. Add your OpenFEC API key in the env section

Available Tools

1. get_candidate: Get detailed information about a candidate
2. get_candidate_financials: Get financial data for a candidate
3. search_candidates: Search for candidates by name or other criteria
4. get_committee: Get detailed information about a committee
5. get_candidate_contributions: Get individual contributions for a candidate
6. get_filings: Retrieve official FEC filings
7. get_independent_expenditures: Get independent expenditures
8. get_electioneering: Get electioneering communications
9. get_party_coordinated_expenditures: Get party coordinated expenditures
10. get_communication_costs: Get corporate/union communication costs
11. get_audit_cases: Get FEC audit cases and findings
12. get_bulk_downloads: Get links to bulk data downloads

Rate Limiting

The server implements rate limiting to comply with OpenFEC API guidelines:

• 1000 requests per hour
• Requests exceeding this limit will receive an error response

Development

To modify the server:

1. Make changes to the TypeScript files in the src directory
2. Rebuild the server:

npm run build

License