@cyanheads/federal-reserve-mcp-server
Search and fetch ~800K Federal Reserve economic time-series from the FRED API via MCP. STDIO or Streamable HTTP.
8 Tools
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---
## Tools
Five FRED tools plus three DataCanvas tools for querying spilled observation results via SQL:
| Tool | Description |
|:-----|:------------|
| `fedreserve_search_series` | Full-text search across FRED series titles, units, frequency, and tags — returns matching series IDs with metadata |
| `fedreserve_get_series` | Fetch metadata for one or more series (title, units, frequency, seasonal adjustment, observation range) |
| `fedreserve_get_observations` | Fetch date+value observation data for one or more series with date-range filtering and unit transformations |
| `fedreserve_browse_categories` | Navigate the FRED category tree; drill into a category to see child categories and a series sample |
| `fedreserve_get_release` | Look up a FRED release by ID or name search — returns release metadata and its associated series list |
| `fedreserve_dataframe_describe` | List active DataCanvas dataframes registered by this server (canvas IDs, row counts, schemas) |
| `fedreserve_dataframe_query` | Run a SELECT query against a registered DataCanvas dataframe |
| `fedreserve_dataframe_drop` | Drop a DataCanvas dataframe by name (opt-in via `FRED_DATAFRAME_DROP_ENABLED=true`) |
### `fedreserve_search_series`
Search for FRED series by free-text query across titles, tags, and notes.
- Full-text and series-ID search modes
- Post-search filtering by frequency, units, or seasonal adjustment status
- Tag-name filtering (semicolon-delimited list)
- Pagination via `limit` and `offset`
- To find series for a specific release, use `fedreserve_get_release` instead
---
### `fedreserve_get_series`
Fetch metadata for one or more FRED series.
- Accepts up to 50 series IDs in a single call
- Returns title, units, frequency, seasonal adjustment, observation range, popularity, and notes
- Fires parallel upstream requests (no FRED batch endpoint exists); partial success reported per ID
---
### `fedreserve_get_observations`
Fetch observation data (date + value pairs) for one or more series.
- Accepts up to 10 series IDs; fires one upstream request per series in parallel
- Date-range filtering with ISO 8601 dates (`observation_start`, `observation_end`)
- FRED's native unit transformations: `lin`, `chg`, `ch1`, `pch`, `pc1`, `pca`, `cch`, `cca`, `log`
- Frequency downsampling with configurable aggregation method (`avg`, `sum`, `eop`)
- Multi-series or >500-row results spill to a DataCanvas table; response includes a `dataset.name` handle for SQL querying via `fedreserve_dataframe_query`
- Degrades gracefully when DataCanvas is unavailable — returns inline preview with row count
---
### `fedreserve_browse_categories`
Navigate the FRED category hierarchy.
- Omit `category_id` to start at the root (ID 0)
- Provide a `category_id` to see child categories and a series sample for leaf categories
- Covers all FRED domains: Money & Banking, National Accounts, Employment, Prices, Housing, Trade, and more
---
### `fedreserve_get_release`
Inspect a FRED data release and its associated series.
- Look up by `release_id` (integer) or `release_search` (case-insensitive substring match)
- Name search fetches all releases and filters client-side (FRED has no server-side release search)
- Returns release name, link, scheduled dates, and a paginated series list
- Use `series_limit` and `series_offset` to page through large releases
## Features
Built on [`@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core):
- Declarative tool definitions — single file per tool, framework handles registration and validation
- Unified error handling across all tools
- Pluggable auth (`none`, `jwt`, `oauth`)
- Swappable storage backends: `in-memory`, `filesystem`, `Supabase`, `Cloudflare KV/R2/D1`
- Structured logging with optional OpenTelemetry tracing
- STDIO and Streamable HTTP transports
FRED-specific:
- Read-only access to the St. Louis Fed's FRED API (`api.stlouisfed.org/fred`)
- Parallel multi-series fetching via `Promise.allSettled` with partial success reporting
- DataCanvas spillover for multi-series or large observation results — spilled tables queryable via `fedreserve_dataframe_query`
- Retry with backoff and 429 rate-limit detection against FRED's 120 req/min limit
- FRED's native unit transformations delegated server-side for precision against the full series history
## Getting started
Add the following to your MCP client configuration file. Obtain a free FRED API key at [research.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/api_key.html](https://research.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/api_key.html).
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"federal-reserve-mcp-server": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "bunx",
"args": ["@cyanheads/federal-reserve-mcp-server@latest"],
"env": {
"MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio",
"MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "info",
"FRED_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
}
}
}
}
```
Or with npx (no Bun required):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"federal-reserve-mcp-server": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@cyanheads/federal-reserve-mcp-server@latest"],
"env": {
"MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio",
"MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "info",
"FRED_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
}
}
}
}
```
Or with Docker:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"federal-reserve-mcp-server": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run", "-i", "--rm",
"-e", "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=stdio",
"-e", "FRED_API_KEY=your-api-key",
"ghcr.io/cyanheads/federal-reserve-mcp-server:latest"
]
}
}
}
```
For Streamable HTTP, set the transport and start the server:
```sh
MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=http MCP_HTTP_PORT=3010 FRED_API_KEY=... bun run start:http
# Server listens at http://localhost:3010/mcp
```
### Prerequisites
- [Bun v1.3.2](https://bun.sh/) or higher.
- A free FRED API key from [stlouisfed.org](https://fredaccount.stlouisfed.org/login/secure/). The key grants 120 requests/minute.
### Installation
1. **Clone the repository:**
```sh
git clone https://github.com/cyanheads/federal-reserve-mcp-server.git
```
2. **Navigate into the directory:**
```sh
cd federal-reserve-mcp-server
```
3. **Install dependencies:**
```sh
bun install
```
4. **Configure environment:**
```sh
cp .env.example .env
# edit .env and set FRED_API_KEY
```
## Configuration
All configuration is validated at startup via Zod schemas in `src/config/server-config.ts`.
| Variable | Description | Default |
|:---------|:------------|:--------|
| `FRED_API_KEY` | **Required.** API key from [stlouisfed.org](https://research.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/api_key.html). | — |
| `FRED_BASE_URL` | Override the FRED API base URL. | `https://api.stlouisfed.org/fred` |
| `FRED_DATASET_TTL_SECONDS` | Sliding TTL for DataCanvas-registered observation tables (seconds). | `86400` |
| `FRED_DATAFRAME_DROP_ENABLED` | Set `true` to expose the `fedreserve_dataframe_drop` tool. | `false` |
| `CANVAS_PROVIDER_TYPE` | Set to `duckdb` to enable DataCanvas SQL querying for observation results. | — |
| `MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE` | Transport: `stdio` or `http`. | `stdio` |
| `MCP_HTTP_PORT` | Port for HTTP server. | `3010` |
| `MCP_AUTH_MODE` | Auth mode: `none`, `jwt`, or `oauth`. | `none` |
| `MCP_LOG_LEVEL` | Log level (RFC 5424). | `info` |
| `LOGS_DIR` | Directory for log files (Node.js only). | `/logs` |
| `STORAGE_PROVIDER_TYPE` | Storage backend. | `in-memory` |
| `OTEL_ENABLED` | Enable [OpenTelemetry instrumentation](https://github.com/cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/tree/main/docs/telemetry). | `false` |
See [`.env.example`](./.env.example) for the full list of optional overrides.
## Running the server
### Local development
- **Build and run:**
```sh
# One-time build
bun run rebuild
# Run the built server
bun run start:stdio
# or
bun run start:http
```
- **Run checks and tests:**
```sh
bun run devcheck # Lint, format, typecheck, security
bun run test # Vitest test suite
bun run lint:mcp # Validate MCP definitions against spec
```
### Docker
```sh
docker build -t federal-reserve-mcp-server .
docker run --rm -e FRED_API_KEY=your-key -e MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=http -p 3010:3010 federal-reserve-mcp-server
```
The Dockerfile defaults to HTTP transport, stateless session mode, and logs to `/var/log/federal-reserve-mcp-server`. OpenTelemetry peer dependencies are installed by default — build with `--build-arg OTEL_ENABLED=false` to omit them.
## Project structure
| Directory | Purpose |
|:----------|:--------|
| `src/index.ts` | `createApp()` entry point — registers tools and inits services. |
| `src/config` | Server-specific environment variable parsing and validation with Zod. |
| `src/mcp-server/tools` | Tool definitions (`*.tool.ts`). Eight tools across FRED domain and DataCanvas. |
| `src/services/fred` | FRED API service — HTTP client, retry, 429 handling, key injection. |
| `src/services/canvas-bridge` | DataCanvas adapter — table naming, TTL/provenance tracking, SQL gate extras. |
| `tests/` | Unit and integration tests mirroring `src/`. |
| `docs/` | Design and planning documents. |
## Development guide
See [`CLAUDE.md`](./CLAUDE.md) for development guidelines and architectural rules. The short version:
- Handlers throw, framework catches — no `try/catch` in tool logic
- Use `ctx.log` for request-scoped logging, `ctx.state` for tenant-scoped storage
- Register new tools in `src/mcp-server/tools/definitions/index.ts`
- Wrap FRED API calls: validate raw response → normalize to domain type → return output schema; never fabricate missing fields
## Contributing
Issues and pull requests are welcome. Run checks and tests before submitting:
```sh
bun run devcheck
bun run test
```
## License
Apache-2.0 — see [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.