LegiScan MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to the LegiScan API for legislative data from all 50 US states and Congress.
Features
- 10 Streamlined MCP Tools optimized for legislative research workflows
- Composite tools that batch multiple API calls (90%+ reduction in API usage)
- Full TypeScript type definitions for all API responses
- Bill number normalization (handles AB 858, AB858, AB-858 formats)
Installation
From npm (Recommended)
npm install -g legiscan-mcp-server
From Source
git clone https://github.com/sh-patterson/legiscan-mcp.git
cd legiscan-mcp
npm install
npm run build
Setup
1. Get a LegiScan API Key
- Create a free account at LegiScan
- Register for API access at https://legiscan.com/legiscan
- Copy your API key
2. Add to Claude Desktop
Add to your Claude Desktop configuration:
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Using npx (Recommended)
{
"mcpServers": {
"legiscan": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "legiscan-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"LEGISCAN_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
}
}
}
}
Using local installation
{
"mcpServers": {
"legiscan": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/legiscan-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"LEGISCAN_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
}
}
}
}
Available Tools
Composite Tools (High-Level Research)
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
legiscan_find_legislator | Find a legislator's people_id by name. Supports partial matching. |
legiscan_get_legislator_votes | Get how a legislator voted on multiple bills in one call. |
legiscan_get_primary_authored | Get only bills where legislator is primary author (not co-sponsor). |
Bills
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
legiscan_get_bill | Get detailed bill info (sponsors, history, votes, texts) |
legiscan_find_bill_by_number | Find bill by number (handles AB 858, AB858, AB-858) |
legiscan_get_roll_call | Get vote details with individual legislator votes |
People
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
legiscan_get_person | Get legislator info with third-party IDs (VoteSmart, OpenSecrets, etc.) |
legiscan_get_session_people | Get all legislators active in a session |
Search
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
legiscan_search | Full-text search across legislation |
Sessions
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
legiscan_get_session_list | List available legislative sessions by state |
Usage Examples
Find a legislator and get their voting record
1. Use legiscan_find_legislator with name="Smith" state="TX"
2. Use legiscan_get_legislator_votes with people_id and bill_ids
Get all primary authored bills for a legislator
Use legiscan_get_primary_authored with people_id=12345 state="TX"
Find a specific bill by number
Use legiscan_find_bill_by_number with state="CA" bill_number="AB 858"
Search for bills about a topic
Use legiscan_search with query="climate change" state="CA"
Get detailed information about a specific bill
Use legiscan_get_bill with bill_id=1234567
API Call Reduction
The composite tools dramatically reduce API calls for common workflows:
| Workflow | Without Composites | With Composites |
|---|---|---|
| Get votes for 1 legislator on 10 bills | ~80 calls | 1 call |
| Filter primary authored from 150 sponsored | ~150 calls | 1 call |
| Find legislator by name | 2 calls | 1 call |
Development
npm run build # Compile TypeScript
npm test # Run unit tests
npm run test:e2e # Run E2E tests (requires API key)
npm run lint # Check for lint errors
npm run format # Format code with Prettier
API Limits
- Free public API keys have a 30,000 queries per month limit
- Composite tools batch requests (10 concurrent max) to avoid rate limits
- The composite tools help you stay within limits by reducing total API calls
License
MIT - see LICENSE for details.