OpenPublica
Search US local-government meetings: AI summaries, transcripts, and adopted plan documents.
Should I use this
Quality & Safety
Based on automated analysis of tool definitions and protocol compliance.
Context Cost
This is the approximate number of tokens consumed each time the server's tools are loaded into a model's context. Higher counts reduce the attention available for other tasks.
Install
One-Click Install
Add this to your `claude_desktop_config.json` file:
{
"mcpServers": {
"civic-meetings": {
"url": "https://api.openpublica.com/mcp"
}
}
}Remote endpoints
https://api.openpublica.com/mcpstreamable-httpWhat it can do
Tool inventory
Tools (16)
🟢search_meeting_content(query, government_id, government_ids, category_tag, topic, ...)
Search public meetings once across metadata and stored transcript text. Returns one card per meeting and native pagination metadata, without a total. Small current-text previews can be absent and do not establish timestamps. Text relevance can lag updates or match across untimed boundaries. Source transcripts searches stored text, including meetings without timed proof.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"query": {
"description": "Analyzed words; put the whole query in double quotes for an analyzed phrase.",
"maxLength": 160,
"minLength": 1,
"title": "Query",
"type": "string"
},
"government_id": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"title": "Government Id"
},
"government_ids": {
"anyOf": [
{
"items": {
"type": "string"
},
"type": "array"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"title": "Government Ids"
},
"category_tag": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"title": "Category Tag"
},
"topic": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"title": "Topic"
},
"start_date": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"title": "Start Date"
},
"end_date": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"title": "End Date"
},
"source": {
"default": "all",
"enum": [
"all",
"metadata",
"transcripts"
],
"title": "Source",
"type": "string"
},
"cursor": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Native next_cursor or previous_cursor from the same query and filters.",
"title": "Cursor"
},
"limit": {
"default": 10,
"maximum": 20,
"minimum": 1,
"title": "Limit",
"type": "integer"
}
},
"required": [
"query"
],
"title": "search_meeting_contentArguments"
}Output Schema
{
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": true,
"title": "search_meeting_contentDictOutput"
}🟢search_meetings_semantic(query, government_id, government_ids, start_date, end_date, ...)
Find AI summaries by meaning; use search_meeting_content for stored words. Results carry relevance_score and a summary preview. Narrow with government, category_tag, topic or dates; get_meeting retrieves the full summary.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"query": {
"description": "What to search for in plain language, e.g. 'short-term rental regulations' or 'police budget overtime'.",
"title": "Query",
"type": "string"
},
"government_id": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional account_id (from find_local_governments) to restrict the search to one government.",
"title": "Government Id"
},
"government_ids": {
"anyOf": [
{
"items": {
"type": "string"
},
"type": "array"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional list of account_ids to search across several governments at once (e.g. to compare cities). Overrides government_id.",
"title": "Government Ids"
},
"start_date": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional earliest meeting date, MM-DD-YYYY.",
"title": "Start Date"
},
"end_date": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional latest meeting date, MM-DD-YYYY.",
"title": "End Date"
},
"category_tag": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional meeting-type filter — an opaque category_tag from discover_meeting_vocabulary (not a guessable slug).",
"title": "Category Tag"
},
"topic": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional topic filter — a topic name from discover_meeting_vocabulary, e.g. 'Affordable Housing'. Restricts to meetings that discussed it.",
"title": "Topic"
},
"match_type": {
"const": "semantic",
"default": "semantic",
"description": "Semantic only; use search_meeting_content for keyword searches.",
"title": "Match Type",
"type": "string"
},
"min_score": {
"anyOf": [
{
"maximum": 1,
"minimum": 0,
"type": "number"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional semantic relevance floor 0-1 (default 0.4). Raise to return only strong matches; lower to widen recall.",
"title": "Min Score"
},
"limit": {
"default": 10,
"description": "Max meetings to return (1-25).",
"maximum": 25,
"minimum": 1,
"title": "Limit",
"type": "integer"
}
},
"required": [
"query"
],
"title": "search_meetings_semanticArguments"
}Output Schema
{
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": true,
"title": "search_meetings_semanticDictOutput"
}🟢list_recent_meetings(government_id, category_tag, topic, start_date, end_date, ...)
Browse meetings newest-first, optionally filtered by government, type, topic, or date. Use this for "what are the most recent meetings" or to page through a government's history. For topical questions, prefer `search_meetings_semantic`.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"government_id": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "account_id to list meetings for (from find_local_governments). Omit to list across all governments.",
"title": "Government Id"
},
"category_tag": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional meeting-type filter — an opaque category_tag from discover_meeting_vocabulary (not a guessable slug; don't invent it).",
"title": "Category Tag"
},
"topic": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional topic filter — a topic name from discover_meeting_vocabulary, e.g. 'Affordable Housing'.",
"title": "Topic"
},
"start_date": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional earliest date, MM-DD-YYYY.",
"title": "Start Date"
},
"end_date": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional latest date, MM-DD-YYYY.",
"title": "End Date"
},
"limit": {
"default": 10,
"description": "Meetings per page (1-25).",
"maximum": 25,
"minimum": 1,
"title": "Limit",
"type": "integer"
},
"page": {
"default": 1,
"description": "1-based page number for older results.",
"minimum": 1,
"title": "Page",
"type": "integer"
}
},
"title": "list_recent_meetingsArguments"
}Output Schema
{
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": true,
"title": "list_recent_meetingsDictOutput"
}🟢get_meeting(meeting_id, include_transcript)
Get a single meeting's full AI summary and topics. Set `include_transcript=true` to also retrieve the complete transcript text for direct quotation. Returns an error object if the meeting is not found.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"meeting_id": {
"description": "The meeting_id returned by a search/list tool.",
"title": "Meeting Id",
"type": "string"
},
"include_transcript": {
"default": false,
"description": "If true, also fetch the full meeting transcript (can be long). Default false.",
"title": "Include Transcript",
"type": "boolean"
}
},
"required": [
"meeting_id"
],
"title": "get_meetingArguments"
}Output Schema
{
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": true,
"title": "get_meetingDictOutput"
}🟢search_meeting_transcript(meeting_id, query)
Use unified stored-text search inside one currently public meeting. Returns an optional current-text preview, without resolving timing. A text match can lack a literal preview; use get_meeting(include_transcript=true) for full source retrieval. This does not run a separate local scan or fuzzy passage ranking.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"meeting_id": {
"description": "Canonical meeting_id returned by a search/list tool.",
"title": "Meeting Id",
"type": "string"
},
"query": {
"description": "Analyzed words or a whole quoted phrase.",
"maxLength": 160,
"minLength": 1,
"title": "Query",
"type": "string"
}
},
"required": [
"meeting_id",
"query"
],
"title": "search_meeting_transcriptArguments"
}Output Schema
{
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": true,
"title": "search_meeting_transcriptDictOutput"
}🟢find_local_governments(longitude, latitude, limit)
Discover which governments OpenPublica tracks near a coordinate. Returns nearby governments with their `account_id`, which you can pass to the other tools to scope results to a specific city or board. Note OpenPublica only covers a limited set of US localities; an empty result means none are tracked near that point yet.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"longitude": {
"description": "Longitude of the location of interest.",
"maximum": 180,
"minimum": -180,
"title": "Longitude",
"type": "number"
},
"latitude": {
"description": "Latitude of the location of interest.",
"maximum": 90,
"minimum": -90,
"title": "Latitude",
"type": "number"
},
"limit": {
"default": 10,
"description": "Max governments to return (1-50).",
"maximum": 50,
"minimum": 1,
"title": "Limit",
"type": "integer"
}
},
"required": [
"longitude",
"latitude"
],
"title": "find_local_governmentsArguments"
}Output Schema
{
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": true,
"title": "find_local_governmentsDictOutput"
}🟢find_governments_by_name(query, limit)
Resolve a place *name* to the governments OpenPublica tracks there. Use this when you know a city/state name but not its coordinates — it returns matching governments with their `account_id` (prefix matches first), which you then pass to the search/list tools. Prefer this over `find_local_governments` when starting from a name rather than a latitude/longitude.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"query": {
"description": "A place name to search for, e.g. 'Sacramento', 'San Francisco, CA', or a state like 'Texas'.",
"title": "Query",
"type": "string"
},
"limit": {
"default": 10,
"description": "Max governments to return (1-50).",
"maximum": 50,
"minimum": 1,
"title": "Limit",
"type": "integer"
}
},
"required": [
"query"
],
"title": "find_governments_by_nameArguments"
}Output Schema
{
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": true,
"title": "find_governments_by_nameDictOutput"
}🟢find_governments_by_zip(postal_code, limit)
Resolve a ZIP code to nearby tracked governments. Convenience wrapper: geocodes the ZIP, then finds the governments OpenPublica tracks nearest that point. Returns their `account_id`s plus the resolved location. An empty `governments` list means none are tracked near that ZIP yet.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"postal_code": {
"description": "A US ZIP code, e.g. '95814'.",
"title": "Postal Code",
"type": "string"
},
"limit": {
"default": 10,
"description": "Max governments to return (1-50).",
"maximum": 50,
"minimum": 1,
"title": "Limit",
"type": "integer"
}
},
"required": [
"postal_code"
],
"title": "find_governments_by_zipArguments"
}Output Schema
{
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": true,
"title": "find_governments_by_zipDictOutput"
}🟢get_government_info(government_id, include_weekly_summary)
Get a tracked government's profile: name, location, and meeting categories.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"government_id": {
"description": "The account_id of the government.",
"title": "Government Id",
"type": "string"
},
"include_weekly_summary": {
"default": false,
"description": "If true, include the AI-generated weekly digest (markdown). Default false.",
"title": "Include Weekly Summary",
"type": "boolean"
}
},
"required": [
"government_id"
],
"title": "get_government_infoArguments"
}Output Schema
{
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": true,
"title": "get_government_infoDictOutput"
}🟢get_government_stats(government_id, days)
Get meeting-activity stats for a government over a recent window. Returns total meeting count, a per-day activity map, and a breakdown of meeting categories — useful for "how active has X been lately?" questions.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"government_id": {
"description": "account_id of the government, or 'all' for corpus-wide stats.",
"title": "Government Id",
"type": "string"
},
"days": {
"default": 30,
"description": "Look-back window in days (1-365).",
"maximum": 365,
"minimum": 1,
"title": "Days",
"type": "integer"
}
},
"required": [
"government_id"
],
"title": "get_government_statsArguments"
}Output Schema
{
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": true,
"title": "get_government_statsDictOutput"
}🟢discover_meeting_vocabulary(government_id, government_ids, start_date, end_date, topic_limit)
Discover the valid category and topic filter values before filtering a search. Meeting `category_tag`s are opaque UUIDs and topics have no fixed list, so you cannot guess them. Call this first to get the real values, then pass a returned `category_tag` (from `categories[].tags`) or `topic` string into `search_meetings_semantic` / `list_recent_meetings`. Scope with a government and/or date range; calls without explicit dates default to a recent window (returned as `default_window_days`).
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"government_id": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional account_id to scope the vocabulary to one government.",
"title": "Government Id"
},
"government_ids": {
"anyOf": [
{
"items": {
"type": "string"
},
"type": "array"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional list of account_ids to scope to several governments. Overrides government_id.",
"title": "Government Ids"
},
"start_date": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional earliest date, MM-DD-YYYY.",
"title": "Start Date"
},
"end_date": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional latest date, MM-DD-YYYY.",
"title": "End Date"
},
"topic_limit": {
"default": 50,
"description": "Max topics to return, most common first (1-200).",
"maximum": 200,
"minimum": 1,
"title": "Topic Limit",
"type": "integer"
}
},
"title": "discover_meeting_vocabularyArguments"
}Output Schema
{
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": true,
"title": "discover_meeting_vocabularyDictOutput"
}🟢list_government_documents(government_id, include_superseded)
List a government's adopted plan and budget documents. Each entry carries `covers` — every general-plan element that document answers for. A city that publishes one bound general plan satisfies all eight with the same PDF, so do not conclude an element is unpublished because no entry is named after it. `status` says what the entry offers: `converted` is searchable and readable; `superseded` is a retired edition, still stored but not searchable; and **`failed` means we hold this document and could not read it — it is not evidence the city published nothing.** Cite `source_url` in that case; it is always the city's own copy. An `availability` block appears ONLY when something is wrong with a document, and `availability.reason` says what. No `availability` key means there is nothing to report.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"government_id": {
"description": "account_id from find_local_governments.",
"title": "Government Id",
"type": "string"
},
"include_superseded": {
"default": false,
"description": "Also include prior editions retired by a newer document.",
"title": "Include Superseded",
"type": "boolean"
}
},
"required": [
"government_id"
],
"title": "list_government_documentsArguments"
}🟢get_document(document_id)
One document's metadata. Use read_document_pages to read it. If an `availability` key is present, read it before quoting figures: its `problems` are transcription-lint findings, most often a footnote marker that may have been merged into the number it annotates. No such key means the document transcribed cleanly.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"document_id": {
"description": "Document id from list_government_documents or search_documents.",
"title": "Document Id",
"type": "string"
}
},
"required": [
"document_id"
],
"title": "get_documentArguments"
}🟢read_document_pages(document_id, first_page, last_page)
Read a page range of a document as markdown. Pages are transcribed from rendered pixels, so tables and scanned text come through as text. A page that could not be transcribed appears as a marked hole rather than being silently dropped — if you see one, say so instead of reading past it. Text is assembled from page windows, so `covered` may be slightly wider than what you asked for; cite the page numbers in `covered`, not `requested`.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"document_id": {
"description": "Document id from list_government_documents or search_documents.",
"title": "Document Id",
"type": "string"
},
"first_page": {
"description": "First page to read (1-based, as the PDF renders).",
"minimum": 1,
"title": "First Page",
"type": "integer"
},
"last_page": {
"description": "Last page to read. Spans longer than 40 pages are clamped to 40 from first_page.",
"minimum": 1,
"title": "Last Page",
"type": "integer"
}
},
"required": [
"document_id",
"first_page",
"last_page"
],
"title": "read_document_pagesArguments"
}🟢search_documents(query, government_id, limit)
Search adopted plan and budget documents, returning page-cited excerpts. Each hit's `text` is a short passage around the match, not the full page — call read_document_pages with the hit's `first_page` to read it in context. Every hit carries `first_page`/`last_page` and `source_url`. Quote those when citing: the page number is what makes the claim checkable against the city's own copy. This is word matching, not semantic search — try the terms a plan would actually use. Only currently-served documents are searchable, so an empty result is not evidence the government has no such policy; check list_government_documents for what is held and what could not be read. A hit with `document_complete: false` comes from a document with transcription findings. Verify it against `source_url` before quoting a number from it.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"query": {
"description": "Words to find in plan and budget text, e.g. 'accessory dwelling unit parking'.",
"title": "Query",
"type": "string"
},
"government_id": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "string"
},
{
"type": "null"
}
],
"default": null,
"description": "Optional account_id to restrict the search to one government.",
"title": "Government Id"
},
"limit": {
"default": 10,
"description": "Maximum excerpts to return.",
"maximum": 50,
"minimum": 1,
"title": "Limit",
"type": "integer"
}
},
"required": [
"query"
],
"title": "search_documentsArguments"
}🟢get_coverage_overview
Get estimated stored-record totals, not publication-filtered coverage. Counts do not establish completeness, searchability or freshness. DC is reported separately from states as `includes_dc`.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {},
"title": "get_coverage_overviewArguments"
}Output Schema
{
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": true,
"title": "get_coverage_overviewDictOutput"
}Community
Evidence