| name | fred |
| description | Fetch economic data from the Federal Reserve — GDP, unemployment, inflation, interest rates, and any FRED/ALFRED/GeoFRED series. Use this skill when the user asks about economic indicators, historical trends, or wants to browse Federal Reserve releases by category, even if they don't mention FRED by name. |
| compatibility | Requires FRED MCP server connection and a free FRED API key. |
| allowed-tools | fred_* |
FRED — Federal Reserve Economic Data
Read-only MCP tools for the Federal Reserve Economic Data API.
Parameter Formatting
- IDs as strings — Category, release, and source IDs are strings (
"1", "53").
- Tag names — Comma-separated (
"gdp,inflation").
- Dates — YYYY-MM-DD format.
- Limit — Number type for observation tools, string type for search/tag tools.
Workflows
Find a series: search_series → pick from results → get_series_info → get_series_observations.
Latest data point: get_series_observations with sort_order="desc" and limit="1".
Historical revisions: get_series_all_releases with realtime_start/realtime_end filters (narrow the window — 1776–9999 exceeds the API limit).
Category browse: get_category_children starting at "0" (root) → drill down → get_category_series.
Vintage data: get_series_as_of with as_of_date to see values as-known at a point in history.
Gotchas
- Series IDs are case-sensitive —
gdP won't match GDP. Always search first with search_series to confirm the exact ID.
- Release date range limit —
realtime_start to realtime_end must be within a ~30-year window. The API rejects 1776-01-01 to 9999-12-31. Narrow to the release vintages you actually need.
- Observation count limits — the API caps observations per call. Use
limit and sort_order="desc" for latest values; paginate with offset for long histories.
- GeoFRED series use the same endpoints (
get_series_observations, etc.) — no separate API. Just pass the series ID (e.g., WIPCPI).
Reference IDs
| Type | ID | Name |
|---|
| Series | GDP | Gross Domestic Product |
| Series | UNRATE | Unemployment Rate |
| Series | DGS20 | 20-Year Treasury Rate |
| Series | WIPCPI | Per Capita Personal Income (GeoFRED) |
| Category | 0 | Root |
| Category | 1 | Production & Business Activity |
| Release | 53 | Gross Domestic Product |
| Source | 1 | Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve |
| Tag | gdp | GDP-related |
| Tag | inflation | Inflation-related |
