Openstates MCP Server - install, status & alternatives [2026]

01 · Install Openstates MCP Server

before you install - you'll need

Set MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL, OPENSTATES_API_KEY before connecting.

Claude Code

claude mcp add cyanheads-openstates-mcp-server --transport http https://openstates.caseyjhand.com/mcp

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cyanheads-openstates-mcp-server": {
      "url": "https://openstates.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

https://openstates.caseyjhand.com/mcp

transport: streamable-http

endpoint alive - responded to MCP initialize · probed 2026-09-17

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions · remote - your agent's requests go to openstates.caseyjhand.com

endpoint auth accepted our unauthenticated MCP initialize - no credentials needed to connect

license Apache-2.0 - declared in the repository

npm package @cyanheads/openstates-mcp-server - published under the repo owner's npm scope (@cyanheads)

registry namespace io.github.cyanheads is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Openstates MCP Server can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

What you can build

With this server connected, an agent can fetch full detail for a specific bill by OCD ID or three-part path (jurisdiction + session + bill_id), search state legislators and officials within a jurisdiction by name, chamber, or district, or fetch specific people by OCD person ID, find every legislator representing a geographic coordinate (latitude/longitude) - state legislators and the federal delegation, and list committees for a jurisdiction (experimental - not all states have coverage).

The 10 tools it gives your agent

Extracted from the project's README - what openstates-mcp-server lets an agent do.

openstates_search_bills: - Search state legislative bills across all covered US jurisdictions with full-text search, jurisdiction/session filtering, subject tags, and sponsor lookups
openstates_get_bill: - Fetch full detail for a specific bill by OCD ID or three-part path (jurisdiction + session + bill_id)
openstates_search_people: - Search state legislators and officials within a jurisdiction by name, chamber, or district, or fetch specific people by OCD person ID
openstates_get_legislators_by_location: - Find every legislator representing a geographic coordinate (latitude/longitude) - state legislators and the federal delegation
openstates_search_committees: - List committees for a jurisdiction (experimental - not all states have coverage)
openstates_get_committee: - Fetch committee detail by OCD organization ID, with optional membership roster
openstates_search_events: - Search hearings, floor sessions, and committee meetings (experimental)
openstates_get_event: - Fetch full event detail including agenda, participants, and media links
openstates_list_jurisdictions: - List all 56 jurisdictions (50 states, DC, and 5 US territories) covered by Open States with session identifiers and coverage metadata
openstates_get_jurisdiction: - Fetch full metadata for a specific jurisdiction including all legislative sessions and their identifiers

Latest releases

v0.3.1 · 2026-08-25

MCP SDK v2 adoption · Adds MCP 2026-07-28 support alongside 2025-era clients and aligns the server with mcp-ts-core 0.12.3. · Added: · Public cache hints for tool, prompt, resource, discovery, and jurisdiction data.…

v0.3.0 · 2026-07-31

search_bills scope rejection converges onto schema refinement, and drops its typed error · openstates_search_bills no longer returns a typed missing_scope error for an omitted jurisdiction/q - it fails input validation…

v0.2.2 · 2026-07-31

search_people id lookup, empty-string field docs · openstates_search_people gains an id input (OCD person IDs) to fetch specific people directly - jurisdiction or id is now required (#42) · Every output field Open…

04 · Who maintains Openstates MCP Server

openstates-mcp-server is maintained by cyanheads. We track 125 MCP servers from cyanheads - 119 actively maintained, 1,816 combined GitHub stars, oldest repo from Dec 2024. Full record: all servers from cyanheads.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/cyanheads/openstates-mcp-server
category: other - ranked #350 of 945 actively-maintained other servers as of 2026-09-18.
release cadence: 10+ releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-08-25)
registry: io.github.cyanheads/openstates-mcp-server (active, first published 2026-05-23 · 22 versions)
packages: npm:@cyanheads/openstates-mcp-server · npm:@cyanheads/openstates-mcp-server

06 · Openstates MCP Server FAQ

Is Openstates MCP Server still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-09-18, its last commit was 2026-08-25 and it shipped 10+ releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

What can Openstates MCP Server do?

With this server connected, an agent can fetch full detail for a specific bill by OCD ID or three-part path (jurisdiction + session + bill_id), search state legislators and officials within a jurisdiction by name, chamber, or district, or fetch specific people by OCD person ID, find every legislator representing a geographic coordinate (latitude/longitude) - state legislators and the federal delegation, and list committees for a jurisdiction (experimental - not all states have coverage).

How do I install Openstates MCP Server?

Run `npx -y @cyanheads/openstates-mcp-server`. The README documents 3 environment variables (MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL, OPENSTATES_API_KEY) to set first. Set MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL, OPENSTATES_API_KEY before connecting. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Openstates MCP Server require authentication?

No - the endpoint accepted our unauthenticated MCP initialize when probed on 2026-09-17; you can connect without credentials.

07 · Alternatives to Openstates MCP Server

Alternatives to Openstates MCP Server

Maintained other servers if Openstates MCP Server isn't the fit.

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