Content
# Gavelin MCP Server
**State legislative intelligence for AI agents.** The only MCP server with speaker-attributed hearing transcripts from US state legislatures.
Search bills across all 50 states, find what legislators said in hearings, get full committee hearing transcripts with speaker attribution — all via the Model Context Protocol.
## Connect
**Server URL:** `https://mcp.gavelin.ai/mcp`
### Claude Desktop
Add to `claude_desktop_config.json`:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"gavelin": {
"url": "https://mcp.gavelin.ai/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}
```
### Claude Code
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"gavelin": {
"type": "url",
"url": "https://mcp.gavelin.ai/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}
```
### Any MCP Client
The server uses Streamable HTTP transport. Any MCP-compatible client (Cursor, Windsurf, custom agents) can connect with the URL and a bearer token.
## Get an API Key
Sign up at [gavelin.ai](https://gavelin.ai) and generate an API key from your Account page under "Developer API."
## Available Tools
### `search_bills`
Search bills across all 50 US states + DC by keyword, sponsor, committee, status, or chamber. Covers multiple legislative sessions with full detail including sponsors, subjects, and legislative history.
**Example queries an agent might make:**
- "What housing bills are pending in California?"
- "Find bills sponsored by Rivera in New York"
- "Search for cannabis legislation that passed in 2025"
### `search_hearing_testimony`
Search speaker-attributed hearing and floor session segments. Find what specific legislators or witnesses said about any topic. Returns speaker name, role, committee, date, and surrounding context.
**Example queries:**
- "What has Senator Krueger said about affordable housing?"
- "Find testimony about SNAP benefits in Finance committee hearings"
### `get_bill_detail`
Get full details on a specific bill including sponsor, subjects, committee, legislative history, and any hearing mentions.
### `get_speaker_activity`
Get everything a specific legislator or witness has said in hearings and floor sessions. Useful for opposition research, coalition mapping, and pre-meeting preparation.
### `search_committee_hearings`
Browse committee and public hearings by topic, committee, chamber, or date range.
### `get_hearing_transcript`
Get the full transcript of a specific hearing with all speakers labeled by name.
### `list_available_states`
See which states have data and what type (bills, transcripts, or both).
## Rate Limits
| Plan | Limit |
|------|-------|
| Starter | 100 calls/hour |
| Professional | 500 calls/hour |
| Enterprise | Custom |
## What Makes This Different
Every government affairs team will have AI agents doing policy research. Those agents need clean, structured legislative data. Gavelin is the access layer.
- **Speaker attribution** — real names on hearing testimony, not "Speaker A/B"
- **All 50 states** — not just federal, not just one state
- **Historical depth** — multiple years of legislative sessions
- **Authenticated + rate-limited** — production-ready for team workflows
No other MCP server has speaker-attributed state legislative hearing transcripts.
## About
Gavelin is an AI-powered legislative intelligence platform.
- **Web app:** [gavelin.ai](https://gavelin.ai)
- **Contact:** hello@gavelin.ai
- **Pricing:** [gavelin.ai](https://gavelin.ai) — Starter, Professional, and Enterprise plans
## License
The MIT License in this repository applies **only to the documentation contained here** (README, server configuration files, logos). The Gavelin MCP server itself is a proprietary hosted service operated by Gavelin ([gavelin.ai](https://gavelin.ai)) and is not covered by the MIT License. Access to the server requires an API key issued under Gavelin's terms of service.
