Gavelin — Claude Code MCP server for US state legislature data
Connects your agent to bills from all 50 states and hearing transcripts where every speaker is named.
claude mcp add --transport http mcp https://mcp.gavelin.ai/mcpWhat Gavelin does
Gavelin runs as a hosted MCP server over Streamable HTTP at https://mcp.gavelin.ai/mcp, authenticated with a bearer token. Nothing runs on your machine. Seven tools come with it: bill search by keyword, sponsor, committee, status or chamber; testimony search; full bill detail; a single legislator's activity; committee hearing browsing; complete hearing transcripts; and a state coverage list.
The transcripts carry real names instead of anonymised labels. Ask what a particular senator said about rent control and you get the quote with role, committee and date attached. Bill records span all 50 states plus DC across several sessions; transcripts exist for a growing subset, and list_available_states tells you which.
Requests fail without an API key. You generate one on your gavelin.ai account page under Developer API, and it is free with a rate cap. Worth knowing: the MIT licence in the repo covers only the docs and config files — the server itself is a proprietary hosted service.
Claude Code takes a one-line add command. Other clients use a JSON block or a CLI flag.
What it helps with
- pull up pending housing bills in a state legislature
- find everything one senator said about a budget bill
- read testimony on SNAP from finance committee hearings
- get a full hearing transcript with speakers labelled
- check which states have transcript coverage
Example prompts for the agent
- What housing bills are pending in California?
- What has Senator Krueger said about affordable housing?
- Show me the full transcript of the finance committee hearing
How to install Gavelin
Platform CLI: remote server
claude mcp add --transport http mcp https://mcp.gavelin.ai/mcpPlatform CLI: remote server
codex mcp add gavelin --url https://mcp.gavelin.ai/mcpConfig file
{
"mcpServers": {
"gavelin": {
"url": "https://mcp.gavelin.ai/mcp"
}
}
}Config file
{
"servers": {
"gavelin": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.gavelin.ai/mcp"
}
}
}Platform CLI: remote server
gemini mcp add -t http gavelin https://mcp.gavelin.ai/mcpStep by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about Gavelin
How do I install Gavelin in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add --transport http gavelin https://mcp.gavelin.ai/mcp. Then set the Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY header in the server config.
What does Gavelin do?
It searches bills across all 50 US states and finds speaker-attributed hearing transcripts. Your agent can look up a legislator's statements, bill details, or a full hearing record.
Do I need an API key?
Yes, the server rejects requests without a token. Keys are free from the Developer API section of your gavelin.ai account and come with a rate limit.
