Manual setup required. The maintainer's config contains paths only you know - edit the placeholders below before adding it to Claude Code.
1
Prepare the server locally
Run this once before adding it to Claude Code.
git clone https://github.com/PetrefiedThunder/mcp-fred.git
cd mcp-fred
npm install
npm run build2
Register it in Claude Code
claude mcp add -e "FRED_API_KEY=${FRED_API_KEY}" mcp-fred -- node /path/to/mcp-fred/dist/index.jsReplace any placeholder paths in the command with the real path on your machine.
Required:
FRED_API_KEY3
Make your agent remember this setup
mcp-fred's config, env vars, and the gotchas you hit — recalled in every future Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex session.
npx conare@latestFree · one command · indexes the sessions already on disk. Set up in the browser instead →
What it does
- Search for economic data series using keywords
- Retrieve detailed metadata for specific economic series
- Fetch historical observations and data points
- Browse the hierarchical FRED category tree
- Access economic data release schedules
Tools 6
search_seriesSearch for FRED economic data series by keywordget_seriesGet metadata for a specific FRED seriesget_observationsGet data points (observations) for a FRED seriesget_categoriesBrowse the FRED category treeget_releasesGet economic data releases and schedulesget_popular_seriesGet recently updated/popular FRED seriesEnvironment Variables
FRED_API_KEYrequiredfred api keyTry it
→Search for economic series related to 'GDP' and provide the metadata for the most relevant one.
→Get the latest observations for the unemployment rate series.
→What are the most popular economic data series currently being tracked on FRED?
→List the upcoming economic data releases for this week.
Original README from PetrefiedThunder/mcp-fred
mcp-fred
Access Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) — economic indicators, time series, and releases.
Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
search_series |
Search for FRED economic data series by keyword |
get_series |
Get metadata for a specific FRED series |
get_observations |
Get data points (observations) for a FRED series |
get_categories |
Browse the FRED category tree |
get_releases |
Get economic data releases and schedules |
get_popular_series |
Get recently updated/popular FRED series |
Configuration
| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
FRED_API_KEY |
Yes | fred api key |
Installation
git clone https://github.com/PetrefiedThunder/mcp-fred.git
cd mcp-fred
npm install
npm run build
Usage with Claude Desktop
Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"fred": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/mcp-fred/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"FRED_API_KEY": "your-fred-api-key"
}
}
}
}
Usage with npx
npx mcp-fred
License
MIT