{ "data": { "similar": [ { "grade": "B", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/massive.json", "name": "Massive (formerly Polygon.io)", "score": 69.8, "shared": [ "data.markets", "market.indices" ], "slug": "massive" }, { "grade": "E", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/alpha-vantage.json", "name": "Alpha Vantage", "score": 41.3, "shared": [ "data.markets", "market.indices" ], "slug": "alpha-vantage" }, { "grade": "D", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/coindesk-data-api.json", "name": "CoinDesk Data API", "score": 46.6, "shared": [ "market.indices" ], "slug": "coindesk-data-api" }, { "grade": "BB", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/coingecko-x402-api.json", "name": "CoinGecko x402 API", "score": 71.7, "shared": null, "slug": "coingecko-x402-api" }, { "grade": "B", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/wikimedia.json", "name": "Wikimedia REST API", "score": 66.5, "shared": null, "slug": "wikimedia" }, { "grade": "B", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/open-meteo.json", "name": "Open-Meteo", "score": 63.4, "shared": null, "slug": "open-meteo" } ], "tool": { "slug": "fred", "name": "FRED API", "vendor": "Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis", "vendorUrl": "https://www.stlouisfed.org", "kind": "http-api", "category": "data-providers", "summary": "REST API from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis for FRED, its database of more than 800,000 economic time series. Version 1 returns series, releases, categories and observations, and version 2 returns every series on a release in bulk.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/fred.json", "license": "Proprietary service under the FRED Services Terms of Use. Some data series are third-party copyright", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.stlouisfed.org", "packages": [], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "Self-serve key. A person signs in to a free FRED account at fredaccount.stlouisfed.org and requests a 32-character key, one for each application. Version 1 takes it as the `api_key` query parameter, the only method its docs give. Version 2 takes it as `Authorization: Bearer`. Keys have no scopes, and the API is read-only. The separate FRED MCP Connector needs no API key and signs users in with OAuth on its own account.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free. No paid tier and no card. The cost is the rate limit, 120 requests a minute on version 1 and two a second on version 2, with higher limits by contacting the Bank (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/errors.html, checked 2026-10-09).", "priceSummary": "Free", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the API documentation or the terms (checked 2026-10-09).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-09" }, "docsUrl": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/", "capabilities": [ "data.markets", "market.indices" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "free", "no-card", "api-key", "official", "closed-source", "mcp", "read-only-mode" ], "lastRelease": "2025-11-04", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 42.7, "grade": "E", "agentReady": false, "rank": 789, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 842, "categoryRank": 7, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 68, "maintenance": 15, "payments": 40, "reliability": 38, "schema": 43, "security": 35, "transparency": 53 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "breakdown": [ { "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16, "effectiveWeight": 20, "score": 38, "points": 7.6, "reason": "Graded as a hosted API. No status page was found in the API docs, the FRED footer or the help pages (0), so there is no incident history to read (5). Rate limits are published, 120 requests a minute on version 1 and two a second on version 2 (15). The errors pages document 429 and warn of a temporary block, with no Retry-After header or backoff guidance. Every request is a read (8 of 15). No SLA, and the terms disclaim availability (0). Both versions are published without a beta label (10). 0 + 5 + 15 + 8 + 0 + 10 = 38." }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "weight": 10, "effectiveWeight": 0, "pending": true, "points": 0, "reason": "Pending. Latency is measured per call by our probes, which haven't run yet, so this run doesn't score it. Its weight is shared across the assessed categories until the first probe window closes." }, { "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13, "effectiveWeight": 16.25, "score": 43, "points": 6.99, "reason": "No OpenAPI or other machine-readable contract was found in the docs (0). fred.stlouisfed.org/llms.txt returns 404 (0). Each of the 31 version 1 requests has a description and a parameter list, and real-time periods have their own page, with little on when to choose one request over another (12 of 20). Parameters state type, range, default and allowed values in prose, such as nine `units` values and `limit` between 1 and 100,000 (12 of 15). Each page shows example requests and responses in XML and JSON, and the errors pages list status codes with sample bodies (12 of 15). Version 2 has its own path and a dated launch note, version 1 has no version in its path, and there is no API changelog (7 of 15). Total 43." }, { "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13, "effectiveWeight": 16.25, "score": 68, "points": 11.05, "reason": "`limit`, `observation_start`, `observation_end`, frequency aggregation and `units` size an observations response, with no field selection and defaults of 100,000 and 500,000 observations (15 of 25). `limit` and `offset`, cursor paging on version 2, `order_by`, `filter_variable` and tag filters (18 of 20). Errors carry a status code and a message naming the failing variable, in a short list of codes (13 of 20). All requests are GETs and safe to retry (15 of 20). An observations call needs only `series_id` and the key, but version 1 answers in XML unless `file_type=json` is set, and no official SDK was found (7 of 15). Total 68." }, { "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14, "effectiveWeight": 17.5, "score": 35, "points": 6.13, "reason": "One 32-character key for each application, with no scopes. Version 1 documents the `api_key` query parameter as its only method, so the secret travels in the URL, and version 2 moves it to a bearer header. Key deletion or rotation sits behind the account login and was not seen (20 less 10, 10 of 30). The API is read-only (15 of 20). Responses are curated statistics with series notes written by FRED or its sources (10 of 15). No request log or usage view was found (0 of 15). security.txt returns 404 on fred.stlouisfed.org and api.stlouisfed.org, and no disclosure policy, bug bounty or certification was found (0 of 20). Total 35." }, { "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10, "effectiveWeight": 12.5, "score": 40, "points": 5, "reason": "No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Free, stated publicly, with nothing to buy (20). No card (20). A person has to create a FRED account and request the key in a browser (0). Total 40." }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "weight": 10, "effectiveWeight": 0, "pending": true, "points": 0, "note": "data quality 79, half of this category once the task suite runs", "reason": "Pending. Task success needs the category task suites run through each tool, which haven't run yet, so this run doesn't score it. Its weight is shared across the assessed categories until then. A data provider's data-quality score is published on its listing now and becomes half of this category when it's scored." }, { "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7, "effectiveWeight": 8.75, "score": 15, "points": 1.31, "reason": "The last dated API change found is the version 2 launch on 4 November 2025, 339 days before the check (0 of 30). The FRED News feed carries eight posts in the last 90 days, four of them data additions and none an API change, so half credit (10 of 20). A public news feed and a contact form, with no developer forum or issue tracker found (5 of 15). No official SDK (0 of 15). No package to judge (0 of 10). The official MCP connector is recent but its launch date was not found, so it earns nothing here. Total 15." }, { "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7, "effectiveWeight": 8.75, "score": 53, "points": 4.64, "note": "editorial 37, provenance 69", "reason": "Closed service with published terms. Two documents carry API terms and differ. The page the API docs link lacks the clauses on AI training, caching and wholesale downloading that the FRED Services Terms of Use add, and neither is dated (12 of 30). The Online Privacy Notice covers accounts and says personal information is not sold or rented, with no retention period for API or account data. The MCP addendum states 90 days for logs (15 of 30). No deprecation policy. The terms let the Bank change or discontinue the API at any time, and version 2 arrived with a dated notice (2 of 20). Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity and YouTube are named, other contractors only by type, with no data locations (8 of 20). Total 37." } ], "assessment": { "date": "2026-10-09", "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "notes": { "ergonomics": "`limit`, `observation_start`, `observation_end`, frequency aggregation and `units` size an observations response, with no field selection and defaults of 100,000 and 500,000 observations (15 of 25). `limit` and `offset`, cursor paging on version 2, `order_by`, `filter_variable` and tag filters (18 of 20). Errors carry a status code and a message naming the failing variable, in a short list of codes (13 of 20). All requests are GETs and safe to retry (15 of 20). An observations call needs only `series_id` and the key, but version 1 answers in XML unless `file_type=json` is set, and no official SDK was found (7 of 15). Total 68.", "maintenance": "The last dated API change found is the version 2 launch on 4 November 2025, 339 days before the check (0 of 30). The FRED News feed carries eight posts in the last 90 days, four of them data additions and none an API change, so half credit (10 of 20). A public news feed and a contact form, with no developer forum or issue tracker found (5 of 15). No official SDK (0 of 15). No package to judge (0 of 10). The official MCP connector is recent but its launch date was not found, so it earns nothing here. Total 15.", "payments": "No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Free, stated publicly, with nothing to buy (20). No card (20). A person has to create a FRED account and request the key in a browser (0). Total 40.", "reliability": "Graded as a hosted API. No status page was found in the API docs, the FRED footer or the help pages (0), so there is no incident history to read (5). Rate limits are published, 120 requests a minute on version 1 and two a second on version 2 (15). The errors pages document 429 and warn of a temporary block, with no Retry-After header or backoff guidance. Every request is a read (8 of 15). No SLA, and the terms disclaim availability (0). Both versions are published without a beta label (10). 0 + 5 + 15 + 8 + 0 + 10 = 38.", "schema": "No OpenAPI or other machine-readable contract was found in the docs (0). fred.stlouisfed.org/llms.txt returns 404 (0). Each of the 31 version 1 requests has a description and a parameter list, and real-time periods have their own page, with little on when to choose one request over another (12 of 20). Parameters state type, range, default and allowed values in prose, such as nine `units` values and `limit` between 1 and 100,000 (12 of 15). Each page shows example requests and responses in XML and JSON, and the errors pages list status codes with sample bodies (12 of 15). Version 2 has its own path and a dated launch note, version 1 has no version in its path, and there is no API changelog (7 of 15). Total 43.", "security": "One 32-character key for each application, with no scopes. Version 1 documents the `api_key` query parameter as its only method, so the secret travels in the URL, and version 2 moves it to a bearer header. Key deletion or rotation sits behind the account login and was not seen (20 less 10, 10 of 30). The API is read-only (15 of 20). Responses are curated statistics with series notes written by FRED or its sources (10 of 15). No request log or usage view was found (0 of 15). security.txt returns 404 on fred.stlouisfed.org and api.stlouisfed.org, and no disclosure policy, bug bounty or certification was found (0 of 20). Total 35.", "transparency": "Closed service with published terms. Two documents carry API terms and differ. The page the API docs link lacks the clauses on AI training, caching and wholesale downloading that the FRED Services Terms of Use add, and neither is dated (12 of 30). The Online Privacy Notice covers accounts and says personal information is not sold or rented, with no retention period for API or account data. The MCP addendum states 90 days for logs (15 of 30). No deprecation policy. The terms let the Bank change or discontinue the API at any time, and version 2 arrived with a dated notice (2 of 20). Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity and YouTube are named, other contractors only by type, with no data locations (8 of 20). Total 37." }, "sources": [ { "what": "API documentation index, versions 1 and 2", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "version 2 index", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/v2/index.html", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "version 2 release observations reference", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/v2/release_observations.html", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "version 2 API keys", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/v2/api_key.html", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "version 2 errors and rate limit", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/v2/errors.html", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "version 1 API keys", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/api_key.html", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "version 1 errors and rate limit", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/errors.html", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "series observations reference", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/series_observations.html", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "series search reference", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/series_search.html", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "FRED API Terms of Use (docs page)", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/terms_of_use.html", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "FRED Services Terms of Use, with API and MCP sections", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/legal/", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "Online Privacy Notice", "url": "https://www.stlouisfed.org/about-us/privacy-policy/online-notice", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "MCP Connector Privacy Addendum", "url": "https://www.stlouisfed.org/about-us/privacy-policy/mcp-connector-privacy-addendum", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "FRED MCP Connector help page", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/help/data/connecting-fred-to-ai-services/FRED-MCP-Connector", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "MCP OAuth protected-resource metadata", "url": "https://mcp.stlouisfed.org/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "FRED News RSS feed", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/news/rss", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "version 2 launch note, 4 November 2025", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/news/2025/11/fred-launches-new-version-of-api", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "how FRED updates its database", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/help/data/understanding-the-data/how-does-fred-update-its-database", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "unauthenticated version 1 request (400, JSON error body)", "url": "https://api.stlouisfed.org/fred/series?series_id=GNPCA\u0026file_type=json", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "unauthenticated version 2 request (401)", "url": "https://api.stlouisfed.org/fred/v2/release/observations?release_id=52", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "security.txt (404)", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/.well-known/security.txt", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "llms.txt (404)", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/llms.txt", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "robots.txt, crawl delay of one second, API docs allowed", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/robots.txt", "seen": "2026-10-09" }, { "what": "RDAP record for stlouisfed.org", "url": "https://rdap.org/domain/stlouisfed.org", "seen": "2026-10-09" } ], "openQuestions": [ "unchecked: key management in the FRED account (deleting or regenerating a key, any usage view), which sits behind a login", "unchecked: an authenticated call. No key was requested, so response headers on 200 and 429 (such as Retry-After) were not seen", "unchecked: the launch date of the FRED MCP Connector. Its help page carries no date and no news post about it is in the 50-item RSS feed", "unchecked: presence of the MCP connector in the official MCP registry", "The MCP connector is a separate surface with its own account, terms section and privacy addendum. It is described on this listing and not graded. It may merit its own listing", "`provenance.terms` points at the FRED Services Terms of Use, not the shorter API terms page the docs link, because only the former carries the AI training and caching clauses. Which of the two governs where they differ is not stated", "The terms forbid use of the API in connection with developing or training AI systems and forbid caching. Whether an agent's live lookups fall under the first is a legal question the documents do not settle. Recorded as a fact, with no deduction", "No status page was found by reading the docs, footer and help pages. Web search was not available to look further", "`dataQuality.historyYears` is taken from the docs' example series (GNPCA, from 1929). The deepest series in FRED was not established" ] }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "A free, read-only API to more than 800,000 economic series with revision history, documented endpoint by endpoint with typed parameters and examples. The terms forbid storing or caching FRED content and using the API to develop or train AI systems, version 1 carries the key in the URL, and no status page or OpenAPI file was found.", "bestFor": "Looking up US and international macroeconomic series, their metadata and their revision history in a live session.", "strengths": [ "Free, with no paid tier. One key per application from a free FRED account", "31 version 1 requests cover series, observations, search, releases, categories, sources and tags, each documented with typed parameters, defaults and XML and JSON examples", "Real-time periods and vintage dates return a series as it stood on a past date, from the ALFRED archive", "Observations can be transformed (nine `units` values) and aggregated to a lower frequency in the request", "Rate limits are published. 120 requests a minute on version 1 and two a second on version 2" ], "weaknesses": [ "The FRED Services Terms of Use forbid using the API to develop or train any AI or machine-learning system, and forbid storing, caching or archiving FRED content", "Version 1 takes the key only as the `api_key` query parameter, so it travels in the URL", "No OpenAPI file, llms.txt, official SDK or API changelog was found", "No status page, SLA or security.txt was found. The terms disclaim availability and allow changes without notice", "Version 1 answers in XML unless `file_type=json` is set, and default limits are 100,000 observations (version 1) and 500,000 (version 2)" ], "agentNotes": [ "Add `file_type=json` to every version 1 request. The default is XML", "Find a series with `fred/series/search?search_text=`, then read it with `fred/series/observations?series_id=`, setting `observation_start` and `limit` to keep the response small", "Treat the value `.` as missing, not zero, and read `realtime_start` and `realtime_end` as the as-of dates of the data", "Stay under 120 requests a minute on version 1 and two a second on version 2. Repeated 429s can bring a temporary block", "Do not store or cache responses, and check a series' notes for the word Copyright before any use beyond personal use. The terms forbid the first and require the second" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "E", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 42.7 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 68, "maintenance": 15, "payments": 40, "reliability": 38, "schema": 43, "security": 35, "transparency": 37 }, "provenanceScore": 69, "dataQualityScore": 79 }, "connect": { "http": "curl \"https://api.stlouisfed.org/fred/series/observations?series_id=GNPCA\u0026api_key=$FRED_API_KEY\u0026file_type=json\"" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/data.markets", "tool": "https://letme.dev/fred" }, "notable": [ "Version 1 documents 31 requests under `https://api.stlouisfed.org/fred/` for categories, releases, series, sources and tags, plus four Maps API requests for regional data and shape files (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/)", "Version 2 has one request, `fred/v2/release/observations`, which returns the observations of every series on a release with cursor paging and a limit of up to 500,000 observations (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/v2/release_observations.html)", "Version 2 was announced on 4 November 2025 (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/news/2025/11/fred-launches-new-version-of-api)", "The FRED Services Terms of Use forbid using the API in connection with developing or training AI or machine-learning systems, and forbid storing, caching or archiving FRED content. The older API terms page in the docs does not carry these clauses (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/legal/)", "The Bank also runs an official read-only MCP connector at `https://mcp.stlouisfed.org` with five tools, OAuth sign-in on a separate account and no API key (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/help/data/connecting-fred-to-ai-services/FRED-MCP-Connector)", "Applications must show the notice that the product uses the FRED API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/terms_of_use.html)" ], "area": "web-data", "details": [ { "label": "API", "value": "Version 1 at `https://api.stlouisfed.org/fred/`, 31 GET requests returning XML (default) or JSON, with xlsx and zipped CSV on observations. Version 2 at `/fred/v2/`, one GET request returning JSON (default) or XML" }, { "label": "Coverage", "value": "More than 800,000 series from over 100 sources, per the terms page. Banking, prices, employment, population, exchange rates, GDP, interest rates, trade and US financial data" }, { "label": "Rate limits", "value": "Version 1, 120 requests a minute. Version 2, two requests a second. Then 429, and a temporary block for clients that keep going" }, { "label": "Credentials", "value": "32-character key from a free FRED account, one for each application. Query parameter `api_key` on version 1, `Authorization: Bearer` on version 2. No scopes" }, { "label": "Response size", "value": "`limit` and `offset` on version 1 (observations 1 to 100,000, search 1 to 1,000), `limit` and `next_cursor` on version 2 (1 to 500,000). `observation_start`, `observation_end`, `frequency` and `units` trim or transform observations. No field selection" }, { "label": "Revisions", "value": "`realtime_start`, `realtime_end` and `vintage_dates` return data as it stood on past dates, up to 2,000 vintage dates in a JSON or XML request" }, { "label": "Errors", "value": "HTTP status with a JSON or XML body carrying a code and a message. Version 1 lists 400, 404, 423, 429 and 500. Version 2 lists 400, 401, 404, 406, 429 and 500" }, { "label": "MCP connector", "value": "Official, hosted at `https://mcp.stlouisfed.org`, read-only, five tools (search, metadata, observations, download link, graph). OAuth with scopes `mcp:read` and `offline_access` on a separate free account. Listed in Claude's connector directory. Not graded here" }, { "label": "Terms", "value": "Non-commercial, educational and personal use by default. No storing, caching or archiving. No use in developing or training AI systems. Attribution notice required. Third-party copyright series need the owner's permission beyond personal use" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis", "domain": "stlouisfed.org", "domainRegistered": "2001-03-05", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/legal/", "privacy": "https://www.stlouisfed.org/about-us/privacy-policy/online-notice", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/news", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-09", "notes": [ "The FRED Services Terms of Use name the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, One Federal Reserve Bank Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63166-0442, and are governed by Missouri law.", "Two documents carry API terms. The page the API docs link (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/terms_of_use.html) is the shorter one. The FRED Services Terms of Use at /legal/ repeat it in a section for the API and add clauses on AI training, caching and wholesale downloading, so the link here is to the fuller document. Neither carries a date.", "The privacy link is the Bank's Online Privacy Notice, which the FRED footer links and which covers user accounts. A separate addendum covers the MCP connector (https://www.stlouisfed.org/about-us/privacy-policy/mcp-connector-privacy-addendum).", "The API answers at api.stlouisfed.org and the MCP connector at mcp.stlouisfed.org, both on the Bank's domain.", "fred.stlouisfed.org/.well-known/security.txt and api.stlouisfed.org/.well-known/security.txt return 404, and www.stlouisfed.org redirects the same path to its 404 page.", "No status page was found in the API docs, the FRED footer or the help pages.", "The changelog link is the FRED News feed, which carries product updates and data additions. No changelog for the API itself was found.", "RDAP for stlouisfed.org gives a registration date of 2001-03-05 and GoDaddy.com, LLC as registrar." ], "score": 69, "checks": [ { "check": "Legal entity named", "value": "Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis", "points": 20, "max": 20, "state": "ok" }, { "check": "Domain age", "value": "stlouisfed.org, registered 2001-03-05 (25 years)", "points": 15, "max": 15, "state": "ok" }, { "check": "Endpoint on the vendor's domain", "value": "api.stlouisfed.org", "points": 15, "max": 15, "state": "ok" }, { "check": "Terms of service", "value": "read, states 5 of the 7 things a reader expects, and has 3 clauses that cost points", "points": 2.3, "max": 10, "state": "part" }, { "check": "Privacy policy", "value": "read, states 4 of the 8 things a reader expects", "points": 7, "max": 10, "state": "part" }, { "check": "Status page", "value": "not found", "points": 0, "max": 10, "state": "no" }, { "check": "Changelog", "value": "published", "points": 10, "max": 10, "state": "ok" }, { "check": "security.txt", "value": "not found", "points": 0, "max": 10, "state": "no" } ], "policies": [ { "kind": "terms", "url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/legal/", "state": "read", "readAt": "2026-10-08", "words": 12719, "points": 2.3, "max": 10, "expected": [ { "key": "terms.date", "label": "Gives the date it was last updated", "found": false }, { "key": "terms.law", "label": "Names the governing law or courts", "found": true, "quote": "The Terms of Use and the relationship between you and the Bank shall be governed by the laws of the State of Missouri without regard to its conflict of law provisions or the United Nations Conventions for the International Sale of Goods.", "says": "The law of the State of Missouri" }, { "key": "terms.liability", "label": "States a limit on its liability", "found": true, "quote": "THE BANK SHALL NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH USE OF THE FRED® SERVICES, WHETHER BASED ON BREACH OF CONTRACT, BREACH OF WARRANTY, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE, PRODUCT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE) OR…", "says": "Rules out indirect and consequential losses, with no cap named in this sentence" }, { "key": "terms.termination", "label": "Says how the agreement or account can be ended", "found": true, "quote": "If a change is unacceptable to you, you may terminate the agreement by ceasing use of the FRED® Services." }, { "key": "terms.changes", "label": "Says how changes to the terms are announced", "found": true, "quote": "The Bank reserves the right to update, modify or change the Terms of Use from time to time without notice.", "says": "Says it gives notice of a change" }, { "key": "terms.use", "label": "Lists what users may not do", "found": true, "quote": "You may not imply that the Federal Reserve Bank of St." }, { "key": "terms.sla", "label": "Refers to a service level or uptime commitment", "found": false } ], "toKnow": [ { "key": "terms.automated", "label": "Restricts automated access", "found": true, "quote": "Use scripts, spiders, scrapers, bots, or any manual or automatic technology, tool, software, process, or device to access or collect information from the FRED® Services in any manner that is excessive, disruptive, or adversely impacts the stability, performance, or availability of the FRED® Services", "costsPoints": true }, { "key": "terms.benchmark", "label": "Restricts benchmarking or competitive use", "found": true, "quote": "Use the FRED® API for any application that replicates or attempts to replace the essential user experience of the FRED® API, or the FRED® Services.", "costsPoints": true }, { "key": "terms.nonotice", "label": "Says the terms or the service can change without notice", "found": true, "quote": "The Bank reserves the right to update, modify or change the Terms of Use from time to time without notice.", "costsPoints": true }, { "key": "terms.cutoff", "label": "Says access can be ended without notice or for any reason", "found": true, "quote": "The Bank may terminate your FRED® account, or your use of the services requiring a FRED® account (or any part thereof) and remove and discard all or any part of your Registration Data, User profile, or User Content at any time without prior notice for any or no reason and at its sole discretion." } ], "notes": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "text": "FRED services and content may not be used to develop or train software or machine learning, including large language models and generative artificial intelligence.", "quote": "Use the FRED® Services or FRED® Content in connection with the development or training of any software program or system or machine learning, including, but not limited to, large language models, deep learning, generative artificial intelligence" }, { "date": "2026-10-08", "text": "Commercial use of the FRED services needs the Bank's prior written consent unless the terms expressly authorise it.", "quote": "Except as expressly authorized in the FRED® Terms of Service, use the FRED® Services for any commercial use without the prior written consent of the Bank." }, { "date": "2026-10-08", "text": "Storing, caching or archiving FRED content, or placing it in a database or other medium, is barred without the Bank's prior written consent.", "quote": "Store, cache, or archive any portion of the FRED® Services or FRED® Content; provide any stored, cached, or archived portion of the FRED® Services or FRED® Content to any third party; or incorporate any FRED® Content in any database, compilation, archive, cache, or other medium." } ] }, { "kind": "privacy", "url": "https://www.stlouisfed.org/about-us/privacy-policy/online-notice", "state": "read", "readAt": "2026-10-08", "words": 1960, "points": 7, "max": 10, "expected": [ { "key": "privacy.date", "label": "Gives the date it was last updated", "found": false }, { "key": "privacy.collected", "label": "Says what personal data is collected", "found": true, "quote": "We collect statistical information about our users in aggregate." }, { "key": "privacy.retention", "label": "Says how long data is kept", "found": false }, { "key": "privacy.processors", "label": "Says who else receives the data", "found": true, "quote": "For YouTube videos that are visible on our site, a persistent cookie is set by third party provider, YouTube, when you click to play the video." }, { "key": "privacy.sale", "label": "Says whether personal data is sold or shared for advertising", "found": true, "quote": "We do not rent, sell or share personal information about you with other people or nonaffiliated companies except under any of the following circumstances:", "says": "Says it does not sell personal data" }, { "key": "privacy.rights", "label": "Says what rights people have over their data", "found": false }, { "key": "privacy.contact", "label": "Gives a privacy contact", "found": true, "quote": "We only use the personal information you provide to respond to your question, comment or concern." }, { "key": "privacy.transfers", "label": "Says where data is transferred or stored", "found": false } ], "notes": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "text": "Responses submitted through the Bank's online forms are not encrypted.", "quote": "When you fill out our online forms, your responses are not encrypted." } ] } ] }, "dataQuality": { "coverage": "More than 800,000 economic time series from over 100 sources, per the Bank. US national and regional data in most depth, with international series", "coverageRating": 5, "freshness": "Updated after each source publishes a release and the FRED team validates it. The highest frequency is daily. No update time is promised in the pages read", "freshnessClass": "daily", "history": "Varies by series. The docs' example series GNPCA starts in 1929, and ALFRED keeps earlier vintages of revised series", "historyYears": 97, "methodology": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/help/data/understanding-the-data/how-does-fred-update-its-database", "sourcesDisclosed": true, "licence": "Proprietary, under the FRED Services Terms of Use. Each series is labelled public domain, copyrighted with citation required, or copyrighted with pre-approval required", "licenceClass": "clear", "standing": "Published by a Federal Reserve Bank, which republishes series from statistical agencies and other sources. It is not the originating source for most series", "standingClass": "none", "reuse": "Non-commercial, educational and personal use by default. Storing, caching, archiving and building a database from FRED content are forbidden, as is use in developing or training AI systems. Series labelled public domain or citation required may be used internally by a business with attribution.", "score": 79, "checks": [ { "check": "Coverage", "value": "More than 800,000 economic time series from over 100 sources, per the Bank. US national and regional data in most depth, with international series (5 of 5)", "points": 25, "max": 25, "state": "ok" }, { "check": "Freshness", "value": "Updated after each source publishes a release and the FRED team validates it. The highest frequency is daily. No update time is promised in the pages read", "points": 7, "max": 15, "state": "part" }, { "check": "History", "value": "Varies by series. The docs' example series GNPCA starts in 1929, and ALFRED keeps earlier vintages of revised series", "points": 15, "max": 15, "state": "ok" }, { "check": "Methodology published", "value": "fred.stlouisfed.org/help/data/understanding-the-data/how-does-fred-update-its-database", "points": 15, "max": 15, "state": "ok" }, { "check": "Sources disclosed", "value": "named", "points": 10, "max": 10, "state": "ok" }, { "check": "Licence", "value": "Proprietary, under the FRED Services Terms of Use. Each series is labelled public domain, copyrighted with citation required, or copyrighted with pre-approval required", "points": 7, "max": 10, "state": "part" }, { "check": "Official standing", "value": "Published by a Federal Reserve Bank, which republishes series from statistical agencies and other sources. It is not the originating source for most series", "points": 0, "max": 10, "state": "no" } ] }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred.json", "live": { "slug": "fred", "probe": { "target": "https://api.stlouisfed.org", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-09T09:26:50.680522616Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 200, "lastMs": 586, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 586, "p95ms24h": 1026, "samples24h": 20, "samples30d": 20, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 20, "ok": 20 } ] }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-09T09:26:50.680522616Z" } }, "verify": { "accepts": "a page on stlouisfed.org or one of its subdomains", "badgeUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/badges/fred.svg", "body": { "slug": "fred", "url": "the page with the badge or the link" }, "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/builders/#verify", "effect": "none, it never changes a grade, rank or review", "endpoint": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/verify", "listingUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred", "mcpTool": "verify_listing", "recheck": "weekly; two failed checks in a row and it lapses, a later pass restores it", "snippets": { "html": "\u003ca href=\"https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://www.anchorterminal.com/badges/fred.svg\" alt=\"FRED API on Anchor Terminal\" height=\"20\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e", "markdown": "[![FRED API on Anchor Terminal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/badges/fred.svg)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred)", "link": "\u003ca href=\"https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred\"\u003eFRED API on Anchor Terminal\u003c/a\u003e" } } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred.min.md" }, "markdown": "## Overview\n\n**Grade E · 42.7/100 · rank #789 of 842 · #7 in Data providers · not agent-ready · confidence medium**\n\n\n## Assessment\n\nA free, read-only API to more than 800,000 economic series with revision history, documented endpoint by endpoint with typed parameters and examples. The terms forbid storing or caching FRED content and using the API to develop or train AI systems, version 1 carries the key in the URL, and no status page or OpenAPI file was found.\n\n## Facts\n\n| Field | Value |\n| --- | --- |\n| Vendor | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (https://www.stlouisfed.org) |\n| Kind | HTTP API |\n| Category | Data providers (https://www.anchorterminal.com/categories/data-providers) |\n| Transport | HTTP |\n| Endpoint | `https://api.stlouisfed.org` |\n| Auth | API key · Self-serve key. A person signs in to a free FRED account at fredaccount.stlouisfed.org and requests a 32-character key, one for each application. Version 1 takes it as the `api_key` query parameter, the only method its docs give. Version 2 takes it as `Authorization: Bearer`. Keys have no scopes, and the API is read-only. The separate FRED MCP Connector needs no API key and signs users in with OAuth on its own account. |\n| Pricing | Free (Free) · Free. No paid tier and no card. The cost is the rate limit, 120 requests a minute on version 1 and two a second on version 2, with higher limits by contacting the Bank (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/errors.html, checked 2026-10-09). |\n| x402 | No · No x402, MPP or L402 in the API documentation or the terms (checked 2026-10-09). |\n| Licence | Proprietary service under the FRED Services Terms of Use. Some data series are third-party copyright |\n| Docs | https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/ |\n| llms.txt | not found |\n| Last release | 2025-11-04 |\n| API | Version 1 at `https://api.stlouisfed.org/fred/`, 31 GET requests returning XML (default) or JSON, with xlsx and zipped CSV on observations. Version 2 at `/fred/v2/`, one GET request returning JSON (default) or XML |\n| Coverage | More than 800,000 series from over 100 sources, per the terms page. Banking, prices, employment, population, exchange rates, GDP, interest rates, trade and US financial data |\n| Rate limits | Version 1, 120 requests a minute. Version 2, two requests a second. Then 429, and a temporary block for clients that keep going |\n| Credentials | 32-character key from a free FRED account, one for each application. Query parameter `api_key` on version 1, `Authorization: Bearer` on version 2. No scopes |\n| Response size | `limit` and `offset` on version 1 (observations 1 to 100,000, search 1 to 1,000), `limit` and `next_cursor` on version 2 (1 to 500,000). `observation_start`, `observation_end`, `frequency` and `units` trim or transform observations. No field selection |\n| Revisions | `realtime_start`, `realtime_end` and `vintage_dates` return data as it stood on past dates, up to 2,000 vintage dates in a JSON or XML request |\n| Errors | HTTP status with a JSON or XML body carrying a code and a message. Version 1 lists 400, 404, 423, 429 and 500. Version 2 lists 400, 401, 404, 406, 429 and 500 |\n| MCP connector | Official, hosted at `https://mcp.stlouisfed.org`, read-only, five tools (search, metadata, observations, download link, graph). OAuth with scopes `mcp:read` and `offline_access` on a separate free account. Listed in Claude's connector directory. Not graded here |\n| Terms | Non-commercial, educational and personal use by default. No storing, caching or archiving. No use in developing or training AI systems. Attribution notice required. Third-party copyright series need the owner's permission beyond personal use |\n| Capabilities | data.markets, market.indices |\n| Tags | hosted, free, no-card, api-key, official, closed-source, mcp, read-only-mode |\n| JSON | https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/fred.json |\n\n## Score breakdown (methodology v0.4, October 2026 research run)\n\nAssessed 2026-10-09 from public evidence against the published checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist). Confidence: medium. Performance and Task success pending (no score, not in the total); the total is Σ(score × weight) ÷ 80 over the 7 assessed categories. \"This run\" is each category's share of the 100 points.\n\n| Category | Weight | This run | Score (0–100) | Points |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% | 20 | 38 | 7.6 |\n| Performance | 10% | pending | pending | n/a |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% | 16.2 | 43 | 7.0 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% | 16.2 | 68 | 11.1 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% | 17.5 | 35 | 6.1 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% | 12.5 | 40 | 5.0 |\n| Task success | 10% | pending | pending | n/a |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% | 8.8 | 15 | 1.3 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust (editorial 37, provenance 69) | 7% | 8.8 | 53 | 4.6 |\n| Negative events | up to −15 | up to −15 | none recorded | 0 |\n| **Total** | | | | **42.7 → E** |\n\n### Why each score\n\n- Reliability 38: Graded as a hosted API. No status page was found in the API docs, the FRED footer or the help pages (0), so there is no incident history to read (5). Rate limits are published, 120 requests a minute on version 1 and two a second on version 2 (15). The errors pages document 429 and warn of a temporary block, with no Retry-After header or backoff guidance. Every request is a read (8 of 15). No SLA, and the terms disclaim availability (0). Both versions are published without a beta label (10). 0 + 5 + 15 + 8 + 0 + 10 = 38.\n- Performance: Pending. Latency is measured per call by our probes, which haven't run yet, so this run doesn't score it. Its weight is shared across the assessed categories until the first probe window closes.\n- Schema \u0026 documentation 43: No OpenAPI or other machine-readable contract was found in the docs (0). fred.stlouisfed.org/llms.txt returns 404 (0). Each of the 31 version 1 requests has a description and a parameter list, and real-time periods have their own page, with little on when to choose one request over another (12 of 20). Parameters state type, range, default and allowed values in prose, such as nine `units` values and `limit` between 1 and 100,000 (12 of 15). Each page shows example requests and responses in XML and JSON, and the errors pages list status codes with sample bodies (12 of 15). Version 2 has its own path and a dated launch note, version 1 has no version in its path, and there is no API changelog (7 of 15). Total 43.\n- Agent ergonomics 68: `limit`, `observation_start`, `observation_end`, frequency aggregation and `units` size an observations response, with no field selection and defaults of 100,000 and 500,000 observations (15 of 25). `limit` and `offset`, cursor paging on version 2, `order_by`, `filter_variable` and tag filters (18 of 20). Errors carry a status code and a message naming the failing variable, in a short list of codes (13 of 20). All requests are GETs and safe to retry (15 of 20). An observations call needs only `series_id` and the key, but version 1 answers in XML unless `file_type=json` is set, and no official SDK was found (7 of 15). Total 68.\n- Security \u0026 auth 35: One 32-character key for each application, with no scopes. Version 1 documents the `api_key` query parameter as its only method, so the secret travels in the URL, and version 2 moves it to a bearer header. Key deletion or rotation sits behind the account login and was not seen (20 less 10, 10 of 30). The API is read-only (15 of 20). Responses are curated statistics with series notes written by FRED or its sources (10 of 15). No request log or usage view was found (0 of 15). security.txt returns 404 on fred.stlouisfed.org and api.stlouisfed.org, and no disclosure policy, bug bounty or certification was found (0 of 20). Total 35.\n- Payments \u0026 pricing 40: No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Free, stated publicly, with nothing to buy (20). No card (20). A person has to create a FRED account and request the key in a browser (0). Total 40.\n- Task success: Pending. Task success needs the category task suites run through each tool, which haven't run yet, so this run doesn't score it. Its weight is shared across the assessed categories until then. A data provider's data-quality score is published on its listing now and becomes half of this category when it's scored. (data quality 79, half of this category once the task suite runs)\n- Maintenance \u0026 community 15: The last dated API change found is the version 2 launch on 4 November 2025, 339 days before the check (0 of 30). The FRED News feed carries eight posts in the last 90 days, four of them data additions and none an API change, so half credit (10 of 20). A public news feed and a contact form, with no developer forum or issue tracker found (5 of 15). No official SDK (0 of 15). No package to judge (0 of 10). The official MCP connector is recent but its launch date was not found, so it earns nothing here. Total 15.\n- Transparency \u0026 trust 53: Closed service with published terms. Two documents carry API terms and differ. The page the API docs link lacks the clauses on AI training, caching and wholesale downloading that the FRED Services Terms of Use add, and neither is dated (12 of 30). The Online Privacy Notice covers accounts and says personal information is not sold or rented, with no retention period for API or account data. The MCP addendum states 90 days for logs (15 of 30). No deprecation policy. The terms let the Bank change or discontinue the API at any time, and version 2 arrived with a dated notice (2 of 20). Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity and YouTube are named, other contractors only by type, with no data locations (8 of 20). Total 37.\n\nFix list for a coding agent, everything this grade says the listing lacks, the biggest gain first (20 items): https://www.anchorterminal.com/fixes/fred.md (JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/fixes/fred.json)\n\n### What we couldn't check\n\n- unchecked: key management in the FRED account (deleting or regenerating a key, any usage view), which sits behind a login\n- unchecked: an authenticated call. No key was requested, so response headers on 200 and 429 (such as Retry-After) were not seen\n- unchecked: the launch date of the FRED MCP Connector. Its help page carries no date and no news post about it is in the 50-item RSS feed\n- unchecked: presence of the MCP connector in the official MCP registry\n- The MCP connector is a separate surface with its own account, terms section and privacy addendum. It is described on this listing and not graded. It may merit its own listing\n- `provenance.terms` points at the FRED Services Terms of Use, not the shorter API terms page the docs link, because only the former carries the AI training and caching clauses. Which of the two governs where they differ is not stated\n- The terms forbid use of the API in connection with developing or training AI systems and forbid caching. Whether an agent's live lookups fall under the first is a legal question the documents do not settle. Recorded as a fact, with no deduction\n- No status page was found by reading the docs, footer and help pages. Web search was not available to look further\n- `dataQuality.historyYears` is taken from the docs' example series (GNPCA, from 1929). The deepest series in FRED was not established\n\n### Sources\n\n- API documentation index, versions 1 and 2: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- version 2 index: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/v2/index.html\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- version 2 release observations reference: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/v2/release_observations.html\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- version 2 API keys: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/v2/api_key.html\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- version 2 errors and rate limit: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/v2/errors.html\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- version 1 API keys: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/api_key.html\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- version 1 errors and rate limit: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/errors.html\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- series observations reference: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/series_observations.html\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- series search reference: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/series_search.html\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- FRED API Terms of Use (docs page): \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/terms_of_use.html\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- FRED Services Terms of Use, with API and MCP sections: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/legal/\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- Online Privacy Notice: \u003chttps://www.stlouisfed.org/about-us/privacy-policy/online-notice\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- MCP Connector Privacy Addendum: \u003chttps://www.stlouisfed.org/about-us/privacy-policy/mcp-connector-privacy-addendum\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- FRED MCP Connector help page: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/help/data/connecting-fred-to-ai-services/FRED-MCP-Connector\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- MCP OAuth protected-resource metadata: \u003chttps://mcp.stlouisfed.org/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- FRED News RSS feed: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/news/rss\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- version 2 launch note, 4 November 2025: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/news/2025/11/fred-launches-new-version-of-api\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- how FRED updates its database: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/help/data/understanding-the-data/how-does-fred-update-its-database\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- unauthenticated version 1 request (400, JSON error body): \u003chttps://api.stlouisfed.org/fred/series?series_id=GNPCA\u0026file_type=json\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- unauthenticated version 2 request (401): \u003chttps://api.stlouisfed.org/fred/v2/release/observations?release_id=52\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- security.txt (404): \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/.well-known/security.txt\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- llms.txt (404): \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/llms.txt\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- robots.txt, crawl delay of one second, API docs allowed: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/robots.txt\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n- RDAP record for stlouisfed.org: \u003chttps://rdap.org/domain/stlouisfed.org\u003e (seen 2026-10-09)\n\n## Who's behind it (provenance 69/100, checked 2026-10-09)\n\n| Check | Finding | Points |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Legal entity named | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis | 20/20 |\n| Domain age | stlouisfed.org, registered 2001-03-05 (25 years) | 15/15 |\n| Endpoint on the vendor's domain | api.stlouisfed.org | 15/15 |\n| Terms of service | read, states 5 of the 7 things a reader expects, and has 3 clauses that cost points | 2.3/10 |\n| Privacy policy | read, states 4 of the 8 things a reader expects | 7/10 |\n| Status page | not found | 0/10 |\n| Changelog | published | 10/10 |\n| security.txt | not found | 0/10 |\n\nThe FRED Services Terms of Use name the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, One Federal Reserve Bank Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63166-0442, and are governed by Missouri law.\n\nTwo documents carry API terms. The page the API docs link (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/terms_of_use.html) is the shorter one. The FRED Services Terms of Use at /legal/ repeat it in a section for the API and add clauses on AI training, caching and wholesale downloading, so the link here is to the fuller document. Neither carries a date.\n\nThe privacy link is the Bank's Online Privacy Notice, which the FRED footer links and which covers user accounts. A separate addendum covers the MCP connector (https://www.stlouisfed.org/about-us/privacy-policy/mcp-connector-privacy-addendum).\n\nThe API answers at api.stlouisfed.org and the MCP connector at mcp.stlouisfed.org, both on the Bank's domain.\n\nfred.stlouisfed.org/.well-known/security.txt and api.stlouisfed.org/.well-known/security.txt return 404, and www.stlouisfed.org redirects the same path to its 404 page.\n\nNo status page was found in the API docs, the FRED footer or the help pages.\n\nThe changelog link is the FRED News feed, which carries product updates and data additions. No changelog for the API itself was found.\n\nRDAP for stlouisfed.org gives a registration date of 2001-03-05 and GoDaddy.com, LLC as registrar.\n\n### Terms and privacy, as read\n\nA reading by a fixed set of rules, each answered with the vendor's own sentence. Not legal advice.\n\n**Terms of service** (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/legal/), read 2026-10-08, gives no date, states 5 of the 7 things a reader expects.\n\n- To know. Restricts automated access (costs points). \"Use scripts, spiders, scrapers, bots, or any manual or automatic technology, tool, software, process, or device to access or collect information from the FRED® Services in any manner that is excessive, disruptive, or adversely impacts the stability, performance, or availability of the FRED® Services\"\n- To know. Restricts benchmarking or competitive use (costs points). \"Use the FRED® API for any application that replicates or attempts to replace the essential user experience of the FRED® API, or the FRED® Services.\"\n- To know. Says the terms or the service can change without notice (costs points). \"The Bank reserves the right to update, modify or change the Terms of Use from time to time without notice.\"\n- To know. Says access can be ended without notice or for any reason. \"The Bank may terminate your FRED® account, or your use of the services requiring a FRED® account (or any part thereof) and remove and discard all or any part of your Registration Data, User profile, or User Content at any time without prior notice for any or no reason and at its sole discretion.\"\n- Not found in the text. Gives the date it was last updated.\n- Names the governing law or courts. The law of the State of Missouri.\n- States a limit on its liability. Rules out indirect and consequential losses, with no cap named in this sentence.\n- Says how changes to the terms are announced. Says it gives notice of a change.\n- Not found in the text. Refers to a service level or uptime commitment.\n- Also in the text (2026-10-08). FRED services and content may not be used to develop or train software or machine learning, including large language models and generative artificial intelligence. \"Use the FRED® Services or FRED® Content in connection with the development or training of any software program or system or machine learning, including, but not limited to, large language models, deep learning, generative artificial intelligence\"\n- Also in the text (2026-10-08). Commercial use of the FRED services needs the Bank's prior written consent unless the terms expressly authorise it. \"Except as expressly authorized in the FRED® Terms of Service, use the FRED® Services for any commercial use without the prior written consent of the Bank.\"\n- Also in the text (2026-10-08). Storing, caching or archiving FRED content, or placing it in a database or other medium, is barred without the Bank's prior written consent. \"Store, cache, or archive any portion of the FRED® Services or FRED® Content; provide any stored, cached, or archived portion of the FRED® Services or FRED® Content to any third party; or incorporate any FRED® Content in any database, compilation, archive, cache, or other medium.\"\n\n**Privacy policy** (https://www.stlouisfed.org/about-us/privacy-policy/online-notice), read 2026-10-08, gives no date, states 4 of the 8 things a reader expects.\n\n- Not found in the text. Gives the date it was last updated.\n- Not found in the text. Says how long data is kept.\n- Says whether personal data is sold or shared for advertising. Says it does not sell personal data.\n- Not found in the text. Says what rights people have over their data.\n- Not found in the text. Says where data is transferred or stored.\n- Also in the text (2026-10-08). Responses submitted through the Bank's online forms are not encrypted. \"When you fill out our online forms, your responses are not encrypted.\"\n\n## Data quality (79/100)\n\nData quality becomes half of Task success for data providers when Task success is scored. Task success is pending in this run, so this score is published here and isn't in the total yet.\n\n| Check | Finding | Points |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Coverage | More than 800,000 economic time series from over 100 sources, per the Bank. US national and regional data in most depth, with international series (5 of 5) | 25/25 |\n| Freshness | Updated after each source publishes a release and the FRED team validates it. The highest frequency is daily. No update time is promised in the pages read | 7/15 |\n| History | Varies by series. The docs' example series GNPCA starts in 1929, and ALFRED keeps earlier vintages of revised series | 15/15 |\n| Methodology published | fred.stlouisfed.org/help/data/understanding-the-data/how-does-fred-update-its-database | 15/15 |\n| Sources disclosed | named | 10/10 |\n| Licence | Proprietary, under the FRED Services Terms of Use. Each series is labelled public domain, copyrighted with citation required, or copyrighted with pre-approval required | 7/10 |\n| Official standing | Published by a Federal Reserve Bank, which republishes series from statistical agencies and other sources. It is not the originating source for most series | 0/10 |\n\nCaching and reuse: Non-commercial, educational and personal use by default. Storing, caching, archiving and building a database from FRED content are forbidden, as is use in developing or training AI systems. Series labelled public domain or citation required may be used internally by a business with attribution.\n\n## Live (updated 2026-10-09 09:26 UTC)\n\n- Right now: up, HTTP 200, 586 ms, checked 2026-10-09 09:26 UTC (get on `https://api.stlouisfed.org`)\n- Uptime 24h 100.0% (20 probes) · 30 days 100.0% (20 probes) · p50 586 ms · p95 1 s\n- Always current: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/live/fred.json\n\n## Probe metrics\n\nNot measured yet. Our benchmark probes haven't run, so there's no availability, latency or error rate from a run and Performance is pending. Live uptime, where we poll the endpoint, is under Live and doesn't change the score.\n\n## Strengths\n\n- Free, with no paid tier. One key per application from a free FRED account\n- 31 version 1 requests cover series, observations, search, releases, categories, sources and tags, each documented with typed parameters, defaults and XML and JSON examples\n- Real-time periods and vintage dates return a series as it stood on a past date, from the ALFRED archive\n- Observations can be transformed (nine `units` values) and aggregated to a lower frequency in the request\n- Rate limits are published. 120 requests a minute on version 1 and two a second on version 2\n\n## Weaknesses\n\n- The FRED Services Terms of Use forbid using the API to develop or train any AI or machine-learning system, and forbid storing, caching or archiving FRED content\n- Version 1 takes the key only as the `api_key` query parameter, so it travels in the URL\n- No OpenAPI file, llms.txt, official SDK or API changelog was found\n- No status page, SLA or security.txt was found. The terms disclaim availability and allow changes without notice\n- Version 1 answers in XML unless `file_type=json` is set, and default limits are 100,000 observations (version 1) and 500,000 (version 2)\n\n## Before you call it (notes for agents)\n\n1. Add `file_type=json` to every version 1 request. The default is XML\n2. Find a series with `fred/series/search?search_text=`, then read it with `fred/series/observations?series_id=`, setting `observation_start` and `limit` to keep the response small\n3. Treat the value `.` as missing, not zero, and read `realtime_start` and `realtime_end` as the as-of dates of the data\n4. Stay under 120 requests a minute on version 1 and two a second on version 2. Repeated 429s can bring a temporary block\n5. Do not store or cache responses, and check a series' notes for the word Copyright before any use beyond personal use. The terms forbid the first and require the second\n\n## Connect\n\nFirst request:\n\n```bash\ncurl \"https://api.stlouisfed.org/fred/series/observations?series_id=GNPCA\u0026api_key=$FRED_API_KEY\u0026file_type=json\"\n```\n\nThrough letme (picks today, calling later): https://letme.dev/fred. letme answers with the pick and how to call it direct; calling through letme (one key, the vendor's own price) comes later. How it works: https://www.anchorterminal.com/letme/index.md\n\n## Similar tools\n\nRanked by shared capabilities, then score. Same-category tools with no shared capability key are listed last.\n\n| Tool | Grade | Score | Rank | Shared capabilities | x402 | Markdown |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Massive (formerly Polygon.io) | B | 69.8 | 160 | data.markets, market.indices | yes | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/massive.md |\n| Alpha Vantage | E | 41.3 | 799 | data.markets, market.indices | no | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/alpha-vantage.md |\n| CoinDesk Data API | D | 46.6 | 754 | market.indices | no | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/coindesk-data-api.md |\n| CoinGecko x402 API | BB | 71.7 | 114 | same category (Data providers) | yes | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/coingecko-x402-api.md |\n| Wikimedia REST API | B | 66.5 | 267 | same category (Data providers) | no | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/wikimedia.md |\n| Open-Meteo | B | 63.4 | 358 | same category (Data providers) | no | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/open-meteo.md |\n\n## Panel reviews (0)\n\nReviewed by the Anchor panel (https://www.anchorterminal.com/reviewers/index.md): .\n\nDesk reviews, written from public documentation, pricing, terms, source and status history on 1 October 2026. No calls made. For a desk review, the outcome says whether the reviewer's questions could be answered from public material: success, partial or failure. How reviews work: https://www.anchorterminal.com/reviews/how-it-works.md\n\n## Notable\n\n- Version 1 documents 31 requests under `https://api.stlouisfed.org/fred/` for categories, releases, series, sources and tags, plus four Maps API requests for regional data and shape files (source: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/\u003e)\n- Version 2 has one request, `fred/v2/release/observations`, which returns the observations of every series on a release with cursor paging and a limit of up to 500,000 observations (source: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/v2/release_observations.html\u003e)\n- Version 2 was announced on 4 November 2025 (source: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/news/2025/11/fred-launches-new-version-of-api\u003e)\n- The FRED Services Terms of Use forbid using the API in connection with developing or training AI or machine-learning systems, and forbid storing, caching or archiving FRED content. The older API terms page in the docs does not carry these clauses (source: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/legal/\u003e)\n- The Bank also runs an official read-only MCP connector at `https://mcp.stlouisfed.org` with five tools, OAuth sign-in on a separate account and no API key (source: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/help/data/connecting-fred-to-ai-services/FRED-MCP-Connector\u003e)\n- Applications must show the notice that the product uses the FRED API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (source: \u003chttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/terms_of_use.html\u003e)\n\n## Compare\n\n- [Alpha Vantage vs FRED API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/alpha-vantage-vs-fred.md): E 41.3 vs E 42.7\n- [FRED API vs Massive (formerly Polygon.io)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fred-vs-massive.md): E 42.7 vs B 69.8\n- [CoinDesk Data API vs FRED API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coindesk-data-api-vs-fred.md): D 46.6 vs E 42.7\n\n## Verify this listing\n\nFor the vendor. The badge or a plain link to this page verifies the listing, from a page on stlouisfed.org or one of its subdomains. It shows the listing is the vendor's and that the vendor knows it's here, and it never changes a grade, rank or review. The vendor sends the page's address to `POST https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/verify` as `{\"slug\": \"fred\", \"url\": \"…\"}`, or calls the `verify_listing` tool at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp. We fetch the page once, then again every week; two failed checks in a row and the verification lapses, and a later pass restores it. What we check: https://www.anchorterminal.com/builders/index.md#verify\n\nHTML badge:\n\n```html\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://www.anchorterminal.com/badges/fred.svg\" alt=\"FRED API on Anchor Terminal\" height=\"20\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n```\n\nMarkdown badge, for a README:\n\n```markdown\n[![FRED API on Anchor Terminal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/badges/fred.svg)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred)\n```\n\nPlain link:\n\n```html\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred\"\u003eFRED API on Anchor Terminal\u003c/a\u003e\n```\n\n## Share this listing\n\nFor the vendor. Sharing assets for social media, two PNGs of 1200 × 630 that say FRED API is listed on Anchor Terminal, with the vendor's logo and this page's address and no grade or score.\n\n- Dark: https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/share/fred-dark.png\n- Light: https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/share/fred-light.png\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-09", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Terminal", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/" }, { "name": "Data providers", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/categories/data-providers" }, { "name": "FRED API", "url": "" } ], "description": "REST API from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis for FRED, its database of more than 800,000 economic time series. Version 1 returns series, releases, categories and observations, and version 2 returns every series on a release in bulk.", "facts": [ "rank #789 of 842", "API key auth", "0 desk reviews" ], "h1": "FRED API", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/tools-fred.png", "path": "/tools/fred", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "FRED API review for AI agents, grade E (42.7/100) | Anchor Terminal", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-09", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fred" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 7400, "slim": 1580 }, "version": 1 }