bea_compare_states
Compare one official BEA SASUMMARY annual indicator across 2–8 requested states (or the United States) for an exact year. Returns values sorted high-to-low, exact unit, missing-value evidence, GeoFIPS, source hash, and attribution. Use this for 'compare 2024 Texas and California GDP', 'which of t...
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/bea-compare-states.md
What bea_compare_states does on Livedatalink
AI agents call bea_compare_states to retrieve information from Livedatalink without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
year | integer | Yes | Four-digit calendar year. Hosted source coverage is reported in every response. |
indicator | string | Yes | Supported indicator slug/name or BEA SASUMMARY line code; examples: gdp, real_gdp, personal_income, per_capita_personal_income, regional_price_parities, total_e |
geographies | array | Yes | Two to eight distinct state selectors. |
response_format | string | — | Human-readable markdown or machine-readable JSON. Default markdown. |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why bea_compare_states is rated Low
Even though bea_compare_states only reads data, uncontrolled read access leaks sensitive information and racks up API costs: an agent caught in a retry loop can make thousands of calls a minute without anyone noticing.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs bea_compare_states safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Livedatalink, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For bea_compare_states, this is the rule to start with:
bea_compare_states is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Livedatalink, apply this rule, and every bea_compare_states call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about bea_compare_states
Compare one official BEA SASUMMARY annual indicator across 2–8 requested states (or the United States) for an exact year. Returns values sorted high-to-low, exact unit, missing-value evidence, GeoFIPS, source hash, and attribution. Use this for 'compare 2024 Texas and California GDP', 'which of these states had higher 2023 per-capita income?', or 'compare regional price levels'. It does not rank all states unless they are explicitly supplied. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Livedatalink MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
bea_compare_states accepts 4 parameters: year, indicator, geographies, response_format. Required: year, indicator, geographies. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Livedatalink MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for bea_compare_states: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Livedatalink. Nothing to install.
bea_compare_states is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the bea_compare_states rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for bea_compare_states. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
bea_compare_states is provided by the Livedatalink MCP server (https://livedatalink.ai/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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