fred_category_series
List the most popular FRED series in a category. Category IDs are numeric (e.g. 32991 = Interest Rates, 32263 = Money Stock, 9 = National Accounts). Use this to browse FRED structurally rather than via search.
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/fred-category-series.md
What fred_category_series does on Livedatalink
AI agents call fred_category_series 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
limit | number | — | Maximum rows to return (default 50 for observations, 25 for catalog queries). |
category_id | number | Yes | FRED category ID. See https://fred.stlouisfed.org/categories/ for the hierarchy. |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why fred_category_series is rated Low
This is a straightforward data retrieval tool that queries the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) database to list series by category. It has no side effects, does not execute operations, and does not modify data. The severity is low because misuse (e.g., requesting many categories) poses minimal risk — it only retrieves public economic data.
From the tool's definition Tool description states it 'List the most popular FRED series in a category' — a retrieval operation with no modification or execution capability. The tool accepts a numeric category ID and returns data about economic series.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs fred_category_series 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 fred_category_series, this is the rule to start with:
fred_category_series 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 fred_category_series call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about fred_category_series
List the most popular FRED series in a category. Category IDs are numeric (e.g. 32991 = Interest Rates, 32263 = Money Stock, 9 = National Accounts). Use this to browse FRED structurally rather than via search. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Livedatalink MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
fred_category_series accepts 2 parameters: limit, category_id. Required: category_id. 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 fred_category_series: 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.
fred_category_series 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 fred_category_series 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 fred_category_series. 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.
fred_category_series 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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