# 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.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `fred_category_series`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/fred-category-series

## Facts

- Tool: `fred_category_series`
- Server: Livedatalink (`https://livedatalink.ai/mcp`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink.md
- Homepage: https://github.com/blackboxfoundry/livedatalink
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade F, identity unverified
- Server auth posture: open
- Server CORS policy: *
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 2 (1 required)
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `limit` | number | no | 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.

## Example call (MCP tools/call, JSON-RPC 2.0)

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "fred_category_series",
    "arguments": {
      "category_id": 0
    }
  }
}
```

## 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 own 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."

## Use case

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.

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

Verdict: **Allowed**. Enforced by the PolicyLayer MCP gateway (https://policylayer.com/mcp-gateway) before a call reaches Livedatalink:

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "fred_category_series": {}
  }
}
```

## Other tools on Livedatalink (279)

- `beneficial_owner_screen` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/beneficial-owner-screen.md
- `cdc_dataset_query` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-dataset-query.md
- `clinical_site_selector` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/clinical-site-selector.md
- `air_quality` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/air-quality.md
- `bank_health_report` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/bank-health-report.md
- `bls_indicator` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/bls-indicator.md
- `bls_series` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/bls-series.md
- `book_details` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/book-details.md
- `book_fulltext_search` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/book-fulltext-search.md
- `book_get_text` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/book-get-text.md
- `book_search` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/book-search.md
- `book_status` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/book-status.md
- `bounce_scanner` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/bounce-scanner.md
- `candlestick_signals` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/candlestick-signals.md
- `cargo_crate` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cargo-crate.md
- `carrier_vetting_score` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/carrier-vetting-score.md
- `caselaw_case_details` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/caselaw-case-details.md
- `caselaw_citation_lookup` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/caselaw-citation-lookup.md
- `caselaw_opinion_text` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/caselaw-opinion-text.md
- `caselaw_search` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/caselaw-search.md
- `cdc_drug_overdose_deaths` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-drug-overdose-deaths.md
- `cdc_excess_deaths_covid` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-excess-deaths-covid.md
- `cdc_flu_surveillance` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-flu-surveillance.md
- `cdc_leading_causes_of_death` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-leading-causes-of-death.md
- `cdc_outbreak_reports` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-outbreak-reports.md
- `cdc_vaccination_coverage` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-vaccination-coverage.md
- `cdc_weekly_deaths_by_state` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-weekly-deaths-by-state.md
- `census_business` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/census-business.md
- `census_commute_employment` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/census-commute-employment.md
- `census_demographics` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/census-demographics.md
- …and 249 more: https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink.md

## For agents

This record is a snapshot. Live verdicts and the full registry:

- Check every server in your MCP config at once: `npx -y policylayer stack`
- Vet a server before you add it: install the mcp-precheck skill — `npx skills add https://policylayer.com` (skill text: https://policylayer.com/skill.md)
- Query the registry over MCP: endpoint `https://api.policylayer.com/mcp` — tools `check_mcp_server`, `check_mcp_stack`, `check_tool`, `search_registry`, `get_change_events`

---

Source: the PolicyLayer MCP registry — one continuously verified record per MCP server. Full record: https://policylayer.com/registry?q=io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink