fred_observations
Get time-series observations for a FRED series ID. Workhorse query for any economic indicator. Optional date range, units transformation (lin, chg, pch, log, etc.), and frequency aggregation (m, q, a).
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/fred-observations.md
What fred_observations does on Livedatalink
AI agents call fred_observations 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
end | string | — | Inclusive upper-bound ISO date (YYYY-MM-DD). |
limit | number | — | Maximum rows to return (default 50 for observations, 25 for catalog queries). |
start | string | — | Inclusive lower-bound ISO date (YYYY-MM-DD). |
units | string | — | Units transformation: 'lin' (default), 'chg' (change), 'ch1' (change YoY), 'pch' (% change), 'pc1' (% change YoY), 'log', etc. |
frequency | string | — | Aggregate to a different frequency: 'd', 'w', 'bw', 'm', 'q', 'sa', 'a'. |
series_id | string | Yes | FRED series ID (e.g. 'GDP', 'UNRATE'). See https://fred.stlouisfed.org/ for the catalog. |
aggregation_method | string | — | Aggregation method when changing frequency: 'avg', 'sum', or 'eop' (end of period). |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why fred_observations is rated Low
This is a pure data retrieval tool that queries the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) API for historical economic indicators. It accepts query parameters for filtering and formatting but does not create, modify, delete, or execute any operations. The tool has no side effects and poses minimal security risk—it can only read and return publicly available economic time-series data.
From the tool's definition 'Get time-series observations for a FRED series ID' — retrieves economic data with optional filtering and transformation parameters (date range, units, frequency). No modification, deletion, or execution capabilities described.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs fred_observations 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_observations, this is the rule to start with:
fred_observations 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_observations call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about fred_observations
Get time-series observations for a FRED series ID. Workhorse query for any economic indicator. Optional date range, units transformation (lin, chg, pch, log, etc.), and frequency aggregation (m, q, a). It is categorised as a Read tool in the Livedatalink MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
fred_observations accepts 7 parameters: end, limit, start, units, frequency, series_id, aggregation_method. Required: series_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_observations: 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_observations 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_observations 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_observations. 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_observations 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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