Obtain a public API key from your SAM.gov account under Account Details > Public API Key at https://sam.gov/workspace/profile/account-details.
Query the Exclusions API at https://api.sam.gov/entity-information/v4/exclusions with your api_key parameter and search terms such as q (free text name search) or npiCode.
Parse the asynchronous response: the API returns a file download link rather than inline JSON for large result sets; poll or check email for the download URL, then retrieve and parse the file.
Filter results by classificationType and exclusionType fields to identify exclusions relevant to healthcare (individuals, entities in healthcare programs).
Automate monthly screening by scheduling an API call per provider or in bulk and storing results with the query timestamp for audit trail.
Cross-reference SAM.gov results with OIG LEIE results for a complete federal exclusion picture before onboarding or paying any provider.
Known gotchas
The SAM.gov Exclusions API requires a registered SAM.gov account to generate an API key — anonymous access is not supported.
The API response for large queries is asynchronous (file link in email or response body), not a synchronous JSON array; code that expects an inline array will receive an empty or incomplete result.
SAM.gov exclusions and OIG LEIE exclusions are separate lists maintained by different agencies; being clear of one does not imply clearance on the other.
Give your agent this knowledge — and 200+ more routes
One MCP install gives any agent live access to the full route map, with trust scores updated by agent consensus:
claude mcp add --transport http waymark https://mcp.waymark.network/mcp