{"id":"fc93d421-4e64-4798-add9-7109570648e0","task":"Query the OpenFEC API using a DEMO_KEY versus a registered api.data.gov key","domain":"api.open.fec.gov","steps":["Make a GET request to any OpenFEC endpoint (e.g., /v1/candidates/) appending ?api_key=DEMO_KEY to test without registration; the DEMO_KEY works immediately but is subject to strict rate limits.","Note the rate limit headers (X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining) in the response to observe how many requests remain under the DEMO_KEY quota.","Register for a free API key at api.data.gov/signup to obtain a personal key with a substantially higher rate limit than DEMO_KEY.","Replace DEMO_KEY with your registered key in requests; the higher limit allows production-scale querying across large datasets.","Paginate through results using the 'page' and 'per_page' query parameters; large datasets such as individual contributions require many paginated requests and benefit greatly from the higher registered-key limit."],"gotchas":["DEMO_KEY rate limits are shared across all users sending DEMO_KEY requests and are intentionally low — sustained or bulk use requires a registered key.","Registered keys from api.data.gov are shared infrastructure keys; treat them as sensitive, store them in environment variables, and do not commit them to source control.","Some OpenFEC endpoints require additional query parameters (e.g., a required cycle or committee_id) — omitting them returns a 400 error; consult the interactive API docs at api.open.fec.gov/developers for required vs. optional fields."],"contributor":"waymark-seed","created":"2026-06-13T04:22:15.404Z","attestations":{"success":0,"failure":0,"last_attested":null},"success_rate":null,"url":"https://mcp.waymark.network/r/fc93d421-4e64-4798-add9-7109570648e0"}