# Usda Fdc (npm · @pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc)

USDA Food Data Central MCP

- Trust score: 78/100 (medium)
- Change this week: 0
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-11-05

## Components

- remote · `gateway.pipeworx.io`: 77/100, [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-usda-fdc/usda-fdc-mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-usda-fdc/usda-fdc-mcp)
- npm · `@pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc`: 78/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-usda-fdc/pipeworx-mcp-usda-fdc.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-usda-fdc/pipeworx-mcp-usda-fdc)

## Channel facts

- Registry: `npm`
- Package: `@pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc`
- Version: `0.2.0`
- Transport: `stdio`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically from public evidence about the published package, including repeated runs of it in an isolated sandbox, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog)

Scored 2026-11-05.

- **Supply Chain Security**: 100/100
  - No malware found by supply-chain analysis.
  - No known CVEs affecting this package version or its production dependencies.
  - No install/post-install scripts declared.
  - No production dependencies, so there is no dependency health to assess.
- **Provenance & Transparency**: 97/100
  - Source repository is publicly reachable at the declared URL.
  - Cryptographically verified build provenance (signed, bound to pipeworx-io/mcp-usda-fdc).
  - Clear OSI-approved license (MIT).
  - Actively maintained (last published 6 days ago).
  - Disclosure check failed: no security disclosure policy was found in the source repository.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 62/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (fair).
  - Tool/resource definitions use about 481 tokens (~96/item across 5 items; 5 tools + 0 resources), lean.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 0/100
  - Stability not yet verified: not enough scan history yet (needs a 30-day window).
- **Tool Coverage**: 94/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 82% of tool parameters carry a description.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 5 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 6 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28.

**Unverified: 1 category.** A category scored 0 because we could not verify it: a data source with nothing on this package, evidence we could not reach, or a check we could not run. We only credit what we can confirm.

## Install

### How do I install the Usda Fdc MCP server?

Usda Fdc runs locally as an npm package, launched with npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add pipeworx-io-usda-fdc -- npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx-io-usda-fdc": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "pipeworx-io-usda-fdc": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```bash
codex mcp add pipeworx-io-usda-fdc -- npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "pipeworx-io-usda-fdc": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": [
        "npx",
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc"
      ],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add pipeworx-io-usda-fdc --command npx --arg -y --arg @pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  pipeworx-io-usda-fdc:
    command: "npx"
    args: ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc"]
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "pipeworx-io-usda-fdc": {
      "Transport": "stdio",
      "Command": "npx",
      "Arguments": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add pipeworx-io-usda-fdc -t stdio -c npx -a -y @pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx-io-usda-fdc": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## Changelog

Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims.

### 2026-10-30 (score 78, 0)

- [functional regression] Security disclosure: unverified → fail

### 2026-10-29 (score 78)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (5)

### `search_foods` (~200 tokens)

Search USDA Food Data Central for food items by name, brand, or ingredient. Supports filtering by data type (Branded, Foundation, SR Legacy, Survey FNDDS, Experimental) and brand owner. Returns FDC id, description, data type, and publication date per result.

Input parameters:

- `brand_owner` (string): Restrict to a brand owner
- `data_type` (string): Filter to data type(s). Comma-sep. Options: Branded | Foundation | Survey (FNDDS) | SR Legacy | Experimental
- `page_number` (number): 1-based page (default 1)
- `page_size` (number): 1-200 (default 50)
- `query` (string, required): Free-text — name / brand / ingredient
- `sort_by` (string): dataType.keyword | lowercaseDescription.keyword | fdcId | publishedDate (default relevance)
- `sort_order` (string): asc | desc

### `get_food` (~67 tokens)

Full food record by FDC id.

Input parameters:

- `fdc_id` (number, required): FDC id (e.g. 1102704)
- `format` (string): abridged | full (default full)
- `nutrients` (string): Comma-sep nutrient numbers to restrict response

### `list_foods` (~93 tokens)

Paginated browse of FDC foods.

Input parameters:

- `data_type` (string): Filter to data type(s). Options: Branded | Foundation | Survey (FNDDS) | SR Legacy | Experimental
- `page_number` (number): 1-based page
- `page_size` (number): 1-200 (default 50)
- `sort_by` (string)
- `sort_order` (string)

### `list_food_groups` (~16 tokens)

USDA food group reference (categories).

### `nutrients_for_food` (~49 tokens)

Convenience: nutrient values only for a food.

Input parameters:

- `fdc_id` (number, required)
- `nutrient_numbers` (string): Comma-sep nutrient numbers (e.g. "208,205")

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: Provenance, Dependencies. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-usda-fdc/pipeworx-mcp-usda-fdc#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-11-05: 78
- 2026-11-04: 78
- 2026-11-03: 78
- 2026-11-02: 78
- 2026-11-01: 78
- 2026-10-31: 78
- 2026-10-30: 78
- 2026-10-29: 78

## Common questions

### What is the Usda Fdc MCP server?

Usda Fdc is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.pipeworx-io/usda-fdc. USDA Food Data Central MCP. This page covers its npm package (@pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc).

### Is the Usda Fdc MCP server safe to use?

Usda Fdc scores 78 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. We found no known CVEs affecting it as of 5 November 2026. It declares no install or post-install scripts. Its build provenance is signed and verified. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.

### What tools does the Usda Fdc MCP server expose?

Usda Fdc exposes 5 tools: search_foods, get_food, list_foods, list_food_groups, nutrients_for_food. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 425 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Is the Usda Fdc MCP server still maintained?

Usda Fdc is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 5 November 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

### What licence is the Usda Fdc MCP server under?

Usda Fdc declares the MIT licence, which is OSI-approved. That covers the source only, and says nothing about the cost of any service it calls.

## Links

- npm package: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc
- Socket report: https://socket.dev/npm/package/@pipeworx/mcp-usda-fdc
- Repository: https://github.com/pipeworx-io/mcp-usda-fdc
- Website: https://pipeworx.io/packs/usda-fdc
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-usda-fdc/pipeworx-mcp-usda-fdc.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-usda-fdc/pipeworx-mcp-usda-fdc.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-usda-fdc/pipeworx-mcp-usda-fdc