# GovTube (remote · api.govtube.us)

Search what U.S. officials said on camera, with timestamps and citations. Not a government site.

- Trust score: 70/100 (medium)
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-10-18

## Components

- remote · `api.govtube.us`: 70/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/us-govtube-govtube/api.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/us-govtube-govtube/api)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://api.govtube.us/mcp`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `none`
- Version: `0.1.0`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically against the live server, 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 2026-10-18.

- **Endpoint Security**: 74/100
  - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key.
  - No authorisation is required to call this server. Every tool declares its destructiveHint and none is destructive, so open access doesn't expose one.
  - HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path.
  - HSTS check failed: the Strict-Transport-Security header is absent.
  - DNSSEC check failed: this domain isn't protected by DNSSEC.
- **Transport & Reachability**: 100/100
  - Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 57/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 2705 tokens (~386/item across 7 items; 7 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 13/100
  - Stability observed for 4 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 100/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 100% of tool parameters carry a description.
  - Structured output schemas are declared (100% of tools); any adoption earns full credit.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 7 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 8 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a current MCP spec version (2026-07-28).

## Install

### How do I install the GovTube MCP server?

GovTube is a hosted endpoint at https://api.govtube.us/mcp, so there is nothing to install locally. 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 --transport http us-govtube-govtube 'https://api.govtube.us/mcp'
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "us-govtube-govtube": {
      "url": "https://api.govtube.us/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "us-govtube-govtube": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.govtube.us/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.us-govtube-govtube]
url = "https://api.govtube.us/mcp"
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "us-govtube-govtube": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://api.govtube.us/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add us-govtube-govtube --url 'https://api.govtube.us/mcp' --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  us-govtube-govtube:
    url: "https://api.govtube.us/mcp"
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "us-govtube-govtube": {
      "Transport": "http",
      "Url": "https://api.govtube.us/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add us-govtube-govtube -t streamable-http -u 'https://api.govtube.us/mcp'
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "us-govtube-govtube": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.govtube.us/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

The mcpServers block is a cross-client convention. Remote transports vary, so check your client's docs.

## 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.

### 2026-10-18 (score 70, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 10 to 13. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 3 days of observed history at the previous scan, 4 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-17 (score 69, 0)

- [security] The server rewrote its instructions, which are the text every model session reads
- [security] Tool “govtube_list_sessions” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [functional regression] Schema quality: 347 → 386
- [functional] Schema quality: good → excellent
- [cosmetic] “govtube_list_sessions” added an optional parameter “kind”
- [cosmetic] “govtube_search_instances” added an optional parameter “playable_only”
- [cosmetic] “govtube_list_sessions” reworded the description of “source”
- [cosmetic] “govtube_search_instances” reworded the description of “sort”
- [cosmetic] “govtube_search_instances” reworded the description of “source”

### 2026-10-16 (score 69, 0)

- [security] The server rewrote its instructions, which are the text every model session reads
- [security] Tool “govtube_get_coverage” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “govtube_get_transcript_window” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [functional regression] Schema quality: 304 → 347
- [cosmetic] “govtube_list_sessions” reworded the description of “source”
- [cosmetic] “govtube_search_instances” reworded the description of “source”

### 2026-10-15 (score 69, +1)

- [security] The server rewrote its instructions, which are the text every model session reads
- [functional improvement] Stability: unverified → 0.03
- [cosmetic] “govtube_list_sessions” reworded the description of “source”
- [cosmetic] “govtube_search_instances” reworded the description of “source”

### 2026-10-14 (score 68)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (7)

### `govtube_search_instances` (~675 tokens)

Search spoken instances

Find spoken instances of words or a phrase across official videos and White House transcripts.

        Returns one small page: counts for the whole result, then up to 5 videos (newest first, or most instances
        first with sort="most_instances"), each with up to 3 passages (quotes; overlapping instances merged), each
        passage listing its instances with citation id and share_url. `notes` and `more_passages` say what else
        there is: use `next_cursor` for more videos, govtube_list_video_instances for the rest of one video, and
        detail="full" for larger pages. White House transcripts have no timing (`timing_granularity` "document",
        null times, a `position` and a `document_url`).

Input parameters:

- `cursor`: next_cursor from the previous page of the same search (same query and filters).
- `date_from`: Earliest event date, YYYY-MM-DD.
- `date_to`: Latest event date, YYYY-MM-DD.
- `detail` (string): compact (default): small pages, passages only. full: the larger pages of the REST API (default 10 videos x 5), with every instance listed one by one as well as in passages.
- `include_unreviewed` (boolean): With speaker: also return moments where that person was named from the on-screen caption and nobody has reviewed the name yet. They are labelled 'matched from on-screen name, not reviewed'; say so wh…
- `max_instances_per_video`: Passages per video, 1 to 20 (with detail="full", also instances). Default 3, or 5 with detail="full".
- `max_videos`: Videos per page, 1 to 25. Default 5, or 10 with detail="full".
- `playable_only` (boolean): true: only results with playable video; transcript-only results (no video) are left out and counted in counts.transcript_only.
- `query` (string, required): Words to find. Put an exact phrase in double quotes: "no tax on tips". Unquoted words must occur within 8 words of each other.
- `sort` (string): newest (default): event date, newest first; on the same day, video sessions before official transcripts. most_instances: most instances first; check order_exact in the response.
- `source`: Only one source: house_floor_clerk (U.S. House floor), senate_floor_and_committees (U.S. Senate floor and committee hearings), govinfo_dcpd (White House transcripts, no video timing), govinfo_crec (C…
- `speaker`: Bioguide ID of a member of Congress, e.g. 'C001053' (Rep. Tom Cole). Matches speakers a person has confirmed. Names matched only from the on-screen caption are left out (the result counts them in unr…

Output parameters:

- `counts`
- `detail` (string)
- `limits` (object)
- `next_cursor`
- `normalized_query` (string)
- `notes` (array)
- `order_exact` (boolean)
- `query` (string)
- `sort` (string)
- `unreviewed_excluded`
- `videos` (array)

### `govtube_list_video_instances` (~345 tokens)

List instances in one video

Page through one video's matches by passage, in time order.

        A passage is a run of instances whose excerpts overlap, shown as one quote. `offset` and `limit` count
        passages; `next_offset` is null on the last page. `passage_count` and `instance_count` cover the whole
        video. With detail="full", `instances` also lists every instance of the page one by one.

Input parameters:

- `detail` (string): compact (default): small pages, passages only. full: the larger pages of the REST API (default 10 videos x 5), with every instance listed one by one as well as in passages.
- `include_unreviewed` (boolean): With speaker: also return moments where that person was named from the on-screen caption and nobody has reviewed the name yet. They are labelled 'matched from on-screen name, not reviewed'; say so wh…
- `limit`: Passages per page, 1 to 100. Default 10, or 20 with detail="full".
- `offset` (integer): Passages to skip; use next_offset from the previous page.
- `query` (string, required): The same query as the search.
- `speaker`: Bioguide ID of a member of Congress, e.g. 'C001053' (Rep. Tom Cole). Matches speakers a person has confirmed. Names matched only from the on-screen caption are left out (the result counts them in unr…
- `video_id` (string, required): video_id from a search result.

Output parameters:

- `instance_count` (integer)
- `instances`
- `more_passages` (integer)
- `next_offset`
- `notes` (array)
- `offset` (integer)
- `passage_count` (integer)
- `passages` (array)
- `rights` (string)
- `unreviewed_excluded`
- `video`

### `govtube_get_transcript_window` (~171 tokens)

Read transcript around a moment

Return speaker turns overlapping [start_ms, end_ms] with their text, for checking context.

        A turn with cluster null and speaker "No speaker label" holds words no voice was found for. The words are as
        heard; don't attribute them to a neighbouring speaker.

        Not available for official transcripts without timing (timing_granularity "document"): read those at the
        result's document_url, or resolve the citation for the surrounding turns.

Input parameters:

- `end_ms` (integer, required): End, in milliseconds; at most 5 minutes after start_ms.
- `start_ms` (integer, required): Start, in milliseconds from the start of the video, e.g. an instance's start_ms minus 30000.
- `video_id` (string, required): video_id from a search result.

Output parameters:

- `result` (array)

### `govtube_get_video` (~41 tokens)

Video details, provenance and rights

Metadata, speakers, playback asset and the rights and use restrictions of the video's source.

Input parameters:

- `video_id` (string, required): video_id from a search result.

Output parameters:

- `rights`
- `video`

### `govtube_resolve_citation` (~121 tokens)

Resolve a citation id

Check that a cited instance still says the quoted words after corrections, and return its context.

        The result has a share_url to link. gd2./gd1. ids cite words in an official transcript: the result has
        positions instead of times, citation_text to paste, document_highlight_url, and `certifies` saying what is
        (and is not) certified.

Input parameters:

- `citation_id` (string, required): An instance id (gt2.... or gd2...., or an older gt1.... or gd1....).

Output parameters:

- `canonical_id`
- `caption_check` (string)
- `certifies`
- `citation_text`
- `cited_rev` (integer)
- `corrected_at`
- `current_position`
- `current_rev` (integer)
- `current_start_ms`
- `document_highlight_url`
- `document_url`
- `low_confidence` (boolean)
- `note` (string)
- `original_position`
- `original_start_ms`
- `quoted_text` (string)
- `replacement`
- `replacement_note`
- `share_url` (string)
- `signed` (boolean)
- `source_caveats` (array)
- `source_certainty` (string)
- `status` (string)
- `timing_granularity` (string)
- `transcript_context` (array)
- `video_id` (string)
- `withheld` (boolean)
- `words_checked` (boolean)

### `govtube_get_coverage` (~81 tokens)

What the index covers

Totals for the whole index, video and official transcripts counted apart: video sessions, hours and
        words transcribed; official transcripts (text, no timing); each source; date ranges, last update, items
        awaiting review and known gaps. Cite this with any count. For the list of sessions use
        govtube_list_sessions.

Output parameters:

- `awaiting_review` (integer)
- `by_timing` (object)
- `collections` (array)
- `corrections` (array)
- `documents`
- `first_event_date`
- `known_gaps` (array)
- `last_event_date`
- `last_ingested_at`
- `notes` (array)
- `revised` (integer)
- `sources` (array)
- `total_hours` (number)
- `total_words` (integer)
- `video`
- `videos` (integer)

### `govtube_list_sessions` (~306 tokens)

List indexed sessions

Every indexed item, one page at a time: video sessions and official transcripts (White House transcripts,
        Congressional Record speeches, one item per speech). Newest first; on the same day, video sessions before
        official transcripts. Each has title, date, source, length, words, whether it plays, and how many speakers
        are confirmed. `total` matches govtube_get_coverage's counts for the same source.

Input parameters:

- `cursor`: next_cursor from the previous page (same filters).
- `date_from`: Earliest event date, YYYY-MM-DD.
- `date_to`: Latest event date, YYYY-MM-DD.
- `kind`: Only one kind: "video" (video sessions, timed transcripts) or "document" (official transcripts without video timing: White House transcripts, Congressional Record speeches). Omit for both.
- `limit` (integer): Sessions per page, 1 to 100.
- `source`: Only one source: house_floor_clerk (U.S. House floor), senate_floor_and_committees (U.S. Senate floor and committee hearings), govinfo_dcpd (White House transcripts, no video timing), govinfo_crec (C…

Output parameters:

- `next_cursor`
- `sessions` (array)
- `total` (integer)

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: TLS, DNSSEC, Authorisation, Transports. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/us-govtube-govtube/api#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-10-18: 70
- 2026-10-17: 69
- 2026-10-16: 69
- 2026-10-15: 69
- 2026-10-14: 68

## Common questions

### What is the GovTube MCP server?

GovTube is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as us.govtube/govtube. Search what U.S. officials said on camera, with timestamps and citations. Not a government site. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://api.govtube.us/mcp).

### Is the GovTube MCP server safe to use?

GovTube scores 70 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. 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 GovTube MCP server expose?

GovTube exposes 7 tools: govtube_search_instances, govtube_list_video_instances, govtube_get_transcript_window, govtube_get_video, govtube_resolve_citation, and 2 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 1,740 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the GovTube MCP server require authentication?

No. We connected to GovTube without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.

### Is the GovTube MCP server still maintained?

GovTube is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 18 October 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

## Links

- Remote endpoint: https://api.govtube.us/mcp
- Website: https://govtube.us/api
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/us-govtube-govtube/api.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/us-govtube-govtube/api.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/us-govtube-govtube/api