About sanctionwise
sanctionwise is an MCP server for screening names against the official FCDO UK Sanctions List. It returns possible matches with designation details for human review, using locally stored data that refreshes from a public release.
Key features
- 01Screen names for possible UK sanctions matches
- 02Retrieve full entries by unique ID
- 03Match primary names and aliases
- 04Normalize accents, case, and punctuation
- 05Refresh list data and retain an offline copy
Use cases
- 01Review a person or organization name for possible matches
- 02Inspect official designation details using a unique ID
- 03Check name variants against listed aliases
MCP support
Exposes screen_name and get_sanctions_entry tools to MCP clients. Screening runs locally against bundled or cached UK Sanctions List data; names submitted for screening are not transmitted.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
Tools
2Saved tool list · updated 3w ago
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| name | string | Yes | The person/company/vessel name to screen. |
| limit | number | No | Max matches to return (default 10). |
Details
From the project READMEsanctionwise
Verified UK sanctions screening for AI agents — official FCDO UK Sanctions List, not guesses.
Verified, trustworthy data tools for AI agents. "Qiniso" means "truth" in Zulu.
Website · npm · MCP Registry
Ask an LLM "is this person on the UK sanctions list?" and it will answer from stale, fuzzy memory. Designations change constantly and are specific — that's data, not something to recall. sanctionwise screens a name against the official FCDO UK Sanctions List and returns possible matches with their real designation details, or a clean "no match".
⚠️ Read this — what this is and is NOT
- Indicative name-match only. A match is a POSSIBLE match that a human must verify against the official entry (names are widely shared and transliterated). It is not confirmation that the party you mean is the sanctioned party.
- A "no match" is NOT a clearance. It covers the UK (FCDO) list only, screens the name string you pass (not DOBs or aliases you didn't supply), and reflects the dataset's report date, not real-time.
- Not advice. Not legal, compliance, KYC/AML or sanctions advice, and not a substitute for a regulated sanctions-screening process. Every response includes this disclaimer.
Install
{ "mcpServers": { "sanctionwise": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "sanctionwise"] } } }
The official UK Sanctions List data is bundled in the package (works offline, out of the box). The tool also auto-refreshes from a weekly-updated GitHub Release on startup — cached locally, no key, no token, no manual step — so it stays current on its own. Every response reports the dataset's report date.
Use it as a library
npm i sanctionwise
import { screenName, getSanctionsEntry } from "sanctionwise";
screenName("Vladimir Putin");
// { matchCount: 3, results: [{ id: "RUS0251", type: "Individual",
// primaryName: "Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN", matchType: "exact",
// regimes: ["The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019"], sanctions: "Asset freeze|…" }],
// disclaimer: "INDICATIVE NAME-MATCH SCREEN ONLY. …" }
screenName("Acme Quilting Supplies Ltd").matchCount; // 0 — no match (NOT a clearance)
getSanctionsEntry("RUS0251"); // full official entry for a Unique ID
Matching folds accents and is case/punctuation-insensitive, and screens primary names and aliases.
Tools — 2
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| screen_name | Screen a person/company/vessel name → ranked POSSIBLE matches with official designation details |
| get_sanctions_entry | Full official entry for a Unique ID (names, aliases, regime, statement of reasons, …) |
Data & auto-refresh
The data is the official FCDO UK Sanctions List (designated persons, entities and ships under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018), published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. scripts/build-data.mjs parses the official CSV into one record per target (all names/aliases grouped); the bundled build currently carries 6,200+ designated targets. A weekly GitHub Action (.github/workflows/refresh-data.yml) re-downloads the list and publishes it as a GitHub Release asset; the installed tool fetches that asset on startup (cached, offline-safe), so it self-updates with no npm token and no manual step. The bundled copy is the offline / first-run fallback.
What it is not
- Not a compliance determination. Indicative screening to surface possible matches for human review — nothing more.
- Not multi-list. UK (FCDO) list only — not the EU, US (OFAC), UN consolidated, or any other list.
- Not real-time. Reflects the dataset's report date; check the live list for the current position.
- Not advice, and not a regulated screening service.
Privacy
This tool runs locally on your machine and is built not to collect, store, or transmit your data — no analytics, no telemetry, no account. Screening runs locally; on startup it may download the latest public UK Sanctions List from a GitHub Release, but the names you screen are never transmitted. Full policy: https://qinisolabs.github.io/privacy.html.
License
Apache-2.0 (code). Sanctions data © Crown copyright, FCDO, Open Government Licence v3.0; see NOTICE.
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