About usfiscaldata
A skill for querying the U.S. Treasury Fiscal Data REST API, which provides federal financial datasets without registration or an API key. It covers endpoint discovery, filtering, sorting, pagination, and working with responses in Python and pandas.
Key features
- 01Browse Treasury datasets and tables
- 02Filter, sort, and select fields
- 03Paginate API results
- 04Read debt, fiscal, and rate data
- 05Convert responses to pandas DataFrames
Use cases
- 01Track daily U.S. national debt
- 02Analyze Treasury cash flows and statements
- 03Review exchange rates or interest rates
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
npx skills add https:/ / github.com/ kalarislabs/ research-agent-skills --skill usfiscaldataAfter installing, type/usfiscaldatain Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Bundled files
References and scripts installed along with SKILL.md.
references/api-basics.mddatasets-debt.mddatasets-fiscal.mddatasets-interest-rates.mddatasets-securities.mdexamples.mdparameters.mdresponse-format.mdDetails
From the project READMEU.S. Treasury Fiscal Data API
Free, open REST API from the U.S. Department of the Treasury for federal financial data. No API key or registration required.
Base URL: https://api.fiscaldata.treasury.gov/services/api/fiscal_service
Browse 54 datasets and 179 data tables via the dataset search. Verify endpoint paths on each dataset's API Quick Guide — paths change over time.
Installation
uv pip install requests pandas
Quick Start
import requests
import pandas as pd
BASE_URL = "https://api.fiscaldata.treasury.gov/services/api/fiscal_service"
# Get the current national debt (Debt to the Penny)
resp = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/v2/accounting/od/debt_to_penny", params={
"sort": "-record_date",
"page[size]": 1
})
data = resp.json()["data"][0]
print(f"Total public debt as of {data['record_date']}: ${float(data['tot_pub_debt_out_amt']):,.0f}")
# Get Treasury exchange rates for recent quarters
resp = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/v1/accounting/od/rates_of_exchange", params={
"fields": "country_currency_desc,exchange_rate,record_date",
"filter": "record_date:gte:2024-01-01",
"sort": "-record_date",
"page[size]": 100
})
df = pd.DataFrame(resp.json()["data"])
Authentication
None required. The API is fully open and free.
Core Parameters
| Parameter | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
fields= | fields=record_date,tot_pub_debt_out_amt | Select specific columns |
filter= | filter=record_date:gte:2024-01-01 | Filter records |
sort= | sort=-record_date | Sort (prefix - for descending) |
format= | format=json | Output format: json, csv, xml |
page[size]= | page[size]=100 | Records per page (default 100) |
page[number]= | page[number]=2 | Page index (starts at 1) |
Filter operators: lt, lte, gt, gte, eq, in
# Multiple filters separated by comma
"filter=country_currency_desc:in:(Canada-Dollar,Mexico-Peso),record_date:gte:2024-01-01"
Key Datasets & Endpoints
Debt
| Dataset | Endpoint | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Debt to the Penny | /v2/accounting/od/debt_to_penny | Daily |
| Historical Debt Outstanding | /v2/accounting/od/debt_outstanding | Annual |
| Schedules of Federal Debt | /v1/accounting/od/schedules_fed_debt | Monthly |
Daily & Monthly Statements
| Dataset | Endpoint | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| DTS Operating Cash Balance | /v1/accounting/dts/operating_cash_balance | Daily |
| DTS Deposits & Withdrawals | /v1/accounting/dts/deposits_withdrawals_operating_cash | Daily |
| Monthly Treasury Statement (MTS) | /v1/accounting/mts/mts_table_1 (18 tables — see datasets-fiscal.md) | Monthly |
Interest Rates & Exchange
| Dataset | Endpoint | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Average Interest Rates on Treasury Securities | /v2/accounting/od/avg_interest_rates | Monthly |
| Treasury Reporting Rates of Exchange | /v1/accounting/od/rates_of_exchange | Quarterly |
| Interest Expense on Public Debt | /v2/accounting/od/interest_expense | Monthly |
Securities & Auctions
| Dataset | Endpoint | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Treasury Securities Auctions Data | /v1/accounting/od/auctions_query | As Needed |
| Treasury Securities Upcoming Auctions | /v1/accounting/od/upcoming_auctions | As Needed |
| Treasury Securities Buybacks | /v1/accounting/od/buybacks_operations | As Needed |
Savings Bonds
| Dataset | Endpoint | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| I Bonds Interest Rates | /v1/accounting/od/i_bonds_interest_rates | Semi-Annual |
| Savings Bonds Issues, Redemptions & Maturities | /v1/accounting/od/savings_bonds_report | Monthly |
Response Structure
{
"data": [...],
"meta": {
"count": 100,
"total-count": 3790,
"total-pages": 38,
"labels": {"field_name": "Human Readable Label"},
"dataTypes": {"field_name": "STRING|NUMBER|DATE|CURRENCY"},
"dataFormats": {"field_name": "String|10.2|YYYY-MM-DD"}
},
"links": {"self": "...", "first": "...", "prev": null, "next": "...", "last": "..."}
}
Note: All values are returned as strings. Convert as needed (e.g., float(), pd.to_datetime()). Null values appear as the string "null".
Common Patterns
Load all pages into a DataFrame
Use the bounded fetch_all() helper in parameters.md. For small result sets, a single request with page[size]=10000 may suffice when meta.total-pages is 1.
# Single-page fetch when total-pages == 1
params = {"sort": "-record_date", "page[size]": 10000}
resp = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/v2/accounting/od/debt_outstanding", params=params)
result = resp.json()
if result["meta"]["total-pages"] > 1:
raise ValueError("Use fetch_all() from parameters.md for multi-page results")
df = pd.DataFrame(result["data"])
Aggregation (automatic sum)
Omitting grouping fields triggers automatic aggregation:
# Sum all deposits/withdrawals by record_date and transaction type
resp = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/v1/accounting/dts/deposits_withdrawals_operating_cash", params={
"fields": "record_date,transaction_type,transaction_today_amt"
})
Reference Files
- api-basics.md — URL structure, HTTP methods, versioning, data types
- parameters.md — All parameters with detailed examples and edge cases
- datasets-debt.md — Debt datasets: Debt to the Penny, Historical Debt, Schedules of Federal Debt, TROR
- datasets-fiscal.md — Daily Treasury Statement, Monthly Treasury Statement, revenue, spending
- datasets-interest-rates.md — Average interest rates, exchange rates, TIPS/CPI, certified interest rates
- datasets-securities.md — Treasury auctions, savings bonds, SLGS, buybacks
- response-format.md — Response objects, error handling, pagination, response codes
- examples.md — Python, R, and pandas code examples for common use cases
Agent operating procedure
- Check the environment. Confirm network access, API keys (if required) and the database's current API documentation and rate limits.
- Pin down the inputs. Confirm formats, identifiers and parameters from the data or the user. Ask rather than guess any value that changes the result.
- Run a small version first. Fetch a single known record and check the response format before bulk queries.
- Execute the full task using the instructions and references above.
- Validate the result. Identifiers resolve, record counts are reported, and the database version or access date is recorded.
- Report. State what was run (versions, commands, parameters), what was checked, and what is still uncertain.
| If this happens | Do this |
|---|---|
| HTTP 429 or 5xx errors | Respect rate limits with backoff, batch requests, and report partial results honestly. |
| A function, flag or endpoint in these instructions is missing in the installed version | Check the installed version's own documentation (help(), --help, official docs), adapt, and tell the user. Never invent an API. |
| A required input, identifier or parameter is ambiguous | Ask the user, or state the assumption explicitly before running. |
Integrity rules
- Never fabricate results, parameters, identifiers, citations or statistics. If something cannot be run or verified, say so plainly.
- Never invent accession numbers, IDs or records; report 'not found' instead.
- Treat version-specific details here as possibly outdated: confirm them against the official documentation for the installed version.
- Ask before actions that cost money, consume shared GPUs or cloud quota, touch personal or patient data, or cannot be undone.