# FR Comment Tracker

> "Which Federal Register documents on this topic have a public comment period that has not closed yet, when does each close, and where do I comment?"

- Status: MCP package (hosted access coming soon)

## The question it answers

"Which Federal Register documents on this topic have a public comment period that has not closed yet, when does each close, and where do I comment?"

## Use it when

- You track rulemaking on a topic (for example "artificial intelligence") and want open comment periods with close dates and comment links.
- You keep a list of document numbers and want only the new ones.

## Do not use it when

- You need the full text of a rule. You get title, type, agencies, dates, links and the first 500 characters of the abstract.
- You need comments already filed. This is the notice, not regulations.gov comment data.
- You need to know about items that closed or were withdrawn since your last check (the diff reports new items only).

## Example call

There is no public HTTP route yet, so no curl example. Locally:
```bash
npx tsx src/cli.ts open "artificial intelligence"
```
MCP: `fr_open_comments {"query":"artificial intelligence","per_page":5}` or `fr_comment_watchlist_diff {"query":"artificial intelligence","known_document_numbers":["2026-21939"]}`.

## Example response (trimmed; from a real run on 2026-10-31 stored in the package samples)

```json
{
  "tool": "fr-comment-tracker",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "query": "artificial intelligence",
  "asOf": "2026-10-31",
  "count": 5,
  "totalReported": 24,
  "closingWithin14Days": 0,
  "documents": [
    {
      "documentNumber": "2026-22047",
      "title": "Request for Information",
      "type": "Notice",
      "agencies": ["Education Department"],
      "publicationDate": "2026-10-29",
      "commentsCloseOn": "2026-12-03",
      "commentUrl": "http://www.regulations.gov/commenton/ED-2026-IES-3235-0001",
      "htmlUrl": "https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/29/2026-22047/request-for-information",
      "abstract": "NCES seeks comment on the strategic redesign of its portfolio of studies ..."
    }
  ],
  "closingSoon": [],
  "source": "federalregister.gov public API",
  "billing": { "sku": "fr_comment_tracker", "plannedPriceUsd": 0.02, "x402Enabled": false }
}
```
`commentsCloseOn`, `commentUrl` and `htmlUrl` can be `null` when the source has none. `count` is how many came back (max 20); `totalReported` is the API's total match count.

## Data source and licence

Federal Register public API (federalregister.gov). US federal government documents are generally public domain; check the source's terms and API usage notes. Abstract text is the agency's.

## Freshness and caching

Results are cached 30 minutes per query and calendar day. "Open" means the close date is today or later in US Eastern time.

## Honest limits

- Keyword search is the Federal Register's own; results are newest first, max 20 per call.
- `closingWithin14Days` uses a fixed EDT offset, so after the November clock change it is off by one hour on the last day.
- Only the Federal Register's comment dates are used. Some documents take comments without a listed date and will not appear.
- Not legal advice.