federal-compass-mcp

Your AI compass from private sector to federal career

Federal job descriptions are 5 pages of legal language. GS grades, clearance levels, hiring paths — none of this is explained anywhere. federal-compass-mcp connects Claude to the official USAJobs API and turns it into an AI advisor that speaks plain English.

Built for tech professionals transitioning from private sector to federal/government careers.

What it does

• Searches federal job openings with optional filters — keyword, location, salary, clearance level
• Translates federal job descriptions into plain language — what they actually want, without the jargon
• Analyzes your CV against specific job postings and tells you if you qualify
• Explains federal concepts — GS grades, pay plans, security clearances, hiring paths
• Saves your CV locally so Claude can reference it automatically

Getting started

1. Get your free USAJobs API key

Register at developer.usajobs.gov — takes about 3 minutes. Verify your email and you'll receive an API token.

2. Add to your MCP client

Claude Desktop (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "federal-compass": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "federal-compass-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "USAJOBS_API_KEY": "your_api_key",
        "USAJOBS_EMAIL": "[email protected]"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code / Cursor / Windsurf — same config, different config file path. See your client's MCP documentation.

3. Try it

Find me senior software developer jobs in Raleigh, NC

What is a GS-13 and how much does it pay?

Save my CV [attach file]

Look at this job posting — am I qualified?

Tools

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | search_jobs | Search federal job openings. All filters optional — keyword, location, salary, grade, agency, remote | | get_job_details | Get full details for a specific job posting | | compare_jobs | Compare 2-5 job postings side by side | | save_cv | Save your CV locally for automatic use in analysis | | get_cv | Read your saved CV | | explain_federal_concept | Explain GS grades, clearances, hiring paths, pay plans | | calculate_salary | Calculate GS salary with locality pay for any grade, step, and location | | find_matching_jobs | Find jobs matching your CV — extracts skills and searches USAJobs | | check_qualification | Compare your CV against a specific job posting | | extract_ksa | Extract KSA requirements from a job posting, optionally match against your CV |

CV storage

Your CV is stored locally on your machine — never sent to any server:

~/.federal-compass/
  cv.json
  config.json
  codelists/     <- cached USAJobs reference data

Why federal jobs are confusing (and how this helps)

Coming from private sector, federal job postings feel like a different language:

• GS-13 Step 1-10 — what grade am I? what does step mean?
• TS/SCI with polygraph — do I need this? how long does it take?
• Competitive vs Excepted Service — which one can I apply to?
• HiringPath: fed-transition — what is this and why does it matter?

federal-compass-mcp answers all of these through natural conversation with Claude.

Requirements

• Node.js v20+
• Free USAJobs API key
• Any MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor, etc.)

Contributing

Issues and PRs welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT — see LICENSE

Built by @skivuha — a Senior Frontend Engineer navigating the private-to-federal transition firsthand.