# GSA Per Diem MCP server

> Look up federal per diem lodging and M&IE rates by city, ZIP or state, and estimate trip costs for travel IGCEs.

- Listing: https://mcp.tc/i/gsa-per-diem
- Connect: use the server's own URL `https://gsa-perdiem.1102tools.com/mcp` (no sign-in); clients connect to it directly. The listing link is a page, not an MCP endpoint.
- Type: remote (Streamable HTTP)
- Auth: none
- Category: [Utilities](https://mcp.tc/c/utilities)
- Vendor: 1102tools
- Homepage: <https://1102tools.com>
- Repository: <https://github.com/1102tools-dev/federal-contracting-mcps/tree/HEAD/servers/gsa-perdiem-mcp>
- Package: pypi `gsa-perdiem-mcp`

## About

Connects to GSA per diem data for CONUS locations. You can look up lodging and meals and incidental expense (M&IE) rates by city, ZIP code or state, view the M&IE tier breakdown, estimate trip costs with 75% M&IE on first and last days, and compare up to 25 locations. Ambiguous ZIPs or cities return all candidate rate areas instead of a guess.

The hosted endpoint is public and needs no sign-in or API key. A local package (gsa-perdiem-mcp, run with uvx) is also available. Locally, a free api.data.gov key in PERDIEM\_API\_KEY is only needed for city names without a county and for fiscal years not bundled.

## What it can do

- Look up per diem rates by city and state
- Look up per diem rates by ZIP or ZIP+4
- List all non-standard area rates for a state
- Show the M&IE tier breakdown by meal
- Estimate trip lodging and M&IE cost
- Compare rates across up to 25 locations
- Check which fiscal years are bundled

## Tools (7)

- `get_data_status`: Report bundled fiscal years, their GSA source files, and which tools call the GSA API. (read-only)
- `lookup_city_perdiem`: Look up lodging and M&IE rates for a city and state, with optional county. (read-only)
- `lookup_zip_perdiem`: Look up per diem rates by ZIP code, flagging ZIPs spanning several rate areas. (read-only)
- `lookup_state_rates`: Get all non-standard area rates and the standard rate for a state. (read-only)
- `get_mie_breakdown`: Return the M&IE tier table with meal, incidental and first/last day amounts. (read-only)
- `estimate_travel_cost`: Estimate total lodging and M&IE for a trip of a given number of nights. (read-only)
- `compare_locations`: Compare per diem rates across multiple locations, sorted by max daily total. (read-only)

## Example prompts

- "What's the per diem rate for Washington DC in FY2026?"
- "Estimate travel costs for 4 nights in Boston in March."
- "Compare per diem rates for DC, New York, and San Francisco."
- "What are all the non-standard per diem locations in Virginia?"

## Install

### Claude Code

1. Run this in a terminal, in your project folder:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http gsa-per-diem https://gsa-perdiem.1102tools.com/mcp
```

2. Start Claude Code and type `/mcp`. **gsa-per-diem** should show as connected.

Add `--scope user` to make it available in every project, not just this one.

### Claude Desktop

1. Open **Customize → Connectors**, click **+ Add**, then **Add custom connector**.

2. Name it **GSA Per Diem** and paste this URL:

```url
https://gsa-perdiem.1102tools.com/mcp
```

3. Click **Add**. Its tools appear in the chat’s tools menu.

Claude Desktop’s JSON config file only starts local servers. Remote servers go through Connectors, and connectors you add on claude.ai show up here too.

### claude.ai

1. Open the connector form on claude.ai. This button fills in the name and URL for you:

[Add to claude.ai](<https://claude.ai/customize/connectors?modal=add-custom-connector&connectorName=GSA%20Per%20Diem&connectorUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fgsa-perdiem.1102tools.com%2Fmcp>) (opens connector settings)

2. Check that the URL reads `https://gsa-perdiem.1102tools.com/mcp` and click **Add**.

3. Turn it on in a chat from the tools menu.

Free plans allow one custom connector. On Team and Enterprise plans an owner adds it under **Organization settings → Connectors**.

### ChatGPT

1. On chatgpt.com, go to **Plugins**, select **+**, then **Add custom MCP server**.

2. Enter a name for the server.

3. Under **Connection**, paste `https://gsa-perdiem.1102tools.com/mcp` as the server URL, then for authentication choose **No authentication**.

4. Check **I understand and want to continue**, then select **Create as a plugin**.

Whether you can add a custom MCP server depends on your ChatGPT plan and your workspace permissions (in Business workspaces, admins and owners can).

### Cursor

[Add to Cursor](<https://cursor.com/install-mcp?name=gsa-per-diem&config=eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2dzYS1wZXJkaWVtLjExMDJ0b29scy5jb20vbWNwIn0%3D>) (opens Cursor)

Or add it by hand to `~/.cursor/mcp.json` (all projects) or `.cursor/mcp.json` (this project):

`mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gsa-per-diem": {
      "url": "https://gsa-perdiem.1102tools.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

[Install in VS Code](<https://vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=gsa-per-diem&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%22http%22%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fgsa-perdiem.1102tools.com%2Fmcp%22%7D>) (opens VS Code)

Or from a terminal:

```bash
code --add-mcp '{"name":"gsa-per-diem","type":"http","url":"https://gsa-perdiem.1102tools.com/mcp"}'
```

Or commit it to the repo in `.vscode/mcp.json`:

`.vscode/mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "gsa-per-diem": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://gsa-perdiem.1102tools.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Devin Desktop

1. Add it to `~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json` (macOS and Linux) or `%APPDATA%\devin\mcp_config.json` (Windows):

`mcp_config.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gsa-per-diem": {
      "serverUrl": "https://gsa-perdiem.1102tools.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

2. Refresh the MCP server list in Cascade.

Devin Desktop is the new name for Windsurf. It reads `serverUrl` (or `url`) for remote servers.

### Codex

```bash
codex mcp add gsa-per-diem --url https://gsa-perdiem.1102tools.com/mcp
```

Or edit `~/.codex/config.toml` directly:

`config.toml`:

```toml
[mcp_servers.gsa-per-diem]
url = "https://gsa-perdiem.1102tools.com/mcp"
```

### Gemini CLI

```bash
gemini mcp add --transport http gsa-per-diem https://gsa-perdiem.1102tools.com/mcp
```

This adds it to the current project. Add `-s user` to use it everywhere.

### Any client

Most clients accept this shape. Some name the URL field differently: `serverUrl` in Devin Desktop, `httpUrl` in Gemini CLI’s settings file.

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gsa-per-diem": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://gsa-perdiem.1102tools.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

Zed puts servers under `context_servers` in its settings. Cline needs `"type": "streamableHttp"`, or it assumes SSE.

Client only starts local servers? Bridge it with `npx -y mcp-remote https://gsa-perdiem.1102tools.com/mcp`.

## Recent changes

- 2026-11-01 05:22 UTC: Tracking started: 7 tools read. Source: automatic check.

More on the History tab, with descriptions before and after for the newest entries: https://mcp.tc/i/gsa-per-diem#history (Atom feed: https://mcp.tc/i/gsa-per-diem/history.xml). It records what mcp.tc's anonymous checks saw, every 3 hours where the tool list can be read without sign-in; it is not a security review.

## Details

- Server version: 1.2.8
- MCP protocol version: 2025-11-25
- Last checked: 2026-11-06 (reachable)
- Listed: 2026-11-01
- Updated: 2026-11-01

---
Source: https://mcp.tc/i/gsa-per-diem (mcp.tc is an independent directory, not affiliated with this server's publisher). Corrections: https://mcp.tc/report