Connect U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to Copilot Studio
Query U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) directly from Copilot Studio. Arlet links the two through one MCP connection and takes care of API keys.
This server connects your AI client to the Bureau of Economic Analysis API - the primary source for US GDP and the national accounts. BEA data is organized as datasets of named tables, and the table identifiers (T10101, T20600, ...) are not guessable, so the server provides a three-step flow.
Key features:
- list_datasets: without arguments, all datasets (NIPA, Regional, ITA, IIP, GDPbyIndustry, InputOutput, ...); with a dataset name, that dataset's parameters and which are required.
- list_parameter_values: enumerate a parameter's accepted values with keyword filtering - e.g. search NIPA TableName values for 'gross domestic product' to find T10101.
- get_data: fetch a table by dataset + TableName with a frequency (annual/quarterly/monthly) and years, plus dataset-specific extra parameters such as LineCode and GeoFips for Regional data.
Division of labor with FRED: FRED is faster for a single headline series (GDP level or growth rate); BEA is the source when you need a full table with all its line items - the composition of GDP, income by state, trade in services by type.
Arlet obtains and manages the UserID, so there is nothing for you to sign up for or configure - just switch the server on. (Upstream throttles at 100 requests/minute per key, and that budget is shared across Arlet users.)
How to connect U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to Copilot Studio
- 1
In the Arlet dashboard, open Data tools, find U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and switch it on. No API key setup is needed.
- 2
Sign in to Copilot Studio with your work account, create a new agent (or open an existing one), and in the Build tab choose Tools → + → Add → Model Context Protocol (MCP) in the right panel.
- 3
In the Add MCP server form, enter "Arlet" as the Server name, https://mcp.arlet.dev/mcp/ as the Server URL, choose OAuth 2.0 for Authentication and "Dynamic (detected)" for Configuration type, then click Add. No Client ID / Secret is needed.
- 4
On the Select a connection screen, choose Create new connection → Create, then sign in with Google on the Arlet authorization screen and click Allow. Click Add to attach the tool to the agent, then Publish to use it from Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Requires a Microsoft work account and a Copilot Studio license (or trial). MCP is available only for agents using generative orchestration and not in Copilot Studio in Teams.