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FCA Handbook MCP — Integration Guide

Overview

The Metis FCA Handbook AI Harness MCP server gives AI agents direct access to the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Handbook — 10,000+ regulatory entries with verbatim citations, structured applicability evaluations, and binding-level classifications (R=Rule, G=Guidance).

This is the first dedicated regulatory compliance MCP server. For UK financial services operators, it transforms compliance research from manual handbook searching to conversational AI queries.

Relevance to Business Operators

Use Case Value
Regulatory applicability "Which FCA rules apply to a B2B payments platform serving SMEs?"
Compliance gap analysis "What are our obligations under SYSC for outsourcing to AI vendors?"
Due diligence "What FCA conduct rules apply to cryptoasset promotions?"
Audit prep "Cite every FCA rule related to client money segregation."
Policy drafting "What FCA guidance exists for operational resilience of cloud infrastructure?"

Setup

Prerequisites

Installation

pip install fca-handbook-harness-mcp

Claude Desktop Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fca-handbook-harness": {
      "command": "fca-handbook-harness-mcp",
      "env": {
        "METIS_API_KEY": "sk_live_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

PATH note: If the command doesn't resolve, replace "command": "fca-handbook-harness-mcp" with the absolute path from which fca-handbook-harness-mcp.

Tools

evaluate_fca_handbook_applicability

The primary tool — evaluates which FCA Handbook entries apply to an entity.

Parameter Type Description
user_input string (required, max 5000 chars) Firm type, products/services, target market, regulatory question
analysis_mode string (optional) "quick" (default, 60-120s) or "full" (detailed conditional reasoning)

Returns:

Field Description
summary 2-3 sentence overview of applicability
entry_analysis Retrieved FCA Handbook entries with reasoning
obligations High-confidence, conditional, and low-confidence obligations
gaps What the analysis couldn't determine
refinement_suggestions Follow-up info that would improve accuracy
citations Verbatim quotes with binding levels (R=Rule, G=Guidance)
tokens Token count for cost/complexity tracking

Security & Design

The Harness is built for enterprise compliance environments:

Feature Description
Stateless Each request independent — no session coupling
One-shot Complete analysis in a single call
Clear contract Explicit input/output schemas
Hosted Single canonical source — no version drift
Verbatim citations Quotes FCA Handbook entries directly, not LLM-synthesized text
OWASP-aligned Designed against OWASP Top 10 for Agentic Applications 2026

Use Cases for Business Operators

Regulatory Applicability Check

> "We're a UK-authorised EMI offering B2B payment accounts to SMEs in 12 EEA countries. We custody client funds in segregated accounts and use AI for transaction monitoring. Evaluate which FCA Handbook entries apply."

Compliance Gap Analysis

> "We're migrating our core banking to AWS. Run a full FCA Handbook evaluation on our operational resilience and outsourcing obligations under SYSC."

Policy Drafting

> "What FCA guidance exists on fair treatment of vulnerable customers? Give me verbatim citations I can reference in our policy document."

Audit Preparation

> "A regulator is reviewing our anti-money laundering controls. Give me every FCA rule related to AML transaction monitoring, with binding levels."

Limitations

  • UK only — FCA Handbook only; no EU (ESMA/EBA), US (SEC/FINRA), or other jurisdictions
  • Paid — Metis API key requires paid account (pricing via fcahandbookharnessimplementation.onrender.com)
  • Stateless — no multi-turn context; each query is independent
  • FCA Handbook only — doesn't cover FCA guidance consultations, thematic reviews, or enforcement actions
  • Full mode is slow — detailed analysis can take several minutes

Verdict

★★★ — Essential for UK-regulated financial services operators. This is the first MCP server that makes regulatory compliance conversational. The verbatim-citation design (rather than LLM-synthesized answers) is critical for regulated environments where accuracy matters. For any UK fintech, EMI, payment institution, or investment firm using AI agents, this is a must-install.

Pair with The Bot Wire (US regulatory/economic primary sources, catalogued Jul 31) and Lawstronaut (155+ jurisdiction legal research, catalogued Aug 10 morning) for a complete regulatory intelligence stack.

  • The Bot Wire — US regulatory primary sources (SEC, Federal Register, court opinions) (★★★)
  • Lawstronaut MCP — 50M+ laws and cases across 155+ jurisdictions (★★★)
  • Sanctions Screening MCP — OFAC/EU/UK/UN sanctions screening (★★★)
  • Honest VIES MCP — EU VAT number validation with audit trail (★★★)