{"uid":"cap_nh7E7PrW24Y9tWsdzPcx_","slug":"fathom-macroeconomic-data-api-categories-e5c1e1e7","name":"Fathom Macroeconomic Data API — Categories","description":"Free macroeconomic data API powered by FRED. 816,000+ economic time series. GDP, inflation, unemployment, interest rates, and more.","url":"https://fathom-opal.vercel.app/api/categories","method":"POST","headers":{},"bodySchema":{"type":"object","properties":{"categoryId":{"type":"string","description":"Category ID (default: 0 for top-level)"}}},"responseSchema":{"type":"object","required":["source"],"properties":{"source":{"type":"string"},"categories":{"type":"array","items":{"type":"object"}},"category_id":{"type":"string"}}},"example":null,"exampleRequest":null,"tags":["x402"],"displayCostAmount":"0.04","displayCostAsset":"USDC","priceDynamic":false,"priceHint":null,"priceStatus":"priced","priceSource":"registry","requiresHandshake":false,"reviewCount":0,"rating":{"score":"0.00","successRate":"0.00","reviews":0,"stars":null,"state":"unrated"},"availabilityStatus":"unknown","priceObserved":null,"sessionDeposit":null,"pricing":{"kind":"static","summary":"$0.04/call","primary":{"kind":"static","protocol":"x402","network":"base","amountUsd":"0.04","per":"call","confidence":"exact"},"accepted":[{"kind":"static","protocol":"x402","network":"base","amountUsd":"0.04","per":"call","confidence":"exact"}]},"paymentMethods":[{"uid":"pm_hRfZdIk7goaA60xy5Muo8","protocol":"x402","methodType":"crypto","chain":"base","mode":"charge","costAmount":"0.04","costPer":"request","priority":0,"asset":null,"unit":"request","depositMicros":null,"planRef":null}],"brandName":null,"brandSlug":null,"brandBaseUrl":null,"brandDocsUrl":null,"whatItDoes":"Retrieves the hierarchical category tree from FRED's macroeconomic data catalog, listing top-level or sub-categories of economic time series","exampleAgentPrompt":"Can you show me the top-level categories available in the FRED macroeconomic database so I can figure out which section covers inflation and interest rate data?","exampleUseCases":[{"title":"Exploring FRED data hierarchy","prompt":"What are all the top-level categories in the FRED economic database? I want to understand what broad areas of macroeconomic data are available before I start digging in."},{"title":"Finding sub-categories for GDP data","prompt":"I'm looking at FRED category 18 for national accounts — can you list the sub-categories under it so I know which one to use for GDP data?"},{"title":"Building an economic data navigator","prompt":"List all the child categories under FRED category 32991 so I can map out the full structure of the money, banking, and finance section for my research dashboard."}],"resultDescription":"Returns a JSON object with a source field (identifying the data provider), a category_id field (the queried category), and a categories array containing objects with names and IDs of categories at the requested level of the FRED hierarchy","failureModes":["Invalid or non-existent categoryId returns an empty categories array or error","Network timeouts on the Vercel-hosted service","Payment authorization failure via x402 protocol blocks the request","Malformed request body (e.g. categoryId as a number instead of string) may return a 400 error"],"whenToPreferThis":"Use this endpoint when you need to browse or navigate the structure of the FRED macroeconomic data catalog before fetching specific time series data. Prefer it over a direct series search when the user wants to explore available data types hierarchically rather than querying a known series ID. Ideal for building category-aware data exploration flows.","instructions":null,"reviewSummary":null,"reviewSummaryHighlights":null,"reviewSummaryConcerns":null,"reviewSummaryGeneratedAt":null,"activationCount":0,"lastUsedAt":null,"lastSuccessfullyRanAt":null,"lastHealthCheckAt":"2026-09-14T12:41:02.554Z","isFirstParty":false}