USPTO Final Petition Decisions MCP Server

A high-performance Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the USPTO Final Petition Decisions API with token-saving context reduction capabilities, user-customizable fields, and cross-MCP integration for complete patent lifecycle analysis.

Documentation

Document	Description
Installation Guide	Complete cross-platform setup with automated scripts
Usage Examples	Function examples, workflows, and integration patterns
Prompt Templates	Detailed guide to sophisticated prompt templates for legal & research workflows
Field Customization	Comprehensive guidance on customizing field sets for the minimal and balanced tools
Security Guidelines	Comprehensive security best practices
Security Scanning	Automated secret detection and prevention guide
Testing Guide	Test suite documentation and API key setup
License	MIT License terms and conditions

Quick Start

Windows Install

Run PowerShell as Administrator, then:

# Navigate to your user profile
cd $env:USERPROFILE

# If git is installed:
git clone https://github.com/john-walkoe/uspto_fpd_mcp.git
cd uspto_fpd_mcp

# If git is NOT installed:
# Download and extract the repository to C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\uspto_fpd_mcp
# Then navigate to the folder:
# cd C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\uspto_fpd_mcp

# The script detects if uv is installed and if it is not it will install uv - https://docs.astral.sh/uv

# Run setup script (sets execution policy for this session only):
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Scope Process
.\deploy\windows_setup.ps1

## View INSTALL.md for sample script output.
# Close Powershell Window.
# If choose option to "configure Claude Desktop integration" during the script then restart Claude Desktop

The PowerShell script will:

• Check for and auto-install uv (via winget or PowerShell script)
• Install dependencies and create executable
• Prompt for USPTO API key (required) and Mistral API key (optional) or Detect if you had installed the developer's other USPTO MCPs and ask if want to use existing keys from those installation.
• If entering in API keys, the script will automatically store API keys securely using Windows DPAPI encryption
• Ask if you have USPTO PFW MCP already installed, and if so will used the USPTO PFW MCP's default centralized proxy
• Ask if you want Claude Desktop integration configured
• Offer secure configuration method (recommended) or traditional method (API keys in plain text in the MCP JSON file)
• Backups and then automatically merge with existing Claude Desktop config (preserves other MCP servers)
• Provide installation summary and next steps

Claude Desktop Configuration - Manual installs

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "uspto_fpd": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "C:/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/uspto_fpd_mcp",
        "run",
        "fpd-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "USPTO_API_KEY": "your_actual_USPTO_api_key_here",
        "MISTRAL_API_KEY": "your_mistral_api_key_here_OPTIONAL",
        "CENTRALIZED_PROXY_PORT": "none",
        "FPD_PROXY_PORT": "8081"
      }
    }
  }
}

Proxy Configuration Notes:

• CENTRALIZED_PROXY_PORT:
  • Set to "none" for standalone use (not recommended)
  • Set to 8080 When USPTO PFW MCP is installed and PFW is using its default port for the local proxy. (If PFW is not using its default port change this value to match)
• FPD_PROXY_PORT: Local proxy port (default: 8081, avoids conflict with PFW on 8080)
  • Only used in standalone mode (no PFW MCP detected)
  • When PFW MCP is installed, FPD automatically uses PFW's centralized proxy (port 8080), but will fall back to FPD's local proxy port
  • Centralized Proxy Benefits: Single port for all USPTO MCPs, 7-day persistent links, unified rate limiting

Key Features

• User-Customizable Fields - Configure field sets through YAML without code changes
• Context Reduction - Get focused responses instead of massive API dumps (80-99% reduction)
• Progressive Disclosure Strategy - Minimal discovery Balanced analysis Document extraction
• Petition-Type Focused Search - Specialized tools for art unit and application-specific searches
• Intelligent Document Extraction - Auto-optimized hybrid extraction (free PyPDF2 Mistral OCR fallback) with secure browser downloads
• Centralized Proxy Integration - Auto-detects PFW MCP and uses unified proxy (port 8080) for persistent links and cross-MCP downloads
• Secure Browser Downloads - Click proxy URLs to download PDFs directly while keeping API keys secure
• Advanced OCR Capabilities - Extract text from scanned PDFs using Mistral OCR when needed
• ** Document Bag Integration** - Full petition document access alongside structured petition data
• Mistral OCR Cost Transparency - Real-time cost calculation when using Mistral OCR
• ** Secure API Key Storage** - Optional Windows DPAPI encryption keeps API keys secure (no plain text in config files)
• High Performance - Retry logic with exponential backoff, rate limiting compliance
• ** Production Ready** - Enhanced error handling, structured logging with request IDs, comprehensive security guidelines
• Cross-Platform - Works seamlessly on Linux and Windows
• Complete API Coverage - All USPTO Final Petition Decisions endpoints supported
• Cross-MCP Integration - Seamless integration with Patent File Wrapper and PTAB MCPs for complete lifecycle analysis

Workflow Design - All Performed by the LLM with Minimal User Guidance

User Requests the following:

• "Find all petitions filed by TechCorp and tell me about any red flags"
• "Show me revival petitions for art unit 2128 - I'm analyzing abandonment patterns"
• "Get me the petition history for application 17414168"
• "Research this company's petition track record and correlate with their PTAB challenges" - * Requires that the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) be installed - uspto_ptab_mcp and also recommended to ask LLM to perform a fpd_get_guidance tool call prior to this or any cross MCP prompt (see quick reference chart for section selection, additional details in Usage Examples)
• "Analyze this art unit's prosecution quality by looking at petition frequency and types"

LLM Performs these steps:

Step 1: Discovery (Minimal) Step 2: Selection and Analysis (Balanced - Optional) Step 3: Detailed Petition Review Step 4 (Optional): Select specific petition documents for examination Step 5 (Optional): Retrieve document_id(s) from documentBag Step 6 (Optional): Document Extraction for LLM use and/or Download Links of PDFs for user's use

The field configuration supports an optimized research progression:

1. Discovery (Minimal) returns 50-100 petitions efficiently without document bloat
2. Selection and Analysis (Balanced - Optional) from the retrieved select likely petition(s). Optional balanced search(es) performed if needed in advanced workflows and/or cross-MCP workflows with Patent File Wrapper or PTAB
3. Detailed Petition Review via fpd_get_petition_details for selected petitions with complete structured data for LLM's use in analysis
4. Select specific petition documents for examination (Optional) e.g. Decision letters, petition filings, supporting evidence
5. Retrieve document_id(s) from documentBag (Optional) use fpd_get_petition_details with include_documents=True to get the document_id(s)
6. Document Extraction for LLM use and/or Download Links (Optional) Document extraction via intelligent hybrid tool that auto-optimizes for cost and quality, and Downloads of the documents as PDFs uses URLs from an HTTP proxy that obscures the USPTO's API key from chat history

Prompt Templates

This MCP server includes sophisticated AI-optimized prompt templates for complex petition workflows. For detailed documentation on all templates, features, and usage examples, see PROMPTS.md.

Quick Template Overview

Category	Templates	Purpose
Legal Analysis	/company_petition_risk_assessment_PFW, /patent_vulnerability_assessment_ptab, /litigation_research_setup_pfw	Due diligence, PTAB risk assessment, litigation preparation
Research & Prosecution	/art_unit_quality_assessment, /prosecution_quality_correlation_pfw, /revival_petition_analysis	Art unit analysis, examiner behavior, abandonment patterns
Document Management	/petition_document_research_package, /complete_portfolio_due_diligence_pfw_ptab	Organized retrieval, comprehensive lifecycle analysis

Key Features Across All Templates:

• Enhanced Input Processing - Flexible identifier support (petition IDs, application numbers, company names)
• Smart Validation - Automatic format detection and guidance
• Cross-MCP Integration - Seamless workflows with PFW, PTAB, and Citations MCPs
• Context Optimization - Token reduction through progressive disclosure

Available Functions

Search Functions (4 Focused Tools)

Function (Display Name)	Context Reduction	Use Case
fpd_search_petitions_minimal (Search petitions minimal)	typical 95-99%	Ultra-fast petition discovery (user-customizable minimal fields)
fpd_search_petitions_balanced (Search petitions balanced)	typical 80-88%	Key fields for detailed analysis (no documentBag)
fpd_search_petitions_by_art_unit (Search petitions by art unit)	typical 80-88%	Art unit quality assessment with date range filtering
fpd_search_petitions_by_application (Search petitions by application)	typical 80-88%	Complete petition history for specific application

Search Strategies

Specialized Search Strategies

• Art Unit Quality Assessment - Use fpd_search_petitions_by_art_unit to analyze petition patterns across art units for examiner behavior and technology difficulty assessment
• Application Petition History - Use fpd_search_petitions_by_application to get complete petition timeline for specific applications during prosecution
• Cross-MCP Integration - Link petition data with PFW prosecution history using applicationNumberText and PTAB challenges using patentNumber
• Red Flag Identification - Focus on revival petitions (37 CFR 1.137), examiner disputes (37 CFR 1.181), and denied decisions for prosecution quality analysis

Query Examples

# Art unit quality assessment
fpd_search_petitions_by_art_unit(
    art_unit="2128",
    date_range="2020-01-01:2024-12-31",
    limit=100
)

# Complete application petition history
fpd_search_petitions_by_application(
    application_number="17896175",
    include_documents=False
)

# Cross-MCP workflow example
# 1. Find applications with PFW
# 2. Check petition history for red flags
fpd_search_petitions_by_application(
    application_number=app_from_pfw,
    include_documents=True
)

Document Processing Functions

Function (Display Name)	Purpose	Requirements
fpd_get_petition_details (Get petition details)	Full petition details by UUID with optional documentBag	USPTO_API_KEY
fpd_get_document_content (FPD get document content)	Intelligent document extraction with cost transparency	USPTO_API_KEY (+ MISTRAL_API_KEY for OCR fallback)
fpd_get_document_download (FPD get document download)	Secure browser-accessible download URLs	USPTO_API_KEY

Document Processing Capabilities

• Petition Details Tier (fpd_get_petition_details): Complete petition data retrieval
  • UUID-based lookup - Find petition by unique identifier
  • Optional document bag - Include/exclude documents based on need
  • LLM-optimized parsing - Extracts issues, rules cited, statutes, decision details
  • Cross-reference fields - applicationNumberText, patentNumber, groupArtUnitNumber for cross-MCP workflows
• Intelligent Extraction Tier (fpd_get_document_content): Hybrid auto-optimized extraction
  • Smart method selection - Automatically tries PyPDF2 first (free), falls back to Mistral OCR (API key needed) when needed
  • Cost optimization - Only pay for OCR when PyPDF2 extraction fails quality check
  • Quality detection - Automatically determines if extraction is usable or requires OCR
  • Transparent reporting - Shows which method was used and associated costs
  • Unified interface - Single tool handles all document types (eliminates tool confusion)
  • Advanced capabilities - Extracts text from scanned documents using Mistral OCR
  • Cost - Free for text-based PDFs, ~$0.001/page for scanned OCR using Mistral
• Browser Download Tier (fpd_get_document_download): Secure proxy downloads with enhanced filenames
  • Click-to-download URLs that work directly in any browser
  • Centralized proxy integration - If set up, auto-detects PFW MCP and uses unified proxy (port 8080) for all USPTO documents downloads, will fall back to local proxy if issues detected with centralized proxy.
    • Persistent links - 7-day encrypted links when using PFW centralized proxy (work across MCP restarts)
    • Unified architecture - Single HTTP proxy (port 8080) for all USPTO MCPs when PFW installed
    • Standalone fallback - Local proxy (port 8081) when PFW not detected
  • Enhanced filenames - Professional format with petition date, app/patent numbers, and description
    • Format: PET-2013-09-10_APP-13632078_PAT-8803593_PATENT_PROSECUTION_HIGHWAY_DECISION.pdf
    • Chronological sorting by petition filing date
    • Instant context for patent attorneys and file management
  • API key security - USPTO credentials never exposed in chat history or browser
  • Rate limiting compliance - Automatic enforcement of USPTO's 5 downloads per 10 seconds

LLM Guidance Function

Function (Display Name)	Purpose	Requirements
FPD_get_guidance (FPD get guidance)	Context-efficient sectioned LLM guidance (80-95% token reduction)	None

• Context-Efficient Guidance System

  NEW: fpd_get_guidance Tool - Solves MCP Resources visibility problem with selective guidance sections:

** Quick Refrence Chart** - What section for your question?

 "Find petitions by company/art unit"  tools

 "Identify petition red flags"  red_flags

 "Download petition documents"  documents

 "Correlate petitions with prosecution"  workflows_pfw

 "Analyze petition + PTAB patterns"  workflows_ptab

 "Citation quality + petition correlation"  workflows_citations

 "Complete portfolio due diligence"  workflows_complete

 "Research CFR rules with Assistant"  workflows_assistant

 "Ultra-minimal PFW + FPD workflows"  ultra_context

 "Reduce extraction costs"  cost

The tool provides specific workflows, field recommendations, API call optimization strategies, anti-patterns to avoid, and cross-MCP integration patterns for maximum efficiency. See USAGE_EXAMPLES.md for detailed examples and integration workflows.

Usage Examples & Integration Workflows

For comprehensive usage examples, including:

• Basic petition searches (company, type, outcome)
• Art unit quality assessment (petition frequency, types, examiner disputes)
• Application petition history (complete lifecycle tracking)
• Cross-MCP integration workflows (FPD + PFW + PTAB + Pinecone)
• Red flag identification (revival petitions, examiner disputes, denied petitions)
• Document extraction and downloads (hybrid PyPDF2/OCR approach)
• Cost optimization strategies

See the detailed USAGE_EXAMPLES.md documentation.

Field Customization

The MCP server supports user-customizable field sets through YAML configuration for optimal context reduction. You can modify field sets without changing any code!

Configuration file: field_configs.yaml (in project root)

For complete customization guidance, including progressive workflow strategies, token optimization, and advanced field selection patterns, see CUSTOMIZATION.md.

Cross-MCP Integration

This MCP is designed to work seamlessly with other USPTO MCPs and knowledge bases for comprehensive patent lifecycle analysis:

Related USPTO MCP Servers

MCP Server	Purpose	GitHub Repository
USPTO Patent File Wrapper (PFW)	Prosecution history & documents	uspto_pfw_mcp
USPTO Final Petition Decisions (FPD)	Petition decisions during prosecution	uspto_fpd_mcp
USPTO Enhanced Citations	AI-extracted citation intelligence from Office Actions mailed Oct 2017-present (apps filed 2015+)	uspto_enriched_citation_mcp
USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)	Post-grant challenges	uspto_ptab_mcp
Pinecone Assistant MCP	Patent law knowledge base with AI-powered chat and citations (MPEP, examination guidance) - 1 API key, limited free tier	pinecone_assistant_mcp
Pinecone RAG MCP	Patent law knowledge base with custom embeddings (MPEP, examination guidance) - Requires Pinecone + embedding model, monthly resetting free tier	pinecone_rag_mcp

Integration Overview

The Final Petition Decisions (FPD) MCP bridges prosecution and post-grant challenges, tracking procedural petitions that reveal prosecution quality issues. When combined with the other MCPs, it enables:

• FPD + PFW: Understand petition context by cross-referencing with prosecution history
• FPD + PFW + Enhanced Citations: Correlate petition patterns with examiner citation quality for comprehensive prosecution assessment (Oct 2017+ applications)
• FPD + PTAB: Correlate petition red flags with post-grant challenge outcomes
• PFW + FPD + PTAB: Complete patent lifecycle tracking from filing through post-grant challenges
• PFW + FPD + Enhanced Citations: Art unit quality assessment with citation intelligence and petition pattern analysis
• FPD + Pinecone (Assistant or RAG): Research MPEP guidance and petition standards before extracting expensive documents

Key Integration Patterns

Cross-Referencing Fields:

• applicationNumberText - Primary key linking petitions to PFW prosecution and Enhanced Citations
• patentNumber - Secondary key linking granted patents to PTAB challenges
• groupArtUnitNumber - Art unit analysis across all MCPs (FPD, PFW, Enhanced Citations, PTAB)
• firstApplicantName - Party matching across MCPs
• examinerCitedReferenceIndicator (Citations MCP) - Examiner vs applicant citation analysis for petition quality correlation

Progressive Workflow:

1. Discovery (FPD): Find petitions using minimal search
2. Prosecution Context (PFW): Cross-reference petition applications with prosecution history
3. Citation Intelligence (Enhanced Citations): Analyze examiner citation quality for applications with petitions (Oct 2017+ only)
4. Challenge Assessment (PTAB): Check if patents with petition red flags faced post-grant challenges
5. Knowledge Research (RAG): Research MPEP petition guidance if available
6. Detailed Analysis (FPD): Extract petition documents for Director's reasoning
7. Risk Scoring: Quantify prosecution quality based on petition patterns, citation quality, and outcomes

For detailed integration workflows, cross-referencing examples, and complete use cases, see USAGE_EXAMPLES.md.

Centralized Proxy Integration (PFW + FPD)

When both PFW and FPD MCPs are installed, FPD automatically integrates with PFW's centralized proxy for unified document management:

Architecture Benefits:

• Single Port - One HTTP server (port 8080) for all USPTO document downloads
• Persistent Links - 7-day encrypted links via PFW's SQLite database (work across MCP restarts)
• Unified Rate Limiting - Shared USPTO limits (5 requests/10 seconds) across all MCPs
• Cross-MCP Caching - PFW caches documents from all USPTO MCPs for faster access
• Automatic Detection - FPD detects PFW at startup and switches to centralized mode

How It Works:

1. FPD extracts PDF download URL from USPTO API response
2. FPD generates enhanced filename: PET-{date}_APP-{app}_PAT-{patent}_{description}.pdf
3. FPD registers document with PFW: POST /register-fpd-document (includes enhanced filename)
4. PFW stores metadata in database (petition_id, download_url, api_key, enhanced_filename)
5. FPD returns download link: http://localhost:8080/download/{petition_id}/{doc_id}
6. User clicks link PFW fetches from USPTO streams PDF with enhanced filename
7. Link persists for 7 days and works across MCP restarts

Standalone Mode:

• Without PFW: FPD uses local proxy (port 8081) for immediate session-based downloads
• Enhanced filenames still work (same generation logic used locally)
• Graceful fallback ensures FPD works independently with full filename functionality

Performance Comparison

Method	Response Size	Context Usage	Features
Direct curl	~100KB+	High	Raw API access
MCP Balanced	~10KB	Medium	Key fields for analysis
MCP Minimal	~2KB	Very Low	Essential data only

Testing

Core Tests (Essential)

With uv (Recommended):

# Test core functionality and field configuration
uv run python tests/test_basic.py

# Expected: ALL TESTS PASSED!

With traditional Python:

python tests/test_basic.py

Expected Outputs

test_basic.py:

[OK] Settings imported successfully
[OK] FieldManager imported successfully
[OK] FPDClient initialized successfully
ALL TESTS PASSED!

See tests/README.md for comprehensive testing guide.

Project Structure

uspto_fpd_mcp/
 field_configs.yaml             # Root-level field customization
 .security/                      # Security scanning components
    fpd_prompt_injection_detector.py # Enhanced prompt injection detection
    check_prompt_injections.py # Standalone scanning script
 src/
    fpd_mcp/
        main.py                 # MCP server with 8 tools
        __main__.py            # Entry point for -m execution
        secure_storage.py       # Windows DPAPI secure storage
        shared_secure_storage.py
        config/
           field_manager.py   # Configuration management
           settings.py        # Environment configuration
           tool_reflections.py # Sectioned LLM guidance (11 sections, 80-95% token reduction)
           api_constants.py   # API configuration constants
           api_key_validation.py
           storage_paths.py    # Storage path management
        prompts/
           __init__.py        # Prompt registration
           company_petition_risk_assessment_pfw.py
           art_unit_quality_assessment.py
           revival_petition_analysis.py
           petition_document_research_package.py
           complete_portfolio_due_diligence_pfw_ptab.py
           litigation_research_setup_pfw.py
           prosecution_quality_correlation_pfw.py
           patent_vulnerability_assessment_ptab.py
           petition_quality_with_citation_intelligence.py
           examiner_dispute_citation_analysis.py
        api/
           fpd_client.py      # FPD API client
           field_constants.py # Field name constants
        proxy/
           server.py          # HTTP proxy for secure downloads
           rate_limiter.py    # USPTO rate limiting compliance
        shared/
           error_utils.py     # Error handling utilities
           circuit_breaker.py # Circuit breaker pattern
           internal_auth.py   # Internal authentication
           structured_logging.py
           security_logger.py # Security event logging
        services/
           fpd_service.py     # Core business logic layer
        monitoring/
           metrics.py         # Performance monitoring
        util/
            logging.py         # Enhanced logging utilities
            secure_logger.py   # Secure logging functionality
 deploy/
    linux_setup.sh            # Linux deployment script
    windows_setup.ps1         # PowerShell deployment script
    manage_api_keys.ps1       # API key management utilities
    Validation-Helpers.psm1   # PowerShell validation module
    Validation-Helpers.sh     # Bash validation helpers
 tests/
    test_basic.py             # Core functionality test
    test_integration.py       # Integration tests
    test_tiered_convenience_params.py
    test_unified_key_management.py
    test_unified_storage.py
    validate_convenience_params_implementation.py
    README.md                 # Testing documentation
 reference/
    Document_Descriptions_List.csv
    FinalPetitionDecisions_swagger.yaml
    petition-decision-schema.json
    README.md
 documentation_photos/          # Visual documentation
    Prompts-Step1.jpg         # Prompt template usage guides
    Prompts-Step2.jpg
    Prompts-Step3.jpg
    Prompts-Step4.jpg
    Prompts-Step5.jpg
    n8n_FPD.jpg               # N8N integration example
 pyproject.toml                 # Package configuration
 README.md                      # This file
 INSTALL.md                     # Comprehensive installation guide
 USAGE_EXAMPLES.md             # Function examples and workflows
 CUSTOMIZATION.md              # Field configuration and optimization guide
 PROMPTS.md                    # Prompt templates documentation
 SECURITY_GUIDELINES.md        # Security best practices
 SECURITY_SCANNING.md          # Automated secret detection guide
 LICENSE                       # MIT License

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

API Key Issues

• For Claude Desktop: API keys in config file are sufficient
• For test scripts: Environment variables must be set

Setting USPTO API Key:

• Windows Command Prompt: set USPTO_API_KEY=your_key
• Windows PowerShell: $env:USPTO_API_KEY="your_key"
• Linux/macOS: export USPTO_API_KEY=your_key

Setting Mistral API Key (for OCR):

• Windows Command Prompt: set MISTRAL_API_KEY=your_key
• Windows PowerShell: $env:MISTRAL_API_KEY="your_key"
• Linux/macOS: export MISTRAL_API_KEY=your_key

uv vs pip Issues

• uv advantages: Better dependency resolution, faster installs
• Mixed installation: Can use both uv sync and pip install -e .
• Testing: Use uv run prefix for uv-managed projects

Fields Not Returning Data

• Cause: Field name not in YAML config
• Solution: Edit field_configs.yaml to include desired fields

Authentication Errors

• Cause: Missing or invalid API key
• Solution: Verify USPTO_API_KEY environment variable or Claude Desktop config

MCP Server Won't Start

• Cause: Missing dependencies or incorrect paths
• Solution: Re-run setup script, restart all PowerShell windows, restart Claude Desktop (or other MCP Client) and verify configuration
• If problems persist: Reset the MCP installation (see "Resetting MCP Installation" below)

Virtual Environment Issues (Windows Setup)

• Symptom: "No pyvenv.cfg file" errors during windows_setup.ps1
• Cause: Claude Desktop locks .venv files when running, preventing proper virtual environment creation
• Solution:
  1. Close Claude Desktop completely before running setup script
  2. Remove .venv folder: Remove-Item ./.venv -Force -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
  3. Run .\deploy\windows_setup.ps1 again

Resetting MCP Installation

If you need to completely reset the MCP installation to run the Windows Quick installer again:

# Navigate to the project directory
cd C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\uspto_fpd_mcp

# Remove Python cache directories
Get-ChildItem -Path ./src -Directory -Recurse -Force | Where-Object { $_.Name -eq '__pycache__' } | Remove-Item -Recurse -Force

# Remove virtual environment
if (Test-Path ".venv") {
    Remove-Item ./.venv -Force -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}

# Remove database files (if any)
Remove-Item ./proxy_documents.db -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item ./petition_links.db -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Now you can run the setup script again
.\deploy\windows_setup.ps1

Linux/macOS Reset:

# Navigate to the project directory
cd ~/uspto_fpd_mcp

# Remove Python cache directories
find ./src -type d -name '__pycache__' -exec rm -rf {} + 2>/dev/null || true

# Remove virtual environment and database files
rm -rf .venv
rm -f proxy_documents.db petition_links.db

# Run setup script again
./deploy/linux_setup.sh

Getting Help

1. Check the test scripts for working examples
2. Review the field configuration in field_configs.yaml
3. Verify your Claude Desktop configuration matches the provided templates in INSTALL.md

Security & Production Readiness

Enhanced Error Handling

• Retry logic with exponential backoff - Automatic retries for transient failures (3 attempts with 1s, 2s, 4s delays)
• Smart retry strategy - Doesn't retry authentication errors or client errors (4xx)
• Structured logging - Request ID tracking for better debugging and monitoring
• Production-grade resilience - Handles timeouts, network issues, and API rate limits gracefully
• Configurable timeouts - USPTO_TIMEOUT and USPTO_DOWNLOAD_TIMEOUT environment variables for API request tuning

Security Features

• ** Windows DPAPI Secure Storage** - API keys encrypted with Windows Data Protection API (user-specific encryption)
• Environment variable API keys - No hardcoded credentials anywhere in codebase
• Zero plain text API keys - Secure storage option eliminates API keys from Claude Desktop config files
• Cross-platform security - Automatic fallback to environment variables on non-Windows systems
• Secure test patterns - Test files use environment variables with fallbacks
• Comprehensive .gitignore - Prevents accidental credential commits
• Security guidelines - Complete documentation for secure development practices
• Automated secret scanning - CI/CD and pre-commit hooks prevent API key leaks (detect-secrets)
• 20+ secret types detected - AWS keys, GitHub tokens, JWT, private keys, API keys, and more
• Prompt injection detection - 70+ pattern detection system protects against AI-specific attacks
• Baseline management - Tracks known placeholders while catching real secrets
• Field name constants - Eliminates magic strings, reduces typo-based security issues

Request Tracking & Debugging

All API requests include unique request IDs (8-char UUIDs) for correlation:

[a1b2c3d4] Starting GET request to petition/decisions/search
[a1b2c3d4] Request successful on attempt 1

Documentation

• SECURITY_GUIDELINES.md - Comprehensive security best practices
• SECURITY_SCANNING.md - Automated secret detection and prevention guide
• tests/README.md - Complete testing guide with API key setup
• Enhanced error messages with request IDs for better support

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Add tests for new functionality
4. Ensure all tests pass
5. Su