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CSL search skill (exchek-csl)

The ExChek CSL search skill lets your agent search the U.S. Consolidated Screening List (CSL) via the Trade.gov API. The CSL consolidates eleven export screening lists from the Departments of Commerce, State, and Treasury. Use it to screen parties or entities by name (including fuzzy search), filter by source list, and get a screening memo for your records.

What you need

  • Free API key — Get one at developer.trade.gov: Sign In (or Sign up) → Products → subscribe to Data Services Platform APIs → Profile → copy your Primary or Secondary key. The skill never stores your key; you provide it when the agent asks or set TRADE_GOV_API_KEY in your environment.
  • Skill installed — Copy the exchek-csl folder from the exchekskills repo into your agent’s skills directory. See Install the ExChek skills.

How to use

  1. Install the skill — From the exchekskills repo, copy exchek-csl into ~/.claude/skills/exchek-csl (or your agent’s skills path):
    git clone https://github.com/mrdulasolutions/exchekskills exchekskills && cp -r exchekskills/exchek-csl ~/.claude/skills/exchek-csl
  2. Provide your API key — When you first run a CSL search, the agent will ask for your Trade.gov API key (or read it from TRADE_GOV_API_KEY if set).
  3. Ask for a search — Say things like:
    • “Search the CSL for [name or company]”
    • “Screen this entity against the consolidated screening list”
    • “Fuzzy search the CSL for [name]”
    • “Is [company name] on the CSL?”
  4. Review results — The agent calls the Trade.gov API and shows you matches (if any), which list(s) they’re on, and match scores for fuzzy search. It can then generate a screening report (see below).

API endpoints

The skill uses two Trade.gov CSL endpoints (same API key for both):

  • Search — GET https://data.trade.gov/consolidated_screening_list/v1/search — Run queries with name, fuzzy_name, sources, and other parameters.
  • Sources — GET https://data.trade.gov/consolidated_screening_list/v1/sources — Returns the list of available screening list sources (abbreviations and names) for use with the search sources parameter.

Your API key (from developer.trade.gov) is sent with each request (query parameter or header as required by the portal).

Search parameters

The skill supports all parameters the API allows:

  • name — Searches name and alt_names. Use for entity or company name.
  • fuzzy_name — Set to true for fuzzy name matching (works only with name). Returns results without exact spelling; common words like “Corporation”, “Inc” are filtered.
  • sources — Comma-separated list abbreviations, e.g. DPL (Denied Persons), EL (Entity List), MEU, UVL, ISN, DTC, CAP, CMIC, FSE, MBS, PLC, SSI, SDN (Specially Designated Nationals).
  • types — Filter by entry type.
  • countries — ISO alpha-2 country codes, comma-separated.
  • address, city, state, postal_code — Address fields; or use full_address to search all at once.
  • offset, size — Pagination (offset max 1000, size max 50).

Full parameter list and source abbreviations are in the skill’s exchek-csl references and on the Trade.gov API details page.

Report (screening memo)

After a search, the agent can build a screening memo for your compliance records. It includes:

  • Search parameters and date
  • Results summary (count, whether any matches)
  • Detail for each hit: name, source list(s), match score (if fuzzy), address/country as returned
  • Short audit trail (API used, date)

When you have file access (e.g. Claude Code, CoWork), the agent can save the report as Markdown and, if you choose, as Word (.docx) or for use in Apple Pages. Same doc/Pages options as the classification skill. If you’re in an environment without file access (e.g. Claude web), the agent outputs the full report in chat and you can save it yourself.

Backup / downloadable data

If the API is unavailable or you need offline data, the full CSL is available at trade.gov/consolidated-screening-list: JSON, CSV, and TSV downloads, plus the official CSL Search Engine (web UI with fuzzy name search). Data updates daily at 5:00 AM EST/EDT.

Compliance disclaimer

CSL search results are for screening support only. They do not constitute legal or compliance advice. Always verify any determination against official Federal Register publications and the original lists maintained by Commerce, State, and Treasury before relying on them for compliance decisions.

Next steps