Automating Brazil's LAI Requests

Where this fits

A developer building a research agent for Brazilian journalists hits a wall: the agent must request documents from federal agencies, but the LAI process is full of traps—wrong portal, missing attachments, or a denial that is actually a drafting failure. This skill encodes the full request lifecycle, from choosing the agency to filing a four-level appeal, so the agent can act like a trained records officer.

Why agents benefit

• Generates LAI-compliant requests with the exact phrasing that avoids common denial triggers, turning a 50% success rate into a predictable workflow.
• Routes to the correct portal (Fala.BR, e-SIC, or a state-level system) based on the target body, eliminating guesswork.
• Diagnoses denials by mapping the stated reason to the legal basis in LAI, then proposes a refiled or appealed request.
• Manages the appeal chain across CGU and CMRI, including deadlines and required documentation.
• Plans investigation timelines by modeling expected response times and appeal durations, so the agent can schedule next steps.

Practical scenarios

Drafting a first request to a federal agency

The agent needs data on environmental licensing decisions. Instead of a generic email, it uses the skill to craft a request to IBAMA via Fala.BR, specifying the exact information, format, and legal basis, and then files it automatically.

Handling a denial and filing an appeal

The agency denies the request citing "protected commercial information." The skill recognizes this as a common misinterpretation, suggests a narrower scope, and drafts an appeal to the CGU with the correct legal arguments, keeping the agent on schedule.

Multi-agency investigation timeline

An agent investigating land disputes needs records from INCRA, state environmental agencies, and local courts. The skill sequences requests, tracks each portal's status, and flags when an appeal is the only path—so the agent can allocate resources accordingly.

Add it to your agent workflow

Install directly from the skills registry:

npx skills add jamditis/claude-skills-journalism --skill brazil-records-requests

Then invoke it in your agent prompt, for example:

Use the brazil-records-requests skill to draft a request to the Ministry of Health for COVID-19 vaccination coverage data, then file it via Fala.BR.

The skill returns a structured request object with the portal URL, subject line, body text, and attachment checklist.

Compare before adopting

Before adding this skill, compare it with other automation options: a generic web scraper for Fala.BR, or a manual template library. Check the skill's maintenance freshness—the LAI portal changes frequently, so look for recent commits and issue resolution. Also consider whether it covers the specific agencies you target, and if it integrates with your existing agent orchestration (e.g., via MCP or function calling). The skill's 386 stars and active author suggest community validation, but verify it against your own test cases.

Why it is worth tracking

The brazil-records-requests skill is a niche but high-value asset for any agent dealing with Brazilian public data. Its popularity (386 stars) and the author's focus on journalism indicate a practical, battle-tested tool. Track it for updates when the LAI portal changes, and evaluate it as a reference implementation for other country-specific records request skills. For more details, see the skill page at https://www.openagentskill.com/skills/jamditis-brazil-records-requests.