How to Use the CourtListener MCP in Claude Code

Q: How do I configure CourtListener for Claude Code?

Run claude mcp add --transport http courtlistener -- . Make sure all flags precede the server name. Verify the installation with claude mcp list.

Pipe CourtListener data directly into your terminal workflows using Claude Code.

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Create your Vinkius account to connect CourtListener to Claude Code and route execution through our secure gateway. The platform manages server hosting, runtime updates, and security layers. Configuration requires no manual server provisioning.

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Setup CourtListener with Claude Code

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Claude

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Run headless legal data pipelines

Terminal environments demand fast, scriptable access to data. Call Claude Code from your shell to hit `search_opinions` and pipe the resulting JSON straight into jq. You bypass the browser entirely. This MCP Server lets you integrate federal court data into your existing bash scripts or CI/CD jobs with a single command.

Audit court dockets via CLI

Tracking corporate litigation often requires scheduled jobs. You can wrap Claude Code in a cron task that triggers `search_dockets` every morning to check for new filings. If a new document drops, the tool fetches the details and fires off a Slack webhook. Backend engineers can treat the federal court system like just another internal microservice.

Extract judge citations with Claude Code

Building a search index requires bulk data extraction. Run a headless MCP session to pull a specific case via `get_opinion`, then iterate through `list_citations` to grab the references. The CLI agent handles the API pagination and outputs raw ndjson. You can pipe that output directly into Elasticsearch or Postgres without writing custom ingestion logic.

Setup guide

Set up CourtListener MCP in Claude Code

Prerequisites

Claude Code CLI installed (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code)
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Run the add command

Open your terminal and run the command shown on the right. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your endpoint token from cloud.vinkius.com. Use --scope user to make it available across all projects.
2

Verify the connection

Start a Claude Code session and type /mcp to list connected servers. You should see courtlistener-mcp with a green status indicator.
3

Start using tools

Ask Claude Code something like "Check my latest CourtListener transactions." It will automatically discover and invoke the available CourtListener tools.

Terminal

claude mcp add --transport http courtlistener-mcp https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp

Get your connection token →

Prerequisites

Claude Code CLI installed
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Open the config file

Create or edit .mcp.json in your project root for project-level scope, or ~/.claude.json for user-level scope.
2

Add the CourtListener MCP

Paste the JSON snippet shown on the right into the mcpServers object. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your endpoint token from cloud.vinkius.com.
3

Restart Claude Code

Start a new Claude Code session. Type /mcp to confirm the server is connected. The tools will be automatically available in your conversation.

.mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "courtlistener-mcp": {
      "type": "url",
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Get your connection token →

Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by CourtListener. All third-party trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. Their use on this website is strictly for informational purposes to identify service compatibility and interoperability.

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Common questions about CourtListener MCP in Claude Code

Run `claude mcp add --transport http courtlistener -- `. Make sure all flags precede the server name. Verify the installation with `claude mcp list`.

Yes. You can instruct the agent to output strict JSON. That lets you pipe the results into grep, awk, or custom Python scripts.

It runs natively in CI/CD. Pass your authentication token as an environment variable and run the headless command to fetch dockets during your build step.

Speed matters. You get natural language querying combined with terminal pipes, skipping the need to write and maintain boilerplate API wrapper code.

Vinkius isolates every request in a V8 sandbox. When your pipeline grabs court dockets, opinions, or judge profiles, the connection is stateless. We log nothing about your specific legal queries.

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