CourtListener MCP Server for Claude Code 10 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic CLI for terminal-first development. Add CourtListener as an MCP server in one command and Claude Code will discover every tool at runtime. ideal for automation pipelines, CI/CD integration, and headless workflows via Vinkius.
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The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install CourtListener and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.
# Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
claude mcp add courtlistener --transport http "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
About CourtListener MCP Server
Empower your AI agent to orchestrate your entire legal research workflow with CourtListener, the world's leading free and open platform for legal data. By connecting CourtListener to your agent, you transform complex legal searches into a natural conversation. Your agent can instantly search for opinions, audit court dockets, and retrieve detailed judge information without you ever touching a technical portal. Whether you are conducting case law research or monitoring judicial activity, your agent acts as a real-time legal assistant, ensuring your research is always grounded in open and accessible data.
Claude Code registers CourtListener as an MCP server in a single terminal command. Once connected, Claude Code discovers all 10 tools at runtime and can call them headlessly. ideal for CI/CD pipelines, cron jobs, and automated workflows where CourtListener data drives decisions without human intervention.
What you can do
- Opinion Auditing — Search for legal opinions by keyword and retrieve detailed metadata, including court name and date filed.
- Docket Oversight — Query court dockets to stay on top of ongoing litigation and case filings in real-time.
- Judicial Intelligence — Retrieve detailed information about judges and their financial disclosures to maintain strict control over your research context.
- Citation Discovery — List citations for specific opinions to understand the legal network and precedents.
- Court Governance — List all available courts and their metadata to ensure your jurisdictional research is accurate.
The CourtListener MCP Server exposes 10 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Claude Code in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.
How to Connect CourtListener to Claude Code via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the CourtListener MCP Server with Claude Code.
Install Claude Code
Run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code if not already installed
Add the MCP Server
Run the command above in your terminal
Verify the connection
Run claude mcp to list connected servers, or type /mcp inside a session
Start using CourtListener
Ask Claude: "Using CourtListener, show me...". 10 tools are ready
Why Use Claude Code with the CourtListener MCP Server
Claude Code provides unique advantages when paired with CourtListener through the Model Context Protocol.
Single-command setup: `claude mcp add` registers the server instantly. no config files to edit or applications to restart
Terminal-native workflow means MCP tools integrate seamlessly into shell scripts, CI/CD pipelines, and automated DevOps tasks
Claude Code runs headlessly, enabling unattended batch processing using CourtListener tools in cron jobs or deployment scripts
Built by the same team that created the MCP protocol, ensuring first-class compatibility and the fastest adoption of new protocol features
CourtListener + Claude Code Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Claude Code combined with the CourtListener MCP Server delivers measurable value.
CI/CD integration: embed CourtListener tool calls in your deployment pipeline to validate configurations or fetch secrets before shipping
Headless batch processing: schedule Claude Code to query CourtListener nightly and generate reports without human intervention
Shell scripting: pipe CourtListener outputs into other CLI tools for data transformation, filtering, and aggregation
Infrastructure monitoring: run Claude Code in a cron job to query CourtListener status endpoints and alert on anomalies
CourtListener MCP Tools for Claude Code (10)
These 10 tools become available when you connect CourtListener to Claude Code via MCP:
get_court
Get details for a specific court
get_judge
Get details for a specific judge
get_opinion
Get details for a specific opinion
list_citations
List citations for an opinion
list_courts
List all courts
list_financial_disclosures
List judge financial disclosures
list_judges
List judges
list_opinions
List opinions
search_dockets
Search for court dockets
search_opinions
Search for legal opinions
Example Prompts for CourtListener in Claude Code
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Claude Code agent to start working with CourtListener immediately.
"Search for court opinions about 'copyright fair use'."
"Show me details for judge ID 1234."
"Check for dockets related to 'SpaceX' in 2024."
Troubleshooting CourtListener MCP Server with Claude Code
Common issues when connecting CourtListener to Claude Code through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
Command not found: claude
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-codeConnection timeout
CourtListener + Claude Code FAQ
Common questions about integrating CourtListener MCP Server with Claude Code.
How do I add an MCP server to Claude Code?
claude mcp add --transport http "" in your terminal. Claude Code registers the server and discovers all tools immediately.Can Claude Code run MCP tools in headless mode?
How do I list all connected MCP servers?
claude mcp in your terminal to see all registered servers and their status, or type /mcp inside an active Claude Code session.Connect CourtListener with your favorite client
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Connect CourtListener to Claude Code
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 10 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.