How do I find my CourtListener API Key?

Log in to your [**CourtListener account**](https://www.courtlistener.com/profile/api/), and you will find your API Key under the **API Tokens** section. Copy and paste it below.

Can the agent search for both opinions and dockets?

Yes. Use the `search_opinions` tool for legal judgments and `search_dockets` for case records. Your agent will return matching results from the Free Law Project database.

Is it possible to list judicial citations via the agent?

Yes. The `list_citations` tool allows your agent to retrieve all precedents and subsequent citations for any opinion by providing its Opinion ID, helping you map the legal landscape.

CourtListener MCP Server for VS Code Copilot 10 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: CourtListener
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/chat/mcp-servers

Built by Vinkius GDPR 10 Tools IDE

GitHub Copilot in VS Code is the most widely adopted AI coding assistant, embedded directly into the world's most popular code editor. With MCP support in Agent mode, Copilot can access external data and APIs to generate context-aware code grounded in real-time information.

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Classic Setup·json

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

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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.

GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings CourtListener data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 10 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.

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 VS Code Copilot 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 VS Code Copilot via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the CourtListener MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.

Create MCP config

Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your project root

Add the server config

Paste the JSON configuration above

Enable Agent mode

Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown

Start using CourtListener

Ask Copilot: "Using CourtListener, help me...". 10 tools available

Why Use VS Code Copilot with the CourtListener MCP Server

GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio Code provides unique advantages when paired with CourtListener through the Model Context Protocol.

VS Code is used by over 70% of developers. adding MCP tools to Copilot means your team can leverage external data without leaving their primary editor

Project-scoped MCP configs (`.vscode/mcp.json`) let you commit server configurations to your repository, ensuring the entire team shares the same tool access

Copilot's Agent mode integrates MCP tools seamlessly with file editing, terminal commands, and workspace search in a single agentic loop

GitHub's enterprise compliance and audit features extend to MCP tool usage, providing visibility into how AI interacts with external services

CourtListener + VS Code Copilot Use Cases

Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the CourtListener MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Live API integration: Copilot can query an MCP server, inspect the response schema, and generate typed API client code in the same step

DevSecOps workflows: security teams can give developers access to domain intelligence tools directly in their editor for real-time vulnerability assessment during code review

Data pipeline development: Copilot fetches sample data via MCP and generates transformation scripts, validators, and test fixtures from actual API responses

Documentation generation: Copilot queries available tools and auto-generates README sections, API reference docs, and usage examples

CourtListener MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (10)

These 10 tools become available when you connect CourtListener to VS Code Copilot 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 VS Code Copilot

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your VS Code Copilot 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 VS Code Copilot

Common issues when connecting CourtListener to VS Code Copilot through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

MCP tools not available

Ensure you are in Agent mode in Copilot Chat. MCP tools only appear in Agent mode.

CourtListener + VS Code Copilot FAQ

Common questions about integrating CourtListener MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.

Which VS Code version supports MCP?

MCP support requires VS Code 1.99 or later with the GitHub Copilot extension. Ensure both are updated to the latest version. Older versions of Copilot may not expose the Agent mode toggle.

How do I switch to Agent mode?

Open the Copilot Chat panel and look for two mode options: "Ask" and "Agent". Click "Agent" to enable autonomous tool calling. In Ask mode, Copilot provides conversational answers but cannot invoke MCP tools.

Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?

Yes. VS Code shows a tool consent dialog before any MCP tool is invoked for the first time. You can also configure tool access policies at the organization level through GitHub Copilot settings.

Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?

Yes. MCP servers configured via .vscode/mcp.json work in Remote SSH, WSL, and GitHub Codespaces environments. The MCP connection is established from the remote host, so ensure the server URL is accessible from that environment.