CourtListener MCP Server for Windsurf 10 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Windsurf brings agentic AI coding to a purpose-built IDE. Connect CourtListener through Vinkius and Cascade will auto-discover every tool. ask questions, generate code, and act on live data without leaving your editor.
ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER
Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.
Vinkius Desktop App
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.
{
"mcpServers": {
"courtlistener": {
"url": "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.
Windsurf's Cascade agent chains multiple CourtListener tool calls autonomously. query data, analyze results, and generate code in a single agentic session. Paste Vinkius Edge URL, reload, and all 10 tools are immediately available. Real-time tool feedback appears inline, so you see API responses directly in your 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 Windsurf 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 Windsurf via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the CourtListener MCP Server with Windsurf.
Open MCP Settings
Go to Settings → MCP Configuration or press Cmd+Shift+P and search "MCP"
Add the server
Paste the JSON configuration above into mcp_config.json
Save and reload
Windsurf will detect the new server automatically
Start using CourtListener
Open Cascade and ask: "Using CourtListener, help me...". 10 tools available
Why Use Windsurf with the CourtListener MCP Server
Windsurf provides unique advantages when paired with CourtListener through the Model Context Protocol.
Windsurf's Cascade agent autonomously chains multiple tool calls in sequence, solving complex multi-step tasks without manual intervention
Purpose-built for agentic workflows. Cascade understands context across your entire codebase and integrates MCP tools natively
JSON-based configuration means zero code changes: paste a URL, reload, and all 10 tools are immediately available
Real-time tool feedback is displayed inline, so you see API responses directly in your editor without switching contexts
CourtListener + Windsurf Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Windsurf combined with the CourtListener MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Automated code generation: ask Cascade to fetch data from CourtListener and generate models, types, or handlers based on real API responses
Live debugging: query CourtListener tools mid-session to inspect production data while debugging without leaving the editor
Documentation generation: pull schema information from CourtListener and have Cascade generate comprehensive API docs automatically
Rapid prototyping: combine CourtListener data with Cascade's code generation to scaffold entire features in minutes
CourtListener MCP Tools for Windsurf (10)
These 10 tools become available when you connect CourtListener to Windsurf 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 Windsurf
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Windsurf 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 Windsurf
Common issues when connecting CourtListener to Windsurf through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
Server not connecting
CourtListener + Windsurf FAQ
Common questions about integrating CourtListener MCP Server with Windsurf.
How does Windsurf discover MCP tools?
mcp_config.json file on startup and connects to each configured server via Streamable HTTP. Tools are listed in the MCP panel and available to Cascade automatically.Can Cascade chain multiple MCP tool calls?
Does Windsurf support multiple MCP servers?
mcp_config.json. Each server's tools appear in the MCP panel and Cascade can use tools from different servers in a single flow.Connect CourtListener with your favorite client
Step-by-step setup guides for every MCP-compatible client and framework:
Anthropic's native desktop app for Claude with built-in MCP support.
AI-first code editor with integrated LLM-powered coding assistance.
GitHub Copilot in VS Code with Agent mode and MCP support.
Purpose-built IDE for agentic AI coding workflows.
Autonomous AI coding agent that runs inside VS Code.
Anthropic's agentic CLI for terminal-first development.
Python SDK for building production-grade OpenAI agent workflows.
Google's framework for building production AI agents.
Type-safe agent development for Python with first-class MCP support.
TypeScript toolkit for building AI-powered web applications.
TypeScript-native agent framework for modern web stacks.
Python framework for orchestrating collaborative AI agent crews.
Leading Python framework for composable LLM applications.
Data-aware AI agent framework for structured and unstructured sources.
Microsoft's framework for multi-agent collaborative conversations.
Connect CourtListener to Windsurf
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 10 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.