OpenLaws MCP Server for Claude Desktop 14 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Claude Desktop is Anthropic's native application for interacting with Claude AI models on macOS and Windows. It was the first consumer application to ship with built-in MCP support, making it the reference implementation for the Model Context Protocol standard.
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The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install OpenLaws and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.
{
"mcpServers": {
"openlaws": {
// Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
"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 OpenLaws MCP Server
Connect your OpenLaws API account to any AI agent and take full control of legal research, citation validation, and legislative monitoring workflows through natural conversation.
Claude Desktop is the definitive way to connect OpenLaws to your AI workflow. Add Vinkius Edge URL to your config, restart the app, and Claude immediately exposes all 14 tools in the chat interface. ask a question, Claude calls the right tool, and you see the answer. Zero code, zero context switching.
What you can do
- Statute Search — Search federal and state statutes by keyword (BM25) across all 50 states simultaneously, or scope to specific jurisdictions
- Regulation Search — Query Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and state regulations with fast keyword search and jurisdiction filtering
- Case Law Search — Search ~5-6 million case opinions from Harvard CAP and CourtListener, filtered by jurisdiction, court, or federal circuit
- Citation Validation — Validate and identify malformed legal citations, find original government sources for citations across 53 jurisdictions
- Constitutional Provisions — Search US Constitution and all 50 state constitutions for specific provisions and amendments
- Legislative History — Retrieve historical versions of federal statutes and generate redline comparisons between legislative sessions
- Recent Updates — Monitor recent legal updates and changes across jurisdictions for compliance tracking
The OpenLaws MCP Server exposes 14 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Claude Desktop 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 OpenLaws to Claude Desktop via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the OpenLaws MCP Server with Claude Desktop.
Open Claude Desktop Settings
Go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config to open claude_desktop_config.json
Add the MCP Server
Paste the configuration above into the mcpServers section
Restart Claude Desktop
Close and reopen Claude Desktop to load the new server
Start using OpenLaws
Look for the 🔌 icon in the chat. your 14 tools are now available
Why Use Claude Desktop with the OpenLaws MCP Server
Claude Desktop by Anthropic provides unique advantages when paired with OpenLaws through the Model Context Protocol.
Claude Desktop is the reference MCP client. it was designed alongside the protocol itself, ensuring the most complete and stable MCP implementation available
Zero-code configuration: add a server URL to a JSON file and Claude instantly discovers and exposes all available tools in the chat interface
Claude's extended thinking capability lets it reason through multi-step tool usage, chaining multiple API calls to answer complex questions
Enterprise-grade security with local config storage. your tokens never leave your machine, and connections go directly to Vinkius Edge network
OpenLaws + Claude Desktop Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Claude Desktop combined with the OpenLaws MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Interactive data exploration: ask Claude to query DNS records, look up WHOIS data, and cross-reference results in a single conversation
Ad-hoc security audits: type a domain name and let Claude enumerate subdomains, check DNS history, and flag configuration anomalies. all through natural language
Executive briefings: generate comprehensive domain intelligence reports by asking Claude to compile findings into a formatted summary
Learning and training: new team members can explore API capabilities conversationally without needing to read documentation
OpenLaws MCP Tools for Claude Desktop (14)
These 14 tools become available when you connect OpenLaws to Claude Desktop via MCP:
get_caselaw_opinion
Use this to get the complete court opinion after finding it via search_caselaw. The response includes the full opinion text, court details, date, citations, and parties involved. Get a specific case law opinion by its ID
get_constitution
Use this to get the complete provision content after finding it via search_constitutions. The response includes rich text content, article/section information, and amendments history. Get a specific constitution provision by its ID
get_jurisdiction
Use the jurisdiction_id from list_jurisdictions to inspect details before scoping searches. Get details of a specific jurisdiction
get_recent_updates
You can view updates across all jurisdictions or filter to a specific state/federal level. This is useful for compliance monitoring and staying current with legislative changes. Optionally specify jurisdiction ID and limit the number of results. Example: check what changed in California employment law this month, or monitor federal regulatory updates. Get recent legal updates across jurisdictions or in a specific jurisdiction
get_redline_comparison
This shows exactly what changed between legislative sessions or amendment cycles. Currently available for federal laws only (USC). Optionally specify from and to version dates. If not specified, compares the two most recent versions. Use this to understand legislative changes and their impact on compliance requirements. Get redline comparison between two versions of a federal statute
get_regulation
Use this to get the complete regulation content after finding it via search_regulations. The response includes rich text content, citations, and regulatory context. Get a specific regulation by its ID
get_statute
Use this to get the complete statute content after finding it via search_statutes. The response includes rich text content, citations, effective dates, and annotations. Get a specific statute by its ID
get_statute_history
This allows you to see how the law has changed over time. Currently available for federal laws only (USC - United States Code). Use the statute_id from search_statutes to view the legislative history and amendments. Get historical versions of a federal statute
list_jurisdictions
Jurisdictions include federal (US), all 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Each jurisdiction has an ID that can be used to scope searches to specific regions. Use this to discover what jurisdictions are available before searching statutes, regulations, or caselaw. List all available legal jurisdictions in OpenLaws
search_caselaw
Data sourced from Harvard CAP project and CourtListener (~5-6 million cases). You can filter by jurisdiction, specific court, or federal circuit. The query parameter is required. Optionally filter by jurisdiction_id and court name. Results include case opinions, court information, dates, and citations. Example: search for " Fourth Amendment privacy" or "breach of contract" cases. Search case law opinions by keyword
search_constitutions
You can search the US Constitution and all 50 state constitutions simultaneously. The query parameter is required. Optionally filter by jurisdiction ID. Results include constitutional provisions, amendments, and relevant sections. Example: search for "free speech" or "right to privacy" across all constitutions. Search constitutions by keyword across jurisdictions
search_regulations
You can search all jurisdictions simultaneously or scope to a specific region. The query parameter is required and contains the search term. Optionally filter by jurisdiction ID. Results include regulation text, citations, and contextual information. Example: search for "environmental protection" or "workplace safety" regulations. Search regulations by keyword across jurisdictions
search_statutes
You can search all 50 states simultaneously for 50-state surveys, or scope to a specific jurisdiction. The query parameter is required and contains the search term. Optionally filter by jurisdiction ID. Results include statute text, citations, effective dates, and jurisdiction information. Example: search for "data privacy" across all jurisdictions, or "employment" in California only. Search statutes by keyword across jurisdictions
validate_citation
This tool helps identify malformed citations and find the authoritative source document. Supports citations from all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and federal sources. The citation parameter should be a standard legal citation format (e.g., "42 U.S.C. § 1983", "Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483"). Use this to validate citations in legal documents, spreadsheets, or databases before relying on them. Validate a legal citation and find its original source
Example Prompts for OpenLaws in Claude Desktop
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Claude Desktop agent to start working with OpenLaws immediately.
"Search for data privacy statutes across all US states and summarize the key findings."
"Validate these citations: '42 U.S.C. § 1983' and 'Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113' and tell me if they're correct."
"Show me recent legislative updates in California employment law and any changes this month."
Troubleshooting OpenLaws MCP Server with Claude Desktop
Common issues when connecting OpenLaws to Claude Desktop through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
Server not appearing after restart
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\\Claude\\ (Windows).Authentication error
Tools not showing in chat
OpenLaws + Claude Desktop FAQ
Common questions about integrating OpenLaws MCP Server with Claude Desktop.
How does Claude Desktop discover MCP tools?
claude_desktop_config.json file and connects to each configured MCP server. It calls the tools/list endpoint to fetch the schema for every available tool, then surfaces them as clickable options in the chat interface via the 🔌 icon.What happens if the MCP server is temporarily unavailable?
Can I connect multiple MCP servers simultaneously?
mcpServers section of the config file. Each server appears as a separate tool provider, and Claude can use tools from multiple servers in a single conversation turn.Is there a limit on the number of tools per server?
Does Claude Desktop support Streamable HTTP transport?
Connect OpenLaws with your favorite client
Step-by-step setup guides for every MCP-compatible client and framework:
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Data-aware AI agent framework for structured and unstructured sources.
Microsoft's framework for multi-agent collaborative conversations.
Connect OpenLaws to Claude Desktop
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 14 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.