Bring Legal Research
to Cursor
Create your Vinkius account to connect OpenLaws to Cursor and start using all 14 AI tools in minutes. Fully managed, enterprise secure, and ready to use without writing a single line of code. No hosting, no server setup — just connect and start using.
Compatible with every major AI agent and IDE
What is the 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.
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
How it works
- Subscribe to this server
- Enter your OpenLaws API Bearer token
- Start researching laws, validating citations, and monitoring legislative changes from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client
No more manual legal research across fragmented government websites. Your AI acts as a dedicated legal research assistant or compliance analyst.
Who is this for?
- Legal Professionals — instantly search statutes, regulations, and case law across multiple jurisdictions without opening dozens of government websites
- Compliance Teams — monitor recent legislative updates and track regulatory changes to maintain compliance programs
- LegalTech Developers — integrate validated legal data into RAG pipelines, agentic workflows, and NLP/ML applications
- Policy Researchers — conduct 50-state surveys, analyze legislative history, and compare statutory changes over time
Built-in capabilities (14)
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
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
Use the jurisdiction_id from list_jurisdictions to inspect details before scoping searches. Get details of a specific jurisdiction
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Why Cursor?
Cursor's Agent mode turns OpenLaws into an in-editor superpower. Ask Cursor to generate code using live data from OpenLaws and it fetches, processes, and writes. all in a single agentic loop. 14 tools appear alongside file editing and terminal access, creating a unified development environment grounded in real-time information.
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Agent mode turns Cursor into an autonomous coding assistant that can read files, run commands, and call MCP tools without switching context
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Cursor's Composer feature can generate entire files using real-time data fetched through MCP. no copy-pasting from external dashboards
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MCP tools appear alongside built-in tools like file reading and terminal access, creating a unified agentic environment
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VS Code extension compatibility means your existing workflow, keybindings, and extensions all work alongside MCP tools
OpenLaws in Cursor
Why run OpenLaws with Vinkius?
The OpenLaws connection runs on our fully managed, secure cloud infrastructure. We handle the hosting, maintenance, and security so you don't have to deal with servers or code. All 14 tools are ready to work instantly without any complex setup.
You stay in complete control of your data. Your AI only accesses the information you approve, keeping your sensitive passwords and private details completely safe. Plus, with automatic optimizations, your AI works faster and more efficiently.

* Every connection is hosted and maintained by Vinkius. We handle the security, updates, and infrastructure so you don't have to write code or manage servers. See our infrastructure
Over 4,000 integrations ready for AI agents
Explore a vast library of pre-built integrations, optimized and ready to deploy.
Connect securely in under 30 seconds
Generate tokens to authenticate and link external services in a single step.
Complete visibility into every agent action
Audit live requests, latency, success rates, and active security compliance policies.
Optimize spending and track token ROI
Analyze real-time token consumption and cost metrics detailed by connection.




Explore our live AI Agents Analytics dashboard to see it all working
This dashboard is included when you connect OpenLaws using Vinkius. You will never be left in the dark about what your AI agents are doing with your tools.
OpenLaws and 4,000+ other AI tools. No hosting, no code, ready to use.
Professionals who connect OpenLaws to Cursor through Vinkius don't need to write code, manage servers, or worry about security. Everything is pre-configured, secure, and runs automatically in the background.
Raw MCP | Vinkius | |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-to-use MCPs | Find and configure each manually | 4,000+ MCPs ready to use |
| Connection Setup | Manual coding & server setup | 1-click instant connection |
| Server Hosting | You host it yourself (needs 24/7 uptime) | 100% hosted & managed by Vinkius |
| Security & Privacy | Stored in plaintext config files | Bank-grade encrypted vault |
| Activity Visibility | Blind execution (no logs or tracking) | Live dashboard with real-time logs |
| Cost Control | Runaway AI token spend risk | Automatic budget limits |
| Revoking Access | Must delete files or code to stop | 1-click disconnect button |
How Vinkius secures
OpenLaws for Cursor
Every request between Cursor and OpenLaws is protected by our secure gateway. We automatically keep your sensitive data private, prevent unauthorized access, and let you disconnect instantly at any time.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get an OpenLaws API key and what authentication method is used?
Visit openlaws.us/api and click Get API Access to register. Once approved, you'll receive a Bearer token. Include it in the Authorization header as Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN. The API uses standard Bearer token authentication for all v1 endpoints at https://api.openlaws.us/api/v1/.
Can I search statutes across all 50 states simultaneously?
Yes! Use the search_statutes tool without specifying a jurisdiction parameter to search all 53 jurisdictions (50 states + DC + Puerto Rico + federal) at once. This is perfect for 50-state surveys. Alternatively, scope your search to a specific jurisdiction by providing its ID (e.g., 'ca' for California, 'ny' for New York, 'us' for federal).
How does citation validation work and what formats are supported?
Use the validate_citation tool with any standard legal citation format. The API will identify the original government source, validate the citation accuracy, and flag malformed citations. It supports Bluebook format (e.g., '42 U.S.C. § 1983', '347 U.S. 483 (Brown v. Board)'), state citations for all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. This is ideal for validating citations in legal documents, spreadsheets, and databases.
What legal data sources does OpenLaws cover?
OpenLaws covers ~4.3 million tracked sections across 53 jurisdictions with 100% federal statutes and regulations coverage. Data includes: United States Code (USC), Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), all 50 state statutes and regulations, DC and Puerto Rico laws, ~5-6 million case opinions (from Harvard CAP and CourtListener), US Constitution and all 50 state constitutions, and legislative history for federal laws.
What is Agent mode and why does it matter for MCP?
Agent mode is Cursor's autonomous execution mode where the AI can perform multi-step tasks: reading files, editing code, running terminal commands, and calling MCP tools. Without Agent mode, Cursor operates in a simpler ask-and-answer mode that doesn't support tool calling. Always ensure you're in Agent mode when working with MCP servers.
Where does Cursor store MCP configuration?
Cursor looks for MCP server configurations in a mcp.json file. You can configure servers at the project level (.cursor/mcp.json in your project root) or globally (~/.cursor/mcp.json). Project-level configs take precedence.
Can Cursor use MCP tools in inline edits?
No. MCP tools are only available in Agent mode through the chat panel. Inline completions and Tab suggestions do not trigger MCP tool calls. This is by design. tool calls require user visibility and approval.
How do I verify MCP tools are loaded?
Open Settings → Features → MCP and look for your server name. A green indicator means the server is connected. You can also check Agent mode's available tools by clicking the tools dropdown in the chat panel.
Tools not appearing in Cursor
Ensure you are in Agent mode (not Ask mode). MCP tools only work in Agent mode.
Server shows as disconnected
Check Settings → Features → MCP and verify the server status. Try clicking the refresh button.
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