Courtlistener Mcp Server
by cyanheadscommunityv0.2.6
2
An MCP server for searching and retrieving CourtListener data, including U.S. opinions, federal dockets, judge records, courts, citation networks, and oral argument recordings. It supports STDIO and Streamable HTTP transports and can be used with a CourtListener API token for local/self-hosted access.
From the registry: Search US court opinions, federal dockets, judges, citations, and oral arguments via CourtListener.
Install & configure
Prerequisites
- optionalInstall Node.js or BunInstall Bun v1.3.2+ or Node.js v24+ to run the server locally. Prefer Node.js if using the npx install path.https://bun.sh/
- requiredCreate a CourtListener API tokenGenerate a CourtListener API token from your CourtListener account settings. This token is required for the server to access the CourtListener API.https://www.courtlistener.com/profile/settings/
Install in your client
Paste into the AI you're chatting with — it will figure out the rest
Please install the `courtlistener-mcp-server` MCP server into my current AI client (that's you).
Required prerequisites (do these first if not already done):
- **Create a CourtListener API token** — Generate a CourtListener API token from your CourtListener account settings. This token is required for the server to access the CourtListener API. (https://www.courtlistener.com/profile/settings/)
Optional prerequisites:
- Install Node.js or Bun — Install Bun v1.3.2+ or Node.js v24+ to run the server locally. Prefer Node.js if using the npx install path. (https://bun.sh/)
Canonical MCP server config (stdio transport):
- command: `npx`
- args: ["-y","@cyanheads/courtlistener-mcp-server@latest"]
- required environment variables:
- `MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE`: Transport type for the MCP server. For local stdio usage, set this to stdio. (example: `stdio`)
- `COURTLISTENER_API_TOKEN`: API token from your CourtListener account settings. (example: `<your-api-token>`)
- optional environment variables:
- `MCP_LOG_LEVEL`: Log level for server output. (example: `info`)
- `COURTLISTENER_BASE_URL`: Override the CourtListener API base URL. (example: `<your-courtlistener-api-base-url>`)
- `MCP_HTTP_PORT`: HTTP server port when using HTTP transport. (example: `<your-http-port>`)
- `MCP_HTTP_ENDPOINT_PATH`: HTTP endpoint path when using HTTP transport. (example: `<your-http-endpoint-path>`)
- `MCP_PUBLIC_URL`: Public origin for TLS-terminating reverse-proxy deployments. (example: `<your-public-url>`)
- `MCP_AUTH_MODE`: Authentication mode: none, jwt, or oauth. (example: `<your-auth-mode>`)
- `MCP_GC_PRESSURE_INTERVAL_MS`: Opt-in Bun-only forced-GC pressure loop interval in milliseconds. (example: `<your-gc-pressure-interval-ms>`)
- `LOGS_DIR`: Directory for log files when running under Node.js. (example: `<your-logs-dir>`)
- `STORAGE_PROVIDER_TYPE`: Storage backend type: in-memory, filesystem, supabase, or cloudflare-kv/r2/d1. (example: `<your-storage-provider-type>`)
- `OTEL_ENABLED`: Enable OpenTelemetry instrumentation. (example: `<true-or-false>`)
Note: A public hosted Streamable HTTP instance is also available at https://courtlistener.caseyjhand.com/mcp. Canonical hosted HTTP shape: URL https://courtlistener.caseyjhand.com/mcp with no documented required headers. The README also documents self-hosted HTTP mode, but the simplest portable local install path is stdio via npx.
Add this MCP server to my current client's config in the correct format for you. If you need secrets or credentials I haven't provided, ASK me — do not invent values or leave raw placeholders. After adding it, tell me how to verify the server is connected.Note: A public hosted Streamable HTTP instance is also available at https://courtlistener.caseyjhand.com/mcp. Canonical hosted HTTP shape: URL https://courtlistener.caseyjhand.com/mcp with no documented required headers. The README also documents self-hosted HTTP mode, but the simplest portable local install path is stdio via npx.
Tools (10)
courtlistener_search_opinions
Full-text search across 9M+ written court opinions with field-level filtering, date ranges, status, and sort
courtlistener_get_opinion
Fetch full text and metadata for an opinion cluster, including all opinion variants
courtlistener_get_citations
Retrieve the citation network for an opinion cluster in either direction
courtlistener_lookup_citation
Resolve a legal citation string to a cluster ID and case metadata
courtlistener_search_dockets
Search RECAP federal court dockets by party name, attorney, court, and date
courtlistener_get_docket
Fetch docket metadata and entry list for a single federal case
courtlistener_search_judges
Search judge records by name, appointing president, court, and political affiliation
courtlistener_get_judge
Fetch a judge's biographical profile, appointment history, and education
courtlistener_lookup_courts
List courts filtered by jurisdiction type and active-scraper status
courtlistener_search_oral_arguments
Search appellate oral argument audio recordings by case name, court, and date argued
Environment variables
COURTLISTENER_API_TOKENrequiredCourtListener API token used for authenticated local/self-hosted accessPrerequisites
- • Node.js v24+
Packages
@cyanheads/courtlistener-mcp-server
npmv0.2.6transport: stdio
@cyanheads/courtlistener-mcp-server
npmv0.2.6transport: streamable-http
Remote Endpoints
https://courtlistener.caseyjhand.com/mcp
type: streamable-http
Details
- Language
- TypeScript
- Released
- Jun 30, 2026
- Last commit
- Jun 30, 2026
- Registry name
- io.github.cyanheads/courtlistener-mcp-server