Connects Claude and other MCP clients to UK legal sources without API keys. Exposes tools for searching case law from Find Case Law, reading legislation.gov.uk Acts and SIs with point-in-time sections, querying Hansard debates and divisions, tracking bill stages and committee evidence, and parsing OSCOLA citations into canonical references. Also covers HMRC guidance lookups and optional Making Tax Digital endpoints. Returns primary source text plus citation metadata so you can build verifiable evidence packs instead of relying on memory. Runs over HTTP at uk-legal-mcp.fly.dev/mcp or locally via uvx. Most useful when you need to cite UK statutes, trace parliamentary votes, or pull judgment paragraphs with neutral citations for legal research workflows.
claude mcp add --transport http uk-legal-mcp https://uk-legal-mcp.fly.dev/mcpRun in your terminal. Add --scope user to make it available in every project.
Review the command, arguments, and environment values before installing — MCP servers run with your local permissions.
Verified live against the running server on Jun 10, 2026.
judgment_get_headerUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a judgment slug and need metadata (parties, judges, neutral citation, court, dates). Call case_law_search FIRST to get the slug. AFTER calling, use judgment_get_index to discover paragraphs, then judgment_get_paragraph to read specific ones. Authori...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a judgment slug and need metadata (parties, judges, neutral citation, court, dates). Call case_law_search FIRST to get the slug. AFTER calling, use judgment_get_index to discover paragraphs, then judgment_get_paragraph to read specific ones. Authori...
slug*stringjudgment_get_indexUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a judgment slug and want the paragraph navigation index (eId + preview line for every paragraph). Call case_law_search FIRST to get the slug. AFTER calling, pass an eId from the returned list into judgment_get_paragraph to read that paragraph's full...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a judgment slug and want the paragraph navigation index (eId + preview line for every paragraph). Call case_law_search FIRST to get the slug. AFTER calling, pass an eId from the returned list into judgment_get_paragraph to read that paragraph's full...
slug*stringjudgment_get_paragraphUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a judgment slug + LegalDocML eId and want that paragraph's full text. Call judgment_get_index FIRST to discover available eIds (or use case_law_grep_judgment to locate paragraphs by content). Returns the paragraph XML content (400–1,700 tokens typic...2 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a judgment slug + LegalDocML eId and want that paragraph's full text. Call judgment_get_index FIRST to discover available eIds (or use case_law_grep_judgment to locate paragraphs by content). Returns the paragraph XML content (400–1,700 tokens typic...
eId*stringslug*stringcase_law_searchUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching UK case law by party names, court, judge, date, or free-text query. Returns paginated judgment summaries: neutral citation, court, dates, slug, stable TNA URI. AFTER calling: pass slug into judgment_get_header / judgment_get_index / judgment_get_pa...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching UK case law by party names, court, judge, date, or free-text query. Returns paginated judgment summaries: neutral citation, court, dates, slug, stable TNA URI. AFTER calling: pass slug into judgment_get_header / judgment_get_index / judgment_get_pa...
params*objectcase_law_grep_judgmentUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a judgment slug and want to find paragraphs whose text matches a pattern. Returns a list of `{eId, snippet, match}` hits — small per-paragraph snippets centred on the match. AFTER calling, read full paragraphs via judgment_get_paragraph(slug, eId) o...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a judgment slug and want to find paragraphs whose text matches a pattern. Returns a list of `{eId, snippet, match}` hits — small per-paragraph snippets centred on the match. AFTER calling, read full paragraphs via judgment_get_paragraph(slug, eId) o...
params*objectlegislation_searchUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching UK Acts and Statutory Instruments by title, phrase, or full-text. Returns ranked results: title, type, year, number, legislation.gov.uk URL, and next_steps hints (toc URI, section template). AFTER calling, chain to legislation_get_toc then legislat...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching UK Acts and Statutory Instruments by title, phrase, or full-text. Returns ranked results: title, type, year, number, legislation.gov.uk URL, and next_steps hints (toc URI, section template). AFTER calling, chain to legislation_get_toc then legislat...
params*objectlegislation_get_sectionUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a known Act / SI and want the parsed text of a specific section, with extent and in-force metadata. Returns full section text, territorial extent, in-force status, and prospective flag. Content capped per max_chars (default 10,000, ~2,500 tokens) —...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a known Act / SI and want the parsed text of a specific section, with extent and in-force metadata. Returns full section text, territorial extent, in-force status, and prospective flag. Content capped per max_chars (default 10,000, ~2,500 tokens) —...
params*objectlegislation_get_tocUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a known Act / SI and want the structural table of contents (parts, chapters, sections, schedules). Returns structural elements with XML id and title, e.g. 'section-47: Definitions'. AFTER calling, pass the numeric section identifier (use '47', NOT '...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a known Act / SI and want the structural table of contents (parts, chapters, sections, schedules). Returns structural elements with XML id and title, e.g. 'section-47: Definitions'. AFTER calling, pass the numeric section identifier (use '47', NOT '...
params*objectparliament_search_hansardUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching Hansard by topic, bill title, or text phrase. Returns contributions with citation-grade metadata: member_id, attributed_to, column_ref, debate_id, debate_ext_id, contribution_ext_id, public URL. AFTER calling, drill into full content via read_resou...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching Hansard by topic, bill title, or text phrase. Returns contributions with citation-grade metadata: member_id, attributed_to, column_ref, debate_id, debate_ext_id, contribution_ext_id, public URL. AFTER calling, drill into full content via read_resou...
params*objectparliament_policy_position_summaryUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you want debate-level corpus signals on a topic — by_house, by_year, by_section breakdowns — without reading every contribution. Aggregates Hansard debate-level signals on a topic. Pure counts — no LLM, no editorial labels. Sweeps /search/Debates.json with p...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you want debate-level corpus signals on a topic — by_house, by_year, by_section breakdowns — without reading every contribution. Aggregates Hansard debate-level signals on a topic. Pure counts — no LLM, no editorial labels. Sweeps /search/Debates.json with p...
params*objectparliament_find_memberUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a member's name and need their integer member_id. Returns all members matching the name query, each with the integer `id`, party, constituency, house, and current-sitting status. Disambiguates common-name matches (e.g. "Lord Smith" returns multiple...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a member's name and need their integer member_id. Returns all members matching the name query, each with the integer `id`, party, constituency, house, and current-sitting status. Disambiguates common-name matches (e.g. "Lord Smith" returns multiple...
params*objectparliament_member_debatesUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a member_id and want contributions where THAT member used a specific topic phrase verbatim (text-body search). CALL parliament_find_member(name) FIRST to obtain the integer member_id. This is a name-based text-body search — it matches contributions...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a member_id and want contributions where THAT member used a specific topic phrase verbatim (text-body search). CALL parliament_find_member(name) FIRST to obtain the integer member_id. This is a name-based text-body search — it matches contributions...
params*objectparliament_member_interestsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a member_id and need their registered financial interests (donations, directorships, land, gifts). CALL parliament_find_member(name) FIRST to obtain the integer member_id. Returns ONE PAGE of interests (default 20, caller controls via limit). For pr...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a member_id and need their registered financial interests (donations, directorships, land, gifts). CALL parliament_find_member(name) FIRST to obtain the integer member_id. Returns ONE PAGE of interests (default 20, caller controls via limit). For pr...
params*objectparliament_search_petitionsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching UK Parliament petitions by keyword or topic. Returns petition title, state, signature count, and dates for government response or parliamentary debate if applicable. Filter by state (open, closed, debated, etc.) to narrow to live or historical peti...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching UK Parliament petitions by keyword or topic. Returns petition title, state, signature count, and dates for government response or parliamentary debate if applicable. Filter by state (open, closed, debated, etc.) to narrow to live or historical peti...
params*objectparliament_get_debate_divisionsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a debate_ext_id and want the divisions (formal votes) held within it. Most debates contain no divisions — Business of the House sittings, statements, urgent questions, debates without a vote. A populated list typically appears around bill stages, mo...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a debate_ext_id and want the divisions (formal votes) held within it. Most debates contain no divisions — Business of the House sittings, statements, urgent questions, debates without a vote. A populated list typically appears around bill stages, mo...
params*objectparliament_get_debate_contributionsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a debate_ext_id and want verbatim contributions, optionally filtered to one member. Canonical path for "everything a member said in this debate" regardless of vocabulary — text-search tools (parliament_member_debates, parliament_search_hansard) filt...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a debate_ext_id and want verbatim contributions, optionally filtered to one member. Canonical path for "everything a member said in this debate" regardless of vocabulary — text-search tools (parliament_member_debates, parliament_search_hansard) filt...
params*objectparliament_lookup_by_columnUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have an OSCOLA-style Hansard citation (column + volume + house) and need the debate. Example input: 'HL Deb 14 Oct 2025, vol 849, col 200'. AFTER calling, read the contribution at the cited column via read_resource(uri="hansard://debate/{debate_ext_id}/h...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have an OSCOLA-style Hansard citation (column + volume + house) and need the debate. Example input: 'HL Deb 14 Oct 2025, vol 849, col 200'. AFTER calling, read the contribution at the cited column via read_resource(uri="hansard://debate/{debate_ext_id}/h...
params*objectbills_search_billsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching UK parliamentary bills by keyword, session, house, or legislative stage. Returns a paginated page of bill summaries (title, current stage, whether it became an Act). AFTER calling, pass a bill_id into bills_get_bill for full detail (sponsors, long...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching UK parliamentary bills by keyword, session, house, or legislative stage. Returns a paginated page of bill summaries (title, current stage, whether it became an Act). AFTER calling, pass a bill_id into bills_get_bill for full detail (sponsors, long...
params*objectbills_get_billUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a bill_id (from bills_search_bills) and want the full detail. Returns sponsors, current stage, long title, summary, and Royal Assent date if enacted. Summary text is capped per max_summary_chars — check summary_truncated in the response. AFTER calli...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a bill_id (from bills_search_bills) and want the full detail. Returns sponsors, current stage, long title, summary, and Royal Assent date if enacted. Summary text is capped per max_summary_chars — check summary_truncated in the response. AFTER calli...
params*objectvotes_search_divisionsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching Commons or Lords formal votes by topic, date, or member. Returns division summaries (title, date, vote counts, pass/fail). AFTER calling, pass division_id + house into votes_get_division for the full member-by-member voter lists. Authoritative sour...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching Commons or Lords formal votes by topic, date, or member. Returns division summaries (title, date, vote counts, pass/fail). AFTER calling, pass division_id + house into votes_get_division for the full member-by-member voter lists. Authoritative sour...
params*objectvotes_get_divisionUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a division_id + house and want the full member-by-member voting record. Voter lists are truncated to 100 per side to fit response limits; total voter counts are always accurate regardless of truncation. Chain from votes_search_divisions or parliamen...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a division_id + house and want the full member-by-member voting record. Voter lists are truncated to 100 per side to fit response limits; total voter counts are always accurate regardless of truncation. Chain from votes_search_divisions or parliamen...
params*objectcommittees_search_committeesUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching or listing UK parliamentary select committees by name, house, or active status. Returns committee summaries (name, house, active status, ID). AFTER calling, pass committee_id into committees_get_committee for current membership, or into committees_...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching or listing UK parliamentary select committees by name, house, or active status. Returns committee summaries (name, house, active status, ID). AFTER calling, pass committee_id into committees_get_committee for current membership, or into committees_...
params*objectcommittees_get_committeeUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a committee_id and want the metadata + current membership. Fetches committee detail and member list in parallel. AFTER calling, pass committee_id into committees_search_evidence to see what evidence has been submitted to this committee on what topics.1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a committee_id and want the metadata + current membership. Fetches committee detail and member list in parallel. AFTER calling, pass committee_id into committees_search_evidence to see what evidence has been submitted to this committee on what topics.
params*objectcommittees_search_evidenceUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a committee_id and want the oral and written evidence submitted to it. Returns ONE PAGE of evidence (default 20). Free-text titles are capped per max_title_chars; witness lists are capped at 10 per item. For committees with many submissions, re-call...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a committee_id and want the oral and written evidence submitted to it. Returns ONE PAGE of evidence (default 20). Free-text titles are capped per max_title_chars; witness lists are capped at 10 per item. For committees with many submissions, re-call...
params*objectcitations_parseUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have free text (a memo, an email, a clause) and want every OSCOLA-style citation it contains extracted and classified. Identifies: neutral citations ([2024] UKSC 12), law reports ([2024] 1 WLR 100), legislation sections (s.47 Companies Act 2006), SIs (SI...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have free text (a memo, an email, a clause) and want every OSCOLA-style citation it contains extracted and classified. Identifies: neutral citations ([2024] UKSC 12), law reports ([2024] 1 WLR 100), legislation sections (s.47 Companies Act 2006), SIs (SI...
params*objectcitations_resolveUSE THIS TOOL BEFORE constructing an OSCOLA citation string from known fields, OR when you have a citation and want to confirm it points at a real document. Parses + resolves a single citation (neutral citation, SI, legislation section, retained EU law) and returns the parsed...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL BEFORE constructing an OSCOLA citation string from known fields, OR when you have a citation and want to confirm it points at a real document. Parses + resolves a single citation (neutral citation, SI, legislation section, retained EU law) and returns the parsed...
params*objectcitations_networkUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a judgment slug and want to map every citation it makes — cases cited, legislation referenced, SIs, retained EU law. Fetches the judgment XML from TNA and parses all OSCOLA citations within. Returns citations grouped by type, deduplicated and sorted...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a judgment slug and want to map every citation it makes — cases cited, legislation referenced, SIs, retained EU law. Fetches the judgment XML from TNA and parses all OSCOLA citations within. Returns citations grouped by type, deduplicated and sorted...
params*objecthmrc_get_vat_rateUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a UK commodity or service description and want its VAT rate category. Returns the rate (standard 20%, reduced 5%, zero 0%, exempt), effective date, and any relevant conditions or exceptions. IMPORTANT: Uses a static lookup table current as of 22 Nov...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a UK commodity or service description and want its VAT rate category. Returns the rate (standard 20%, reduced 5%, zero 0%, exempt), effective date, and any relevant conditions or exceptions. IMPORTANT: Uses a static lookup table current as of 22 Nov...
params*objecthmrc_check_mtd_statusUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a 9-digit VAT Registration Number and need that business's Making Tax Digital VAT mandate status. Returns whether the business is mandated for MTD, effective date, and trading name. Connects to the HMRC sandbox by default. Set HMRC_API_BASE to 'http...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a 9-digit VAT Registration Number and need that business's Making Tax Digital VAT mandate status. Returns whether the business is mandated for MTD, effective date, and trading name. Connects to the HMRC sandbox by default. Set HMRC_API_BASE to 'http...
params*objecthmrc_search_guidanceUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching GOV.UK for HMRC tax guidance on a topic (VAT, income tax, corporation tax, etc.). Returns matching guidance titles, URLs, summaries, and last-updated dates. Searches the official GOV.UK content API filtered to HMRC publications. Authoritative sourc...1 paramsUSE THIS TOOL WHEN searching GOV.UK for HMRC tax guidance on a topic (VAT, income tax, corporation tax, etc.). Returns matching guidance titles, URLs, summaries, and last-updated dates. Searches the official GOV.UK content API filtered to HMRC publications. Authoritative sourc...
params*objectlist_promptsList all available prompts. Returns JSON with prompt metadata including name, description, and optional arguments.List all available prompts. Returns JSON with prompt metadata including name, description, and optional arguments.
No parameters — call it with no arguments.
get_promptGet a prompt by name with optional arguments. Returns the rendered prompt as JSON with a messages array. Arguments should be provided as a dict mapping argument names to values.2 paramsGet a prompt by name with optional arguments. Returns the rendered prompt as JSON with a messages array. Arguments should be provided as a dict mapping argument names to values.
name*stringargumentsvaluelist_resourcesList all available resources and resource templates. Returns JSON with resource metadata. Static resources have a 'uri' field, while templates have a 'uri_template' field with placeholders like {name}.List all available resources and resource templates. Returns JSON with resource metadata. Static resources have a 'uri' field, while templates have a 'uri_template' field with placeholders like {name}.
No parameters — call it with no arguments.
read_resourceRead a resource by its URI. For static resources, provide the exact URI. For templated resources, provide the URI with template parameters filled in. Returns the resource content as a string. Binary content is base64-encoded.1 paramsRead a resource by its URI. For static resources, provide the exact URI. For templated resources, provide the URI with template parameters filled in. Returns the resource content as a string. Binary content is base64-encoded.
uri*stringUK legal research sources for your AI assistant.
uk-legal-mcp connects ChatGPT, Claude, VS Code, Cursor, and other MCP-aware clients to UK case law, legislation, Hansard, bills, votes, committees, OSCOLA citation parsing, and HMRC guidance. It returns primary source text and citation metadata so your agent can build evidence packs you can check and footnote.
No API keys are required for the legal sources. HMRC's authenticated Making Tax Digital endpoint is optional.
For best results, tell your assistant to use the uk-legal-mcp server and not to answer from memory when a UK legal source can be checked.
Use the hosted MCP endpoint:
https://uk-legal-mcp.fly.dev/mcp
For clients that use mcpServers JSON:
{
"mcpServers": {
"uk-legal": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://uk-legal-mcp.fly.dev/mcp"
}
}
}
For local stdio use:
uvx uk-legal-mcp
Claude Desktop local config:
{
"mcpServers": {
"uk-legal": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["uk-legal-mcp"]
}
}
}
If a hosted tool stops responding, refresh the server from your client's Apps / Customise menu. For very large Acts, local mode can be more reliable because it uses your own IP rather than a shared cloud IP.
After connecting the server, start a fresh chat and ask:
I am checking a UK legal source. Only use uk-legal-mcp. Find the source, give me the source URL, and tell me what metadata I should check before relying on it.
For legal work, ask for an evidence pack rather than a bare answer:
Only use uk-legal-mcp. Give me the source text or source summary, the source URL, citation metadata, and any caveats about jurisdiction, version, or uncertainty.
See the lawyer guide for ready-to-run prompts.
| Source area | What your assistant can check |
|---|---|
| Case law | UK judgments from TNA Find Case Law, including neutral citations, court, date, judgment metadata, paragraph reads, and in-judgment search. |
| Legislation | Acts and Statutory Instruments from legislation.gov.uk, including tables of contents, sections, territorial extent, in-force signals, and point-in-time reads. |
| Parliament | Hansard debates and contributions, debate-to-division chains, member biographies, column references, and petitions. |
| Bills | Parliamentary Bills, stages, sponsors, publications, and bill history. |
| Votes | Commons and Lords divisions, counts, results, and per-member voting records. |
| Committees | Select committees, memberships, oral evidence, and written evidence. |
| Citations | OSCOLA-style citation parsing and resolution to canonical sources. |
| HMRC | VAT rate lookups, GOV.UK HMRC guidance search, and optional authenticated MTD VAT status checks. |
The server also exposes judgment://, legislation://, and hansard:// resources for source text that is too large to return in a single search result.
Full details are in the tool reference and upstream API reference.
Legislation check: the assistant finds the Worker Protection Act duty, commencement position, territorial extent, and source links.

Parliamentary evidence: the assistant follows a House of Lords debate into a division result for an Automated Vehicles Bill amendment.

More examples are in the lawyer guide.
uk-legal-mcp helps your AI assistant find and quote UK legal sources. It does not replace legal judgement.
extent field before relying on it.Run the streamable HTTP server locally:
python -m src.gateway
Run the declarative FastMCP manifest for inspection/dev tooling:
fastmcp run
fastmcp inspect
fastmcp run is for inspection/dev only — it wraps the FastMCP runner directly and skips the production uvicorn shape (_HttpGuard, _AcceptNormalizer, proxy_headers) that python -m src.gateway wires for the Fly deployment. The _HttpGuard GET-SSE shim is required by claude.ai's web connector, so use python -m src.gateway for anything prod-like.
Use a local checkout over stdio:
{
"mcpServers": {
"local-uk-legal": {
"command": "uv",
"args": ["run", "--project", "<abs-path>", "uk-legal-mcp"],
"env": { "VIRTUAL_ENV": "" }
}
}
}
Release notes live in CHANGELOG.md.