Business Data MCP Server vs Canlii MCP
A side-by-side look at the Business Data MCP Server and Canlii MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Business Data MCP Server for legal work; choose Canlii MCP for legal as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Business Data MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Legal domain.
- You want tools like
search_gov_contract_opportunities, search_awarded_federal_contracts, search_eu_tenders.
Choose Canlii MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Legal domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
CANLII_API, PORT, MCP_AUTH_TOKEN. - You want tools like
list_case_databases, list_cases, get_case.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Legal | Legal |
| Quality signal | 47/100 · Fair | 59/100 · Good |
| Install command | Not confirmed yet | Confirmed |
| Transport | — | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | API key required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | CANLII_APIPORTMCP_AUTH_TOKEN |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 7 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 5 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 14 | 7 |
| Full listing | View Business Data MCP Server | View Canlii MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Business Data MCP Server tools 14
search_gov_contract_opportunitiesOpen US federal solicitations, RFPs and sources sought on SAM.gov by keyword, NAICS, agency, set-aside and datesearch_awarded_federal_contractsAwarded US federal contracts (winners, amounts, agencies) from USAspending.govsearch_eu_tendersEU/EEA public tenders and contract awards from TED by keyword, country, CPV and notice typesearch_company_career_jobsOpen roles from company career sites (Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, Workable and more)search_google_jobsGoogle Jobs search results aggregated from job boards and company sitessearch_linkedin_jobsPublic LinkedIn job postings by keywords, location, date, workplace type and seniorityget_linkedin_companyLinkedIn company pages: website, industry, size, employees, followers, HQ, fundingget_linkedin_profilesPublic LinkedIn person profiles: headline, current company, experience, educationfind_yc_companiesY Combinator startups by keyword, batch, industry, status and hiring, optionally with foundersget_company_contactsEmails, phone numbers, social profiles and contact pages from company websitesdetect_website_tech_stackTechnologies a website uses: CMS, ecommerce, analytics, CDN, email provider, frameworksextract_pdf_textClean text or Markdown from public PDF and Word (.docx) URLs, with optional OCR- +2 more on the listing page
Canlii MCP tools 7
list_case_databasesList all courts and tribunals in the CanLII collectionlist_casesBrowse decisions from a specific court/tribunal databaseget_caseGet metadata for a specific case (title, citation, date, keywords)get_case_citationsGet cases cited by a case, cases citing it, or legislation it referenceslist_legislation_databasesList all statute and regulation databaseslist_legislationBrowse statutes or regulations from a specific databaseget_legislationGet metadata for a specific piece of legislation
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Business Data MCP Server
No confirmed install command for Business Data MCP Server yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Canlii MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"vaquill-ai-canlii-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@tomilashy/canlii-mcp"
],
"env": {
"CANLII_API": "YOUR_CANLII_API_HERE",
"PORT": "YOUR_PORT_HERE",
"MCP_AUTH_TOKEN": "YOUR_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Business Data MCP Server is categorized under Legal and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Canlii MCP belongs to Legal and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Business Data MCP Server for legal work and Canlii MCP for legal.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client. Business Data MCP Server has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
Business Data MCP Server has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Canlii MCP is listed as free. Auth: api key required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add business-data-mcp-server and vaquill-ai-canlii-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Business Data MCP Server has a quality signal of 47/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Canlii MCP has 59/100 (Good) with 5 views, 0 installs and 7 GitHub stars.