Clio MCP vs Melta UI
A side-by-side look at the Clio MCP and Melta UI MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Clio MCP for legal work as a local process; choose Melta UI 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 Clio MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Legal domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: OAuth 2.0.
- You have the keys it needs:
READ_ONLY. - You want tools like
authenticate, auth_status, logout.
Choose Melta UI when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Legal domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
get_token, get_component, check_rule.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Legal | Legal |
| Quality signal | 61/100 · Good | 68/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | OAuth 2.0 | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | READ_ONLY | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 25 | 202 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 37 | 6 |
| Full listing | View Clio MCP | View Melta UI |
Tools & capabilities
Clio MCP tools 37
authenticateOpens your browser to Clio's login page and stores your credentials securelyauth_statusShows whether you are currently authenticated and when your session expireslogoutClears your stored credentials from this machinelist_mattersLists matters with optional status filter, including custom field values; returns a paginated envelope with `total_count`, `has_more`, and `next_page_tokenget_matterReturns full detail for a specific matter, including its Maildrop forwarding address and custom field valuescreate_matterCreates a new matter; status defaults to Open, billable defaults to trueupdate_matterUpdates one or more fields on an existing matter, including its stage and custom field valueslist_custom_fieldsLists the account's custom field definitions with their types, and for picklist fields their allowed options. Call this before reading or writing custom fieldscreate_custom_fieldCreates a new custom field definition. Use the returned `id` as `custom_field_id` in `create_matter` / `update_matter` to set its valuelist_matter_stagesLists the account's matter stages (Pre-Suit, Discovery, Settlement and so on) grouped by practice area and in pipeline order. Call this before setting `matter_stage_id`. Clio can attach workflows and task lists to a stage; whether an API-driven stage change fires them is not verified, so confirm on…search_contactsSearches contacts by name, email, or company; returns a paginated envelope with `total_count`, `has_more`, and `next_page_token`; pass the token back to fetch the next pageget_contactReturns full detail for a specific contact including all emails, phone numbers, addresses, and custom field values- +25 more on the listing page
Melta UI tools 6
get_tokenGet a design token by dot-path. Returns the token object with its value and class mapping.get_componentGet component metadata including variants, sizes, accessibility requirements, HTML sample, per-state specs (stateSpecs: disabled/loading/open/empty etc. — each with delta class strings + aria changes), and anatomy parts (overlay/container/th etc. with element/roles/class). Prefer these structured fields over inferring states from the HTML sample.check_ruleCheck class strings against this design system's prohibition rules. Returns violations with reasons and alternatives.check_htmlLint a full HTML/JSX source against melta-ui rules — the same checks as CI and the PostToolUse hook (class rules + html-attr rules + composition rules for HTML). Use this AFTER generating UI code to self-verify before presenting it. Response always includes coverage info (manual rules cannot be auto-checked).searchSearch across tokens and components by keyword. Matches against names, values, class strings, and descriptions. Returns up to 20 results (truncated flag when more matched).get_rulesGet melta-ui prohibition rules from rules.json (107 total). Use this to retrieve manual/contextual rules that check_rule cannot auto-detect. Supports filtering by category, severity, or detector.
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.
Clio MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"clio-mcp-2": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@oktopeak/clio-mcp"
],
"env": {
"READ_ONLY": "YOUR_READ_ONLY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Melta UI
{
"mcpServers": {
"melta-ui": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"melta-ds-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Clio MCP is categorized under Legal and uses a local stdio subprocess. Melta UI belongs to Legal and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Clio MCP for legal work and Melta UI 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.
Clio MCP is listed as free. Auth: oauth 2.0. Melta UI has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. 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 clio-mcp-2 and melta-ui as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Clio MCP has a quality signal of 61/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 25 GitHub stars. Melta UI has 68/100 (Great) with 3 views, 0 installs and 202 GitHub stars.