Log inSubmit server
CourtAPI — Federal Court Data logo

CourtAPI — Federal Court Data

Search and retrieve US federal cases, dockets, claims, parties, creditors, and PACER documents through MCP.

InstallRepositoryWebsite
Full README Compare alternatives Embed widget Claim this listing

Install CourtAPI — Federal Court Data

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "courtapi-federal-court-data": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@courtio/courtapi-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "COURTAPI_APP_ID": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE",
        "COURTAPI_APP_KEY": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE",
        "COURTAPI_BASE_URL": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Values are written into the snippet above so you can paste it as is. They never leave your browser.

Automated check passed— started and listed 10 tools correctly (6d ago).

Overview

CourtAPI — Federal Court Data MCP server connects MCP-compatible assistants to CourtAPI and PACER for US federal court research. It provides tools for finding cases, reading metadata and dockets, retrieving bankruptcy claims and scheduled creditors, inspecting parties, listing courts, and downloading docket documents. Cached data can be accessed without a live PACER purchase, while fresh data and uncached PDFs may incur PACER fees. Reach for it when an agent needs structured federal bankruptcy, district, or appellate court information rather than state court records.

Use cases

  • Find federal bankruptcy cases by company or party name
  • Review docket filings and extracted hearing dates
  • Analyze bankruptcy claims and scheduled creditors
  • Retrieve cached or purchasable PACER documents
  • Identify parties, attorneys, and federal court codes

Key features

  • Search federal cases by party, number, or filing keywords
  • Retrieve dockets with filters and document metadata
  • Inspect bankruptcy claims and scheduled creditors
  • Search PACER's National Case Locator
  • Download cached or purchased docket PDFs
  • Manage PACER credentials through MCP

Tools10

What CourtAPI — Federal Court Data lets your agent do. Expand a tool for its parameters.

Verified live~3.1k tokens of context

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked 3d ago

Recent health check succeeded.

6/6 checks healthy over the last 41d

What it can do

From the 10 tools this server returned when we ran it.

Can delete or modify data · 1Handles credentials · 1Makes network requests · 1Read-only tools · 9
Network at startup3 connections
Files written at startupNone
Install scriptsNone
npm provenanceNot published
Package age130 days
Maintainers1

Observed 2026-10-16 in an isolated sandbox. A description of reach, not a security audit.

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 15d ago via OSV.dev · @courtio/courtapi-mcp (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

npm downloads162Package downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit4mo agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Availability100%Our rolling endpoint + install checks that succeeded.
Install checkPassedOur sandbox started it and listed its tools.
Tools exposed10Callable tools this server registers over MCP.
Directory activity3 viewsConfig copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

How CourtAPI — Federal Court Data works

What CourtAPI — Federal Court Data does

CourtAPI — Federal Court Data MCP server exposes CourtAPI’s federal court data through MCP tools. It covers bankruptcy, district, and appellate courts in the United States, including case metadata, docket activity, bankruptcy claims, scheduled creditors, parties, attorneys, and documents attached to filings. State courts are outside its stated coverage.

Case discovery can use party or company names, partial case numbers, or filing keywords. The result supplies the court code and full case number needed by the other case-level tools. A separate National Case Locator search queries PACER across courts and supports filters such as chapter, court, case number, date range, and certain name or SSN/TIN searches.

How it works

The server uses stdio by default and can also run with Streamable HTTP. An MCP host sends tool calls to the local process, which uses CourtAPI credentials to access the API. Live PACER operations require PACER credentials stored through the credential-management tool.

A typical workflow starts with case discovery, followed by a case metadata lookup. The metadata includes a menu showing available sub-resources and their modification status. Docket results include filing details and document metadata, including whether a PDF is cached and its potential download cost. Docket entries can also include extracted dates and time zones for deadlines or hearings.

Document retrieval checks the CourtAPI cache first. Cached files can return download, preview, and OCR links without a new purchase. For an uncached document, the tool can report the cost before purchase; setting the purchase option buys the PDF from PACER and caches it for later requests.

Setup and configuration

Create a CourtAPI account and obtain an application ID and application key from the developer portal. Configure them as COURTAPI_APP_ID and COURTAPI_APP_KEY. The API base URL can optionally be changed with COURTAPI_BASE_URL; otherwise, the default CourtAPI endpoint is used.

For Claude Desktop, configure the server with npx -y @courtio/courtapi-mcp and the two required credentials, then restart the client. Other MCP hosts can use the same stdio command and environment pattern. HTTP mode can be started with the --http flag and a PORT value.

Live PACER access also requires a PACER account. PACER fees are passed through for applicable live requests and document purchases. CourtAPI provides a free 30-day sandbox with stated request limits.

Tools and capabilities

  • find_cases selects an appropriate party, case-number, or filing-keyword search.
  • get_case returns title, chapter, judge, dates, financial fields, and resource status.
  • get_dockets retrieves filings with keyword and date or number filters.
  • get_document previews cost status or purchases and returns a PDF link.
  • get_claims filters bankruptcy proofs of claim by type and sorting fields.
  • get_parties returns case participants and optionally attorney details.
  • get_creditors reads scheduled creditors separately from filed claims.
  • ncl_search performs cross-court PACER National Case Locator searches.
  • list_courts returns court names and codes by court type.
  • get_pacer_credentials checks, stores, validates, or deletes PACER credentials.

Limitations and notes

The API requires long-form PACER case numbers for case-specific requests. Live docket refreshes should include a starting filing date to avoid buying the entire docket history. PACER charges can apply to live docket, claims, creditor, or case refreshes, National Case Locator searches, and uncached document purchases. CourtAPI API usage has separate plan-based limits and charges, including keyword-search usage by result volume.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

Reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to share how it worked for you.

Frequently Asked Questions about CourtAPI — Federal Court Data

CourtAPI — Federal Court Data is an MCP server that connects AI assistants to CourtAPI and PACER for US federal court records. Its main tools find cases, retrieve metadata and dockets, access claims, parties, creditors, and documents, search the National Case Locator, list courts, and manage PACER credentials.

Install it with npx using `npx -y @courtio/courtapi-mcp` and configure `COURTAPI_APP_ID` and `COURTAPI_APP_KEY` in your MCP client. Claude Desktop uses its MCP configuration file; other MCP hosts can use the same stdio command and environment pattern.

A PACER account is required for live PACER requests, including fresh docket data and document purchases. Cached CourtAPI data can be accessed without those purchases. Store or validate PACER credentials with `get_pacer_credentials` before making calls that set `include_live_pacer=true`.

Cached documents cost nothing to retrieve through the tool, while uncached documents may incur PACER fees charged per page. `get_document` reports the download cost before purchase by default; setting `purchase=true` buys the document and stores it in the cache.

It supports US federal bankruptcy, district, and appellate courts, covering roughly 200 PACER courts. Use `list_courts` to obtain court names and codes. State courts are not supported.

Related MCP servers

All in Legal All alternatives
Add a badge to your READMEShow it’s listed — live SVG, Markdown or HTML.

AllMCPs Directory Badge

Full Badge Customizer

Showcase your server listing on GitHub or your project documentation. Embed this dynamic SVG badge to highlight official listing status and live engagement.

Badge Style:
Live Dynamic SVG PreviewCourtAPI — Federal Court Data AllMCPs Directory Badge
Markdown (GitHub README)
[![AllMCPs](https://allmcps.com/api/badge/courtapi-federal-court-data?style=directory)](https://allmcps.com/mcp/courtapi-federal-court-data)
HTML Embed
<a href="https://allmcps.com/mcp/courtapi-federal-court-data"><img src="https://allmcps.com/api/badge/courtapi-federal-court-data?style=directory" alt="CourtAPI — Federal Court Data on AllMCPs" /></a>