CourtAPI — Federal Court Data vs Next Devtools MCP
A side-by-side look at the CourtAPI — Federal Court Data and Next Devtools MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose CourtAPI — Federal Court Data for legal work as a local process; choose Next Devtools MCP for developer tools as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose CourtAPI — Federal Court Data when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Legal domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
COURTAPI_APP_ID, COURTAPI_APP_KEY, COURTAPI_BASE_URL. - You want tools like
find_cases, get_case, get_dockets.
Choose Next Devtools MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
nextjs_index, nextjs_call, nextjs_docs.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Legal | Developer Tools |
| Quality signal | 56/100 · Good | 86/100 · Excellent |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | No auth required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | COURTAPI_APP_IDCOURTAPI_APP_KEYCOURTAPI_BASE_URL | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Verified |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 832 |
| Directory activity | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 9 views 0 installs 1 upvotes |
| Tools | 10 | 4 |
| Full listing | View CourtAPI — Federal Court Data | View Next Devtools MCP |
Tools & capabilities
CourtAPI — Federal Court Data tools 10
find_casesDiscover federal court cases you don't have the court+number for yet. Pass a party/company name, a (partial) case number, or free-text keywords. Returns court_code + case_number needed by all other tools. No PACER cost. Note: keyword search (search-filings) charges 1 CourtAPI API call per 25 results returned. Examples: query='Sbarro', query='1:14-bk', query='retail chapter 11 2026'.get_caseGet all metadata for a known case: title, chapter, judge, key dates (filed/closed/discharged), assets, liabilities, and links to sub-resources (dockets, claims, parties, etc.) with their last-modified timestamps. Always call this first after finding a case. The response includes a 'menu' object where each entry has a 'modified' timestamp (null = never purchased) showing what sub-resources are available. Free unless include_live_pacer=true.get_docketsGet the docket sheet for a case — all filings in chronological order with dates, descriptions, and attached document info (is_cached, download_cost). The header includes judge, attorneys, trustees, and 341 meeting date. Supports keyword search and date/number range filtering. Free unless include_live_pacer=true.get_documentGet a PDF attached to a docket entry. Always checks the cache first. If cached (is_cached=true), returns download_url + preview_url + ocr_link at no cost. If not cached and purchase=true, buys from PACER and returns download_url + receipt. If not cached and purchase=false (default), returns cost info so you can decide. docket_seq comes from docket entries (e.g. '42.00000'). part defaults to 1 (main doc).get_claimsGet the bankruptcy claims register — all proofs of claim filed by creditors, with amounts (filed/allowed/paid), claim type (secured/unsecured), creditor names, and filing dates. Essential for Chapter 11 analysis and creditor research. Supports keyword search and date/number range filtering.get_partiesGet all parties in a case (debtors, creditors, plaintiffs, defendants, trustees) and optionally their attorneys with firm name, contact info, and bar number. Useful for conflicts checks, service lists, and identifying who is involved.get_creditorsGet the creditor list for a bankruptcy case — all creditors scheduled in Schedules D/E/F, whether or not they filed a proof of claim. Different from get_claims (which shows filed proofs of claim).ncl_searchSearch PACER's National Case Locator across all federal courts at once. More comprehensive than find_cases for party name searches — queries PACER directly. Costs PACER credits. Returns up to ~50 cases per page; pass search_id + page to paginate. Use for: finding a person's cases across all courts, SSN lookups, cross-court party searches.list_courtsList all PACER courts with their court codes. Call this when you need a court_code and don't know it. Returns ~200 courts; use type to filter. Common codes: nysbke, debke, ilnbke, cacdbe, txnbke.get_pacer_credentialsCheck or update PACER credentials stored in CourtAPI. PACER credentials are required before any include_live_pacer=true call. action='check' → show stored username (password not returned). action='set' → store pacer_user + pacer_pass. action='validate' → test credentials without storing. action='delete' → remove stored credentials.
Next Devtools MCP tools 4
nextjs_indexDiscover running Next.js dev servers and list each one's runtime MCP tools.nextjs_callCall a runtime tool on a discovered server (errors, routes, logs, Server Actions).nextjs_docsGateway.** Point the agent at version-accurate docs in `node_modules/next/dist/docs/`.browser_evalGateway.** Point the agent at the [`agent-browser`](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser) CLI for browser automation.
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.
CourtAPI — Federal Court Data
{
"mcpServers": {
"courtapi-federal-court-data": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@courtio/courtapi-mcp"
],
"env": {
"COURTAPI_APP_ID": "YOUR_COURTAPI_APP_ID_HERE",
"COURTAPI_APP_KEY": "YOUR_COURTAPI_APP_KEY_HERE",
"COURTAPI_BASE_URL": "YOUR_COURTAPI_BASE_URL_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Next Devtools MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"vercel-next-devtools-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"next-devtools-mcp@latest"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
CourtAPI — Federal Court Data is categorized under Legal and uses a local stdio subprocess. Next Devtools MCP belongs to Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick CourtAPI — Federal Court Data for legal work and Next Devtools MCP for developer tools.
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.
CourtAPI — Federal Court Data has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Next Devtools MCP is listed as free. Auth: no auth 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 courtapi-federal-court-data and vercel-next-devtools-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, CourtAPI — Federal Court Data has a quality signal of 56/100 (Good) with 3 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Next Devtools MCP has 86/100 (Excellent) with 9 views, 0 installs and 832 GitHub stars.