Docket Alarm vs Pacer
A side-by-side look at the Docket Alarm and Pacer MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Docket Alarm for legal work as a local process; choose Pacer 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 Docket Alarm when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Legal domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
docketalarm_search, docketalarm_get_docket, docketalarm_search_pacer.
Choose Pacer when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Legal domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
pacer_case_search, pacer_party_search.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Legal | Legal |
| Quality signal | 53/100 · Good | 55/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
Tools & capabilities
Docket Alarm tools 3
docketalarm_searchSearch court dockets (state + federal) for `<query>` — full-text search across 675M+ US state, county, and federal court dockets (deeper state coverage than CourtListener). Returns matching cases with court, docket number, title, filing date, and link. Example: docketalarm_search({ q: "patent infri…docketalarm_get_docketGet full docket detail for a case — returns case title, parties, filing date, and docket entries for a specific court + docket number. Cached documents are free. Example: docketalarm_get_docket({ court: "U.S. District Court, N.D. California", docket: "5:11-cv-01846", _apiKey: "user@example.com:your…docketalarm_search_pacerSearch federal PACER dockets by party — live party-name search across federal PACER (Appellate, Bankruptcy, Civil, Criminal, MDL). Note: this passes live PACER search fees at cost. Returns matching federal cases with court, docket, title, and filing date. Example: docketalarm_search_pacer({ party_n…
Pacer tools 2
pacer_case_searchFind US federal court cases by party name, case title, or case number — live search of the PACER Case Locator (PCL) across every federal district, bankruptcy, and appellate court. Returns case number, title, court, filing date, nature of suit, and case type. Requires your own PACER credentials (Nex…pacer_party_searchFind parties across US federal court cases by name — live PACER Case Locator (PCL) party search across all federal courts. Returns each matching party (name, role) with the associated case number, court, and case title. Requires your own PACER credentials (NextGen); PACER charges your account per s…
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.
Docket Alarm
{
"mcpServers": {
"docket-alarm": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-docket-alarm"
]
}
}
}
Pacer
{
"mcpServers": {
"pacer": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-pacer"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Docket Alarm is categorized under Legal and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pacer belongs to Legal and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Docket Alarm for legal work and Pacer 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.
Docket Alarm has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Pacer 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 docket-alarm and pacer as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Docket Alarm has a quality signal of 53/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Pacer has 55/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars.