In-depth architectural comparison of the Ecfr and Uk Contracts MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.
At a Glance & Executive Verdict
Ecfr
Legal · Local stdio
Quality: 52/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required
Uk Contracts
Legal · Local stdio
Quality: 44/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required
Verdict Summary: Choose Ecfr if you need specialized Legal tools running via a local process. Choose Uk Contracts if your workspace requires Legal integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.
Which MCP Server Should You Choose?
Choose Ecfr when:
You need dedicated capabilities in the Legal domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Full-text search across all 50 titles of the US Code of Federal Regulations (federal agency regulations) via the official eCFR API. Returns matching sections with citation, heading, and excerpt. e.g. "drone operation", "food labeling", "overtime pay". Optionally restrict to one CFR title number. Ke…
list_titles
List all 50 titles of the US Code of Federal Regulations (Title 1 General Provisions … Title 50 Wildlife and Fisheries), with currency dates. This is the index for the `title` filter in search_regulations. Keyless.
title_structure
Get the top-level structure (chapters/subtitles) of one CFR title — the agencies and major divisions within that title. Returns a summarized one-level view, not the full deep tree. Keyless.
get_section_text
Get the actual REGULATION TEXT currently in force — a single CFR section OR a whole CFR part. PREFER for "what does 14 CFR 91.113 say", "read the text of <citation>", "the exact wording of <regulation>", "text of 22 CFR part 120", "40 CFR part 261". Pass the title number plus EITHER a section (e.g.…
Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations
Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).
Ecfr is categorized under Legal and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Uk Contracts belongs to Legal using local stdio subprocess. Select Ecfr when you need capabilities focused on legal and Uk Contracts when you require tools for legal.
Search UK government procurement notices (open tenders + awarded contracts) from Contracts Finder, published as OCDS by the Cabinet Office. Filter by stage and an optional published-date range; results are newest-first. Keyless. The UK complement to EU tenders. Note: there is no server-side keyword…
get_notice
Get the full OCDS detail for a single UK Contracts Finder notice by its release `id` (the `id` field returned by search_notices / recent_notices, format "{guid}-{seq}"). Returns title, full description, buyer, value, CPV classification, tender period, and any awards with suppliers. Keyless.
recent_notices
List the most recent UK procurement notices from Contracts Finder, newest-first, optionally filtered by stage (tender/award). Same compact shape as search_notices. Keyless.
find_a_tender_recent
Recent HIGH-VALUE UK government tenders and contract awards from the Find a Tender Service (find-tender.service.gov.uk) — the UK's above-threshold procurement portal (the post-Brexit replacement for EU TED, for larger public contracts). Use for "high value UK tenders", "above threshold UK governmen…
find_a_tender_notice
Full detail for one Find a Tender Service (high-value UK) notice by its OCID (e.g. "ocds-h6vhtk-06d27d", from find_a_tender_recent results). Returns title, buyer, description, CPV classification, value, deadlines, and documents. Keyless.