Are semantic search tools available on the free tier?

No, semantic case law and legislation search require a paid plan; free tier returns 403 errors for these endpoints.

How can I handle rate limits or quota errors?

If you receive 429 errors, you have exceeded your quota or rate limit; the server retries once automatically. Upgrade your plan or wait for reset.

Can I fetch documents by URL instead of CELEX?

Yes, the lex_get_document_by_url tool fetches documents using EUR-Lex URLs copied from a browser.

Can I override the API base URL for self-hosted or staging?

Yes, set the LEXAPI_BASE_URL environment variable to override the default https://lex-api.com/api/v1 endpoint.

Lexapi MCP

legaleur-lexsearchcitation-graphsemantic-search

MCP server providing structured search, document fetch, citation graph, and semantic search over EU legal texts via LexAPI.

Quick Install

Automated & IDE Setup

Copy the AI prompt to install this server into Claude Code, Cursor, or another agent — or use 1-click editor setup below.

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code

Not yet automatically verified

We haven't yet run this listing's install command through our automated sandbox check. This isn't a red flag — we're steadily working through the catalog.

Manual Client & Custom JSON ConfigExpand JSON ▾

Client Config & Setup

Choose your client or environment

Target File:~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lex-api-lexapi-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@lexapi/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

💡 Paste the JSON block into your client's configuration file under mcpServers, then restart the application.

Overview

This MCP server enables querying EUR-Lex and EU case law with tools for structured search, retrieving full or metadata-only documents by CELEX or URL, and exploring citation networks. It supports recent Official Journal publications and semantic embedding search for case law and legislation (paid plans). Use it to integrate EU legal research capabilities into AI assistants or MCP clients.

Use cases

Search EUR-Lex documents by text, date, type, author, or language

Retrieve full parsed EU legal documents or metadata by CELEX or URL

Explore inbound and outbound citation relationships between legal documents

Access recent Official Journal publications

Perform semantic embedding search over EU case law and legislation (requires paid plan)

Key features

Structured EUR-Lex search with multiple filters

Full document retrieval with parsed articles, sections, tables, annexes

Metadata-only document fetch for faster access

Citation graph queries: cited by, cites, and combined network

Recent Official Journal publications retrieval

Semantic embedding search over case law and legislation (paid tier)

Capabilities & Tool Schemas (10)Self-reported

Inspect callable tools, capabilities, and parameters exposed to AI agents by Lexapi MCP.

lex_search

Structured EUR-Lex search (text, dates, document type, author, language).

lex_get_document

Full parsed document by CELEX — metadata + articles, sections, tables, annexes.

lex_get_metadata

Metadata only (faster than full content).

lex_get_document_by_url

Fetch by EUR-Lex URL (pasted from a browser).

lex_recent_documents

Recent Official Journal publications (default 7 days).

lex_cited_by

Documents citing this CELEX (inbound, typed edges).

Documentation Overview

LexAPI MCP

Model Context Protocol server for LexAPI — query EUR-Lex, EU case law, and the citation graph from Claude, Cursor, and other MCP-enabled clients.

Install once, get an API key, and ask your AI assistant: "summarize Article 17 of the GDPR" or "which regulations amend Directive 95/46/EC?" — the model calls LexAPI directly.

Install

You'll need a LexAPI API key. Create one for free at lex-api.com/dashboard (500 credits/month on the FREE tier, no card required).

Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json (location: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS):

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lexapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@lexapi/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LEXAPI_API_KEY": "lex_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop.

Claude Code

Terminal

claude mcp add lexapi --env LEXAPI_API_KEY=lex_... -- npx -y @lexapi/mcp

Cursor / other MCP clients

Any client that supports stdio MCP servers can run this. The command is npx -y @lexapi/mcp with LEXAPI_API_KEY in the environment.

Tools

Tool	What it does
`lex_search`	Structured EUR-Lex search (text, dates, document type, author, language).
`lex_get_document`	Full parsed document by CELEX — metadata + articles, sections, tables, annexes.
`lex_get_metadata`	Metadata only (faster than full content).
`lex_get_document_by_url`	Fetch by EUR-Lex URL (pasted from a browser).
`lex_recent_documents`	Recent Official Journal publications (default 7 days).
`lex_cited_by`	Documents citing this CELEX (inbound, typed edges).
`lex_cites`	Documents this CELEX cites (outbound, typed edges).
`lex_citation_network`	Both directions in one call.
`lex_semantic_case_law`	Embedding search over EU case law (paid plans).
`lex_semantic_legislation`	Embedding search over EU legislation (paid plans).

Configuration

Env var	Default	Purpose
`LEXAPI_API_KEY`	(required)	Your API key. Get one at lex-api.com/dashboard.
`LEXAPI_BASE_URL`	`https://lex-api.com/api/v1`	Override for self-hosted or staging.

Troubleshooting

LEXAPI_API_KEY is not set — the env var isn't reaching the spawned process. Double-check the env block in your MCP client config.

LexAPI error (401 invalid_api_key) — the key is wrong or revoked. Generate a new one at the dashboard.

LexAPI error (429 …) — you hit your daily quota or per-minute rate limit. The server retries once automatically; if you see this in tool output, you're over quota. Upgrade your plan or wait for reset.

LexAPI error (403 …) on semantic tools — semantic search requires a paid plan. FREE tier returns 403 for those endpoints.

Local development

bash

git clone https://github.com/Lex-API/lexapi-mcp.git
cd lexapi-mcp
npm install
npm run build

LEXAPI_API_KEY=lex_xxx node dist/index.js

License

MIT

Read the full README →View source on GitHub →

Related MCP Servers

View all in Legal View all alternatives

Adoption & maintenance

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

GitHub stars

Stargazers on the source repository.

npm downloads

294

Package downloads in the last 30 days.

Last commit

1mo ago

Most recent push to the default branch.

Tools exposed

Callable tools this server registers over MCP.

Directory activity

2 views

Config copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

Reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions about Lexapi MCP

Yes, you must provide a LexAPI API key via the LEXAPI_API_KEY environment variable.

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Technical Specs & Signals

CategoryLegal

PricingFreemium

10/10 checks healthy over the last 30d

60Quality signal: Good · 60/100How this signal is calculated ▾

Server availabilityNot measured

Not scored for repo-hosted servers — we can't reach the running server, only its GitHub page. Hosted MCP endpoints are health-checked live.

Verified ownership10/20

Documentation & tools29/30

Adoption & activity6/15

Community engagement0/10

A guidance signal from public completeness & health data — not a user rating. New listings start lower and rise as they add docs, get verified, and grow adoption. Signals we can't observe for a listing are skipped, not counted against it.

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 23d ago via OSV.dev · @lexapi/mcp (npm)

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