PDFGate MCP Server vs Ris
A side-by-side look at the PDFGate MCP Server and Ris MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose PDFGate MCP Server for legal work as a local process; choose Ris 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 PDFGate MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Legal domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
PDFGATE_API_KEY. - You want tools like
generate_pdf, upload_file, get_document.
Choose Ris when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Legal domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
ris_bundesrecht, ris_landesrecht, ris_judikatur.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Legal | Legal |
| Quality signal | 61/100 · Good | 63/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | Not declared |
| Pricing | BYOK (pay the provider) | Not declared |
| Required env vars | PDFGATE_API_KEY | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 19 |
| Directory activity | 5 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 24 | 13 |
| Full listing | View PDFGate MCP Server | View Ris |
Tools & capabilities
PDFGate MCP Server tools 24
generate_pdfGenerate a PDF from a URL or raw HTML. Provide either 'url' or 'html', not both.upload_fileUpload a PDF to PDFGate so it can be referenced by other operations. Provide either 'filePath' (local path) or 'url'.get_documentRetrieve metadata for a stored PDFGate document by its ID.delete_documentDelete a PDFGate document.flatten_pdfFlatten an interactive PDF into a static, non-editable PDF. Creates a new document; does not overwrite the original.extract_form_dataExtract form field values from a fillable PDF. Returns a JSON object mapping field names to their values.add_form_fieldsAdd interactive form fields to a stored PDF — from placeholder tags (refined via fieldOverrides) and/or explicitly positioned fields.compress_pdfCompress/optimise a PDF to reduce file size without changing visual content.protect_pdfEncrypt a PDF with a password and optional permission restrictions. Produces a new document; the original is unchanged.watermark_pdfApply a text or image watermark to a PDF. For type='text' provide 'text'; for type='image' provide 'watermarkImagePath'.download_fileDownload the raw PDF bytes of a stored document, returned as an embedded resource. For a shareable link instead, use get_document.create_envelopeCreate a signing envelope from one or more existing PDFGate documents. Each recipient is given either as email and name or as the recipientId of a stored recipient. Recipients marked embedded sign inside your application via create_embed_link and receive no emails. Use signingOrder to make recipients sign in sequence. Returns an envelope in 'created' status; call send_envelope to dispatch signing emails.- +12 more on the listing page
Ris tools 13
ris_bundesrechtSearch Austrian federal laws (Bundesrecht). Use this tool to find Austrian federal legislation like ABGB, StGB, UGB, etc. Search strategy: "titel" and "paragraph" are the precise entry points — prefer them whenever the law or the section is known ("paragraph" is ignored for applikation="Erv", the English translations). "suchworte" runs a broad full-text search and the RIS API returns those hits ordered alphabetically by law title, not by relevance, so a common term buries the relevant law under thousands of results. Austrian law often splits one topic across several statutes, so look for a companion law: warranty, for example, is covered both by the VGG (consumer sales, B2C, in force since 2022) and by §§ 922 ff ABGB (general warranty law, including B2B). Example queries: - suchworte="Mietrecht" -> Find laws mentioning rent law - titel="ABGB", paragraph="1295" -> Find specific ABGB section - titel="B-VG", paragraph="7", abschnitt_typ="Artikel" -> Article-based laws - titel="ABGB", fassung_vom="2015-01-01" -> Consolidated version as of a date - applikation="Begut" -> Search draft legislationris_landesrechtSearch Austrian state/provincial laws (Landesrecht). Use this tool to find laws enacted by Austrian federal states (Bundeslaender). Search strategy: "titel" and "paragraph" (together with "bundesland") are the precise entry points — prefer them whenever the law or the section is known. "suchworte" runs a broad full-text search and the RIS API returns those hits ordered alphabetically by law title, not by relevance, so a common term buries the relevant law under thousands of results. Austrian law often splits one topic across several statutes and across the federal/state divide — when the topic turns out to be federal rather than state law (warranty, for example, sits in the VGG and in §§ 922 ff ABGB), search it with ris_bundesrecht instead. Example queries: - suchworte="Bauordnung", bundesland="Salzburg" -> Find state building law - titel="Bauordnung", bundesland="Wien", paragraph="1" -> Specific section - suchworte="Naturschutz", bundesland="Tirol", fassung_vom="2020-01-01" -> Version as of a dateris_judikaturSearch Austrian court decisions (Judikatur). Use this tool to find court decisions from Austrian courts. Choose the jurisdiction via "gerichtsbarkeit" (which court system to search). RIS distinguishes two document kinds, controlled by "dokumenttyp": - Rechtssatz: abstract legal principle / headnote (Leitsatz) distilled from a decision - Entscheidungstext: the full decision text including reasoning (Begruendung) The default "beide" searches both for the most complete results. Example queries: - gerichtsbarkeit="Vfgh", suchworte="Grundrecht" -> Constitutional Court decisions - suchworte="Schadenersatz", gericht="OGH" -> Only Supreme Court (OGH) decisions - norm="1295 ABGB" -> Which decisions cite §1295 ABGB? - gerichtsbarkeit="Justiz", fachgebiet="Arbeitsrecht", sortierung="datum_ab" -> Newest labor-law decisionsris_bundesgesetzblattSearch Austrian Federal Law Gazettes (Bundesgesetzblatt). Use this tool for historical research and tracking when laws were enacted. Contains official publications of federal laws, ordinances, and treaties. Example queries: - bgblnummer="120", jahrgang="2023", teil="1" -> Find specific gazette - suchworte="Klimaschutz" -> Full-text search in gazettesris_landesgesetzblattSearch Austrian State Law Gazettes (Landesgesetzblatt). Use this tool to find official publications of state/provincial laws. Covers all 9 federal states (Bundeslaender). Example queries: - lgblnummer="50", jahrgang="2023", bundesland="Wien" - suchworte="Bauordnung", bundesland="Salzburg"ris_regierungsvorlagenSearch Austrian Government Bills (Regierungsvorlagen). Use this tool for legislative history and parliamentary materials. Contains government proposals submitted to parliament. Example queries: - suchworte="Klimaschutz" -> Full-text search in bills - einbringende_stelle="BMF (Bundesministerium für Finanzen)" -> Bills from Finance Ministry - beschlussdatum_von="2024-01-01", beschlussdatum_bis="2024-12-31" -> Bills from 2024ris_dokumentRetrieve full text of a legal document. Use this after searching to load the complete text of a specific law or decision. Note: For long documents, content may be truncated. Use specific searches to narrow down.ris_dokument_abschnittReturn one section of a document already open in the RIS document viewer. Intended for the viewer widget, not for direct use — for the full text of a document use `ris_dokument`.ris_bezirkeSearch Austrian district administrative authority announcements (Kundmachungen der Bezirksverwaltungsbehörden). Use this tool to find announcements and ordinances from district administrative authorities. Note: Only certain states publish here: Niederösterreich, Oberösterreich, Tirol, Vorarlberg, Burgenland, Steiermark. Example queries: - bundesland="Niederösterreich", suchworte="Bauordnung" - bezirksverwaltungsbehoerde="Bezirkshauptmannschaft Innsbruck"ris_gemeindenSearch Austrian municipal law (Gemeinderecht). Use this tool to find municipal regulations and local ordinances. Applications: - Gr: Municipal law (Gemeinderecht) - default - GrA: Cross-border municipal law (Gemeinderecht Authentisch/Amtsblätter) Example queries: - gemeinde="Graz", suchworte="Parkgebuehren" - bundesland="Tirol", titel="Gebuehrenordnung" - applikation="Gr", index="Baurecht" - applikation="GrA", bezirk="Bregenz"ris_sonstigeSearch miscellaneous Austrian legal collections (Sonstige). Use this tool for specialized legal documents and historical materials. Available applications: - PruefGewO: Trade licensing examinations (Gewerbeordnung) - Avsv: Social insurance announcements (Sozialversicherung) - Spg: Health structure plans (Strukturpläne Gesundheit) - Avn: Official veterinary notices (Amtliche Veterinärnachrichten) - KmGer: Court announcements (Kundmachungen der Gerichte) - Upts: Party transparency decisions (Parteien-Transparenz-Senat) - Mrp: Council of Ministers protocols (Ministerratsprotokolle) - Erlaesse: Ministerial decrees (Erlässe der Bundesministerien) Example queries: - applikation="Mrp", suchworte="Budget", einbringer="BMF..." - applikation="Erlaesse", bundesministerium="Bundesministerium für Finanzen" - applikation="Upts", partei="SPÖ - Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs" - applikation="KmGer", kmger_typ="Geschaeftsordnung" - applikation="Avsv", dokumentart="Richtlinie"ris_historySearch document change history (Aenderungshistorie). Use this tool to track changes to legal documents over time. Shows when documents were created, modified, or deleted. Available applications (30 total): - Bundesrecht: Bundesnormen, BgblAuth, BgblAlt, BgblPdf, RegV - Landesrecht: Landesnormen, LgblAuth, Lgbl, LgblNO, Vbl, Gemeinderecht, GemeinderechtAuth - Judikatur: Justiz, Vfgh, Vwgh, Bvwg, Lvwg, Dsk, Gbk, Pvak, AsylGH - Sonstige: Bvb, Mrp, Erlaesse, PruefGewO, Avsv, Spg, KmGer, Dok, Normenliste Example queries: - applikation="Bundesnormen", aenderungen_von="2024-01-01", aenderungen_bis="2024-01-31" - applikation="Justiz", aenderungen_von="2024-06-01"- +1 more on the listing page
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.
PDFGate MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-server-37": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pdfgate/mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"PDFGATE_API_KEY": "YOUR_PDFGATE_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Ris
{
"mcpServers": {
"ris": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"ris-mcp-ts"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
PDFGate MCP Server is categorized under Legal and uses a local stdio subprocess. Ris belongs to Legal and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick PDFGate MCP Server for legal work and Ris 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.
PDFGate MCP Server is bring-your-own-key: usage is billed by the API provider you supply a key for. Auth: api key required. Ris 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 mcp-server-37 and ris as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, PDFGate MCP Server has a quality signal of 61/100 (Good) with 5 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Ris has 63/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 19 GitHub stars.