Melta UI vs Canlii MCP
A side-by-side look at the Melta UI and Canlii MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Melta UI for legal work as a local process; choose Canlii MCP 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 Melta UI when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Legal domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
get_token, get_component, check_rule.
Choose Canlii MCP 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:
CANLII_API, PORT, MCP_AUTH_TOKEN. - You want tools like
list_case_databases, list_cases, get_case.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Legal | Legal |
| Quality signal | 69/100 · Great | 59/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | API key required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | CANLII_APIPORTMCP_AUTH_TOKEN |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 202 | 7 |
| Directory activity | 4 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 5 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 6 | 7 |
| Full listing | View Melta UI | View Canlii MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Melta UI tools 6
get_tokenGet a design token by dot-path. Returns the token object with its value and class mapping.get_componentGet component metadata including variants, sizes, accessibility requirements, HTML sample, per-state specs (stateSpecs: disabled/loading/open/empty etc. — each with delta class strings + aria changes), and anatomy parts (overlay/container/th etc. with element/roles/class). Prefer these structured fields over inferring states from the HTML sample.check_ruleCheck class strings against this design system's prohibition rules. Returns violations with reasons and alternatives.check_htmlLint a full HTML/JSX source against melta-ui rules — the same checks as CI and the PostToolUse hook (class rules + html-attr rules + composition rules for HTML). Use this AFTER generating UI code to self-verify before presenting it. Response always includes coverage info (manual rules cannot be auto-checked).searchSearch across tokens and components by keyword. Matches against names, values, class strings, and descriptions. Returns up to 20 results (truncated flag when more matched).get_rulesGet melta-ui prohibition rules from rules.json (107 total). Use this to retrieve manual/contextual rules that check_rule cannot auto-detect. Supports filtering by category, severity, or detector.
Canlii MCP tools 7
list_case_databasesList all courts and tribunals in the CanLII collectionlist_casesBrowse decisions from a specific court/tribunal databaseget_caseGet metadata for a specific case (title, citation, date, keywords)get_case_citationsGet cases cited by a case, cases citing it, or legislation it referenceslist_legislation_databasesList all statute and regulation databaseslist_legislationBrowse statutes or regulations from a specific databaseget_legislationGet metadata for a specific piece of legislation
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.
Melta UI
{
"mcpServers": {
"melta-ui": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"melta-ds-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Canlii MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"vaquill-ai-canlii-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@tomilashy/canlii-mcp"
],
"env": {
"CANLII_API": "YOUR_CANLII_API_HERE",
"PORT": "YOUR_PORT_HERE",
"MCP_AUTH_TOKEN": "YOUR_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Melta UI is categorized under Legal and uses a local stdio subprocess. Canlii MCP belongs to Legal and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Melta UI for legal work and Canlii MCP 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.
Melta UI has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Canlii MCP is listed as free. Auth: api key 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 melta-ui and vaquill-ai-canlii-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Melta UI has a quality signal of 69/100 (Great) with 4 views, 0 installs and 202 GitHub stars. Canlii MCP has 59/100 (Good) with 5 views, 0 installs and 7 GitHub stars.