North Dakota Code vs Canlii MCP
A side-by-side look at the North Dakota Code 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 North Dakota Code 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 North Dakota Code when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Legal domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
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 | 45/100 · Fair | 59/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | API key required |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | CANLII_APIPORTMCP_AUTH_TOKEN |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 7 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 5 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | 7 |
| Full listing | View North Dakota Code | View Canlii MCP |
Tools & capabilities
North Dakota Code tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
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.
North Dakota Code
{
"mcpServers": {
"north-dakota-code": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-north-dakota-code"
]
}
}
}
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
North Dakota Code is categorized under Legal and uses a local stdio subprocess. Canlii MCP belongs to Legal and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick North Dakota Code 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.
North Dakota Code is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. 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 north-dakota-code and vaquill-ai-canlii-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, North Dakota Code has a quality signal of 45/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Canlii MCP has 59/100 (Good) with 5 views, 0 installs and 7 GitHub stars.