# CanLII

Connects AI assistants to the CanLII database for Canadian case law and statutory metadata across federal and provincial jurisdictions.

- MCP server · `type=mcp` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (Devin Desktop), Cline, Zed, Gemini CLI · ★ 7
- Author: Vaquill-AI
- License: MIT · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/Vaquill-AI/canlii-mcp
- Updated: 2026-09-14
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/canlii

## What it does

The server exposes endpoints to query Canadian courts, administrative tribunals, and statutory databases through the Model Context Protocol. It retrieves decision titles, keywords, formal dates, and cross-citation links between legal authorities.

The API does not return full texts. The system strictly yields metadata and citation links. Every request requires an individual CanLII API token, so queries count directly against your personal quota of 5,000 daily calls.

You can connect directly to the hosted HTTP endpoint at `https://canlii-mcp.vaquill.ai/mcp`. Self-hosting is also supported on Node.js 22, Docker environments, or Cloudflare Workers.

## Requirements
- Remote server: `https://canlii-mcp.vaquill.ai/mcp`

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

**Platform CLI: remote server**
```bash
claude mcp add --transport http canlii https://canlii-mcp.vaquill.ai/mcp
```

### Codex

**Platform CLI: remote server**
```bash
codex mcp add canlii --url https://canlii-mcp.vaquill.ai/mcp
```

### Cursor

**Config file**
File `.cursor/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "canlii": {
            "url": "https://canlii-mcp.vaquill.ai/mcp"
        }
    }
}
```

### GitHub Copilot

**Config file**
File `.vscode/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "servers": {
        "canlii": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://canlii-mcp.vaquill.ai/mcp"
        }
    }
}
```

### Gemini CLI

**Platform CLI: remote server**
```bash
gemini mcp add -t http canlii https://canlii-mcp.vaquill.ai/mcp
```

## When to use it
- Query Canadian court and tribunal database registries
- Trace citations and precedents referencing a specific decision
- Inspect statute and regulation metadata across provinces
- Retrieve keywords and judgment dates for legal records

## Example prompts
- List all Canadian tribunal and court databases available in CanLII.
- Retrieve citation records and referenced legislation for this decision.
- Look up metadata and subject keywords for the specified case.

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NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md