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Search Austrian Case Law

ris_search_case_law
Read-onlyIdempotent

Search Austrian case law (Judikatur) in ONE court or tribunal per call — court is required: vfgh (Constitutional Court), vwgh (Supreme Administrative Court), justiz (ordinary courts incl. OGH, selected decisions), bvwg (federal administrative), lvwg (state administrative), dsk (data protection authority), normenliste (VwGH norm index), dok, pvak, gbk, verg, upts (party transparency), and the historical uvs, asylgh, ubas, umse, bks. Cross-court research is one call per court (calls are cheap); historical bodies are closed windows with successors — codes, windows, and Geschäftszahl examples: ris_list_reference topic courts. Filter by full-text query, cited norm ("DSG §1", "DSGVO Art32" — the highest-value filter), exact case_number (Geschäftszahl), decision date range, decision_type (headnote vs full text), decision_kind, or the court-conditional filters: issuing_body (dsk/dok/pvak/verg), court_name/legal_area/subject_area (justiz), state (lvwg/uvs), party (upts), commission/senate/discrimination_ground (gbk), subject_law (bks), collection_number (vfgh/vwgh/uvs). For a known Geschäftszahl or VfSlg/VwSlg cite, ris_lookup_citation resolves it directly.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
normNoCited-provision filter (Norm) — "DSG §1", "DSGVO Art32", "GewO 1994 §129", matching the format returned in norms_cited. The highest-value case-law filter. Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected.
pageNo1-based result page. Default 1.
courtYesWhich court/tribunal application to search — one per call. Codes, coverage windows, and successor mapping: ris_list_reference topic courts.
partyNoPolitical party the decision concerns (upts only). Documented values: ÖVP, SPÖ, FPÖ, KPÖ, BZÖ, Team Stronach — the filter is full-text, and further party names appear in live data (e.g. "Wandel"). Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected.
queryNoFull-text search over decisions (Suchworte). Boolean UND/ODER/NICHT or AND/OR/NOT, quoted phrases, trailing-only * wildcard. Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected.
stateNoWhich of the nine state administrative courts/senates to search (lvwg and uvs only).
senateNoCommission senate (gbk only).
sort_byNoSort column. Default: upstream order. Not available for court: normenliste, which indexes laws rather than decisions.
page_sizeNoDocuments per page: 10 or 20 (default 20). For more results, keep the size and raise page.
commissionNoEqual-treatment commission (gbk only): federal (Bundes-Gleichbehandlungskommission) or general (Gleichbehandlungskommission).
court_nameNoFilter within the ordinary courts (justiz only) — "OGH", "OLG Wien", "LG Linz". Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected.
decided_toNoLatest decision date (YYYY-MM-DD).
legal_areaNoLegal area (Rechtsgebiet, justiz only): civil (Zivilrecht) or criminal (Strafrecht).
case_numberNoExact Geschäftszahl — returns that decision’s documents. Formats differ per court (examples: ris_list_reference topic courts). Not available for normenliste. Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected.
subject_lawNoMedia statute the case concerns (Bereich, bks only) — e.g. "ORF-Gesetz", "Privatradiogesetz". Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected.
decided_fromNoEarliest decision date (YYYY-MM-DD). Not available for normenliste.
issuing_bodyNoDeciding body (EntscheidendeBehoerde) — dsk, dok, pvak, and verg only. dsk: Datenschutzbehoerde (2014+) or Datenschutzkommission (up to 2013). Full value lists: ris_list_reference topic issuing_bodies. Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected.
subject_areaNoSubject-area taxonomy filter (Fachgebiet, justiz only) — 39 exact German values like "Datenschutzrecht", validated locally: ris_list_reference topic justiz_subject_areas. The corpus carries no tagged documents yet (every value returns 0 hits, verified 2026-07-05) — filter with query or norm instead until RIS populates the tags. Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected.
changed_sinceNoCoarse recency filter — decisions changed in RIS within the interval. For exact windows use ris_track_changes.
decision_kindNoDecision kind (Entscheidungsart) — per-court value sets, validated locally: ris_list_reference topic decision_kinds. No such parameter exists for normenliste, dok, pvak, umse, bks, or upts. For justiz the four documented values are not yet populated in the corpus (every value returns 0 hits, verified 2026-07-05) — filter justiz with query or norm instead. Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected.
decision_typeNoSearch headnotes (Rechtssätze), full decision texts (Entscheidungstexte), or both (all, the default). Not available for gbk, upts, or normenliste.all
sort_directionNoSort direction; applies with sort_by.
collection_numberNoOfficial collection number (Sammlungsnummer). vfgh, vwgh, and uvs only, and the accepted form differs: vfgh and uvs store the bare number and match it dotted or undotted ("19632", "19.632"), while vwgh stores the full labelled undotted cite — pass "VwSlg 18000 A/2010", or the space-anchored prefix "VwSlg 18000 *" when the part letter or year is unknown. A bare or dotted number matches nothing under vwgh. Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected.
discrimination_groundNoDiscrimination ground (gbk only): Alter (age), EthnischeZugehoerigkeit (ethnic origin), Geschlecht (gender/sex), Mehrfachdiskriminierung (multiple grounds), Religion (religion), SexuelleOrientierung (sexual orientation), Weltanschauung (worldview/belief). Upstream German enum values, sent verbatim.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
pageNo1-based page number RIS served.
errorNoPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
noticeNoZero-hit guidance — names the likely cause and the concrete next call.
resultsNoMatching documents for the requested page — decisions, or indexed laws under court normenliste. Totals and paging in enrichment.
pageSizeNoPage size RIS applied.
truncatedNoPresent and true when more pages exist beyond this one — raise page to continue.
totalCountNoTotal matching documents across all pages.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed24 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / case_number / description
      Previous value: -"Exact Geschäftszahl — returns that decision’s documents. Formats differ per court (examples: ris_list_reference topic courts). Not available for normenliste."New value: +"Exact Geschäftszahl — returns that decision’s documents. Formats differ per court (examples: ris_list_reference topic courts). Not available for normenliste. Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected."
    • addedInput schema / properties / case_number / pattern
      Added value: +"\\S"
    • changedInput schema / properties / collection_number / description
      Previous value: -"Official collection number (Sammlungsnummer). vfgh, vwgh, and uvs only, and the accepted form differs: vfgh and uvs store the bare number and match it dotted or undotted (\"19632\", \"19.632\"), while vwgh stores the full labelled undotted cite — pass \"VwSlg 18000 A/2010\", or the space-anchored prefix \"VwSlg 18000 *\" when the part letter or year is unknown. A bare or dotted number matches nothing under vwgh."New value: +"Official collection number (Sammlungsnummer). vfgh, vwgh, and uvs only, and the accepted form differs: vfgh and uvs store the bare number and match it dotted or undotted (\"19632\", \"19.632\"), while vwgh stores the full labelled undotted cite — pass \"VwSlg 18000 A/2010\", or the space-anchored prefix \"VwSlg 18000 *\" when the part letter or year is unknown. A bare or dotted number matches nothing under vwgh. Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected."
    • addedInput schema / properties / collection_number / pattern
      Added value: +"\\S"
    • changedInput schema / properties / court_name / description
      Previous value: -"Filter within the ordinary courts (justiz only) — \"OGH\", \"OLG Wien\", \"LG Linz\"."New value: +"Filter within the ordinary courts (justiz only) — \"OGH\", \"OLG Wien\", \"LG Linz\". Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected."
    • addedInput schema / properties / court_name / pattern
      Added value: +"\\S"
    • changedInput schema / properties / decision_kind / description
      Previous value: -"Decision kind (Entscheidungsart) — per-court value sets, validated locally: ris_list_reference topic decision_kinds. No such parameter exists for normenliste, dok, pvak, umse, bks, or upts. For justiz the four documented values are not yet populated in the corpus (every value returns 0 hits, verified 2026-07-05) — filter justiz with query or norm instead."New value: +"Decision kind (Entscheidungsart) — per-court value sets, validated locally: ris_list_reference topic decision_kinds. No such parameter exists for normenliste, dok, pvak, umse, bks, or upts. For justiz the four documented values are not yet populated in the corpus (every value returns 0 hits, verified 2026-07-05) — filter justiz with query or norm instead. Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected."
    • addedInput schema / properties / decision_kind / pattern
      Added value: +"\\S"
    • changedInput schema / properties / issuing_body / description
      Previous value: -"Deciding body (EntscheidendeBehoerde) — dsk, dok, pvak, and verg only. dsk: Datenschutzbehoerde (2014+) or Datenschutzkommission (up to 2013). Full value lists: ris_list_reference topic issuing_bodies."New value: +"Deciding body (EntscheidendeBehoerde) — dsk, dok, pvak, and verg only. dsk: Datenschutzbehoerde (2014+) or Datenschutzkommission (up to 2013). Full value lists: ris_list_reference topic issuing_bodies. Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected."
    • addedInput schema / properties / issuing_body / pattern
      Added value: +"\\S"
    • changedInput schema / properties / norm / description
      Previous value: -"Cited-provision filter (Norm) — \"DSG §1\", \"DSGVO Art32\", \"GewO 1994 §129\", matching the format returned in norms_cited. The highest-value case-law filter."New value: +"Cited-provision filter (Norm) — \"DSG §1\", \"DSGVO Art32\", \"GewO 1994 §129\", matching the format returned in norms_cited. The highest-value case-law filter. Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected."
    • addedInput schema / properties / norm / pattern
      Added value: +"\\S"
    • removedInput schema / properties / page_size / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "const": 10,
      -    "type": "number"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "const": 20,
      -    "type": "number"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "const": 50,
      -    "type": "number"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "const": 100,
      -    "type": "number"
      -  }
      -]
    • changedInput schema / properties / page_size / description
      Previous value: -"Documents per page — RIS accepts 10, 20, 50, or 100. Default 20."New value: +"Documents per page: 10 or 20 (default 20). For more results, keep the size and raise page."
    • addedInput schema / properties / page_size / enum
      Added value: +[
      +  10,
      +  20
      +]
    • addedInput schema / properties / page_size / type
      Added value: +"number"
    • changedInput schema / properties / party / description
      Previous value: -"Political party the decision concerns (upts only). Documented values: ÖVP, SPÖ, FPÖ, KPÖ, BZÖ, Team Stronach — the filter is full-text, and further party names appear in live data (e.g. \"Wandel\")."New value: +"Political party the decision concerns (upts only). Documented values: ÖVP, SPÖ, FPÖ, KPÖ, BZÖ, Team Stronach — the filter is full-text, and further party names appear in live data (e.g. \"Wandel\"). Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected."
    • addedInput schema / properties / party / pattern
      Added value: +"\\S"
    • changedInput schema / properties / query / description
      Previous value: -"Full-text search over decisions (Suchworte). Boolean UND/ODER/NICHT or AND/OR/NOT, quoted phrases, trailing-only * wildcard."New value: +"Full-text search over decisions (Suchworte). Boolean UND/ODER/NICHT or AND/OR/NOT, quoted phrases, trailing-only * wildcard. Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected."
    • addedInput schema / properties / query / pattern
      Added value: +"\\S"
    • changedInput schema / properties / subject_area / description
      Previous value: -"Subject-area taxonomy filter (Fachgebiet, justiz only) — 39 exact German values like \"Datenschutzrecht\", validated locally: ris_list_reference topic justiz_subject_areas. The corpus carries no tagged documents yet (every value returns 0 hits, verified 2026-07-05) — filter with query or norm instead until RIS populates the tags."New value: +"Subject-area taxonomy filter (Fachgebiet, justiz only) — 39 exact German values like \"Datenschutzrecht\", validated locally: ris_list_reference topic justiz_subject_areas. The corpus carries no tagged documents yet (every value returns 0 hits, verified 2026-07-05) — filter with query or norm instead until RIS populates the tags. Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected."
    • addedInput schema / properties / subject_area / pattern
      Added value: +"\\S"
    • changedInput schema / properties / subject_law / description
      Previous value: -"Media statute the case concerns (Bereich, bks only) — e.g. \"ORF-Gesetz\", \"Privatradiogesetz\"."New value: +"Media statute the case concerns (Bereich, bks only) — e.g. \"ORF-Gesetz\", \"Privatradiogesetz\". Omit to leave unfiltered; a blank value is rejected."
    • addedInput schema / properties / subject_law / pattern
      Added value: +"\\S"
  2. Changed6 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / $schema
      Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"
    • addedInput schema / additionalProperties
      Added value: +false
    • changedOutput schema / $schema
      Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"
    • addedOutput schema / anyOf
      Added value: +[
      +  {
      +    "not": {
      +      "required": [
      +        "error"
      +      ]
      +    },
      +    "required": [
      +      "results",
      +      "totalCount",
      +      "page",
      +      "pageSize"
      +    ]
      +  },
      +  {
      +    "required": [
      +      "error"
      +    ]
      +  }
      +]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / error
      Added value: +{
      +  "additionalProperties": {},
      +  "description": "Present when the call failed. Absent on success.",
      +  "properties": {
      +    "code": {
      +      "description": "JSON-RPC error code for this failure.",
      +      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +      "minimum": -9007199254740991,
      +      "type": "integer"
      +    },
      +    "data": {
      +      "additionalProperties": {},
      +      "properties": {
      +        "reason": {
      +          "description": "Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `court_filter_mismatch`: A court-conditional filter was sent with the wrong court, or case_number/dates/decision_type were sent with normenliste (a norm index, not decisions) — rejected locally before any upstream call; the message names the offending pair. `invalid_query`: A page past the last page of results, or a parameter value that failed validation — decision_kind/subject_area checked locally against the reference tables, sort_by rejected locally because court normenliste indexes laws rather than decisions, or RIS rejected the value in-band (message passed through verbatim, in German, and it does not name the page). `upstream_error`: RIS is unreachable, returned a server error, or served an HTML error page. `upstream_timeout`: RIS did not answer the search within the request deadline. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler.",
      +          "examples": [
      +            "court_filter_mismatch",
      +            "invalid_query",
      +            "upstream_error",
      +            "upstream_timeout"
      +          ],
      +          "type": "string"
      +        },
      +        "recovery": {
      +          "additionalProperties": {},
      +          "description": "Actionable next step for the caller.",
      +          "properties": {
      +            "hint": {
      +              "type": "string"
      +            }
      +          },
      +          "required": [
      +            "hint"
      +          ],
      +          "type": "object"
      +        },
      +        "retryable": {
      +          "description": "Whether retrying may succeed.",
      +          "type": "boolean"
      +        }
      +      },
      +      "type": "object"
      +    },
      +    "message": {
      +      "description": "Human-readable description of what went wrong.",
      +      "type": "string"
      +    }
      +  },
      +  "required": [
      +    "code",
      +    "message"
      +  ],
      +  "type": "object"
      +}
    • removedOutput schema / required
      Removed value: -[
      -  "results",
      -  "totalCount",
      -  "page",
      -  "pageSize"
      -]
  3. Changed1 schema field changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / sort_by / description
      Previous value: -"Sort column. Default: upstream order."New value: +"Sort column. Default: upstream order. Not available for court: normenliste, which indexes laws rather than decisions."
  4. Changed1 schema field changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / collection_number / description
      Previous value: -"Official collection number (Sammlungsnummer) — VfSlg/VwSlg cites. vfgh, vwgh, and uvs only."New value: +"Official collection number (Sammlungsnummer). vfgh, vwgh, and uvs only, and the accepted form differs: vfgh and uvs store the bare number and match it dotted or undotted (\"19632\", \"19.632\"), while vwgh stores the full labelled undotted cite — pass \"VwSlg 18000 A/2010\", or the space-anchored prefix \"VwSlg 18000 *\" when the part letter or year is unknown. A bare or dotted number matches nothing under vwgh."
  5. Changed2 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / decided_from / pattern
      Previous value: -"^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}$"New value: +"^\\d{4}-(?:0[1-9]|1[0-2])-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|3[01])$"
    • changedInput schema / properties / decided_to / pattern
      Previous value: -"^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}$"New value: +"^\\d{4}-(?:0[1-9]|1[0-2])-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|3[01])$"
  6. Changed7 schema fields changed
    • changedOutput schema / properties / results / description
      Previous value: -"Matching decision documents for the requested page. Totals and paging in enrichment."New value: +"Matching documents for the requested page — decisions, or indexed laws under court normenliste. Totals and paging in enrichment."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / description
      Previous value: -"One decision document (headnote or full text) from the selected court."New value: +"One document from the selected court — a decision (headnote or full text), or, under court normenliste, one law of the VwGH norm index (see norm_index)."
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / indexes
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Systematik classification entries (Indizes) — the same taxonomy ris_search_legislation filters on, so an entry copied here finds the consolidated law around the decision. Carried by vfgh, vwgh, lvwg, uvs, umse, and normenliste; empty for the rest.",
      +  "items": {
      +    "description": "One Systematik index entry, e.g. \"10/10 Datenschutz\".",
      +    "type": "string"
      +  },
      +  "type": "array"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / norm_index
      Added value: +{
      +  "additionalProperties": false,
      +  "description": "The law this record indexes. Present only for court normenliste (the VwGH norm index); absent for the sixteen deciding courts, whose records describe a decision instead.",
      +  "properties": {
      +    "abbreviation": {
      +      "description": "Citable short form the VwGH uses for the law, e.g. \"DSG 2000\", \"HlG 1989\", \"KFGNov 21te\".",
      +      "type": "string"
      +    },
      +    "reference": {
      +      "description": "Promulgation reference of the law (Fundstelle), e.g. \"BGBl I 165/1999\" — resolve it with ris_search_gazette or ris_lookup_citation.",
      +      "type": "string"
      +    },
      +    "title": {
      +      "description": "Full title of the law as the index records it (Titel) — often several lines, carrying the parliamentary references and originating gazette.",
      +      "type": "string"
      +    },
      +    "type": {
      +      "description": "Norm type code (BG, V, K, …) — glossary: ris_list_reference topic law_types.",
      +      "type": "string"
      +    }
      +  },
      +  "type": "object"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / note
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Annotation (Anmerkung) — a renaming or lifecycle note on a normenliste law, an editorial note on a justiz or dsk decision.",
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / state
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Bundesland whose administrative court decided (lvwg and uvs records) — the German name, e.g. \"Tirol\".",
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / required
      Previous value: -[
      -  "document_number",
      -  "court",
      -  "case_numbers",
      -  "norms_cited",
      -  "content_urls"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "document_number",
      +  "court",
      +  "case_numbers",
      +  "norms_cited",
      +  "indexes",
      +  "content_urls"
      +]
  7. First observed

TDQS

A5/5.0
Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already signal readOnly/openWorld/idempotent, but the description adds richer behavioral context: per-court parameter unavailability (e.g., 'Not available for normenliste'), verified data gaps ('every value returns 0 hits, verified 2026-07-05'), and distinct collection-number matching rules for vfgh/vwgh/uvs. No contradictions with annotations.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Despite its length, the description is densely packed with no filler. The opening sentence front-loads the core constraint, the court enum is presented compactly, and each subsequent clause contributes a new constraint, caveat, or alternative. The structure mirrors the tool's natural decision process: pick court, then filters, then special cases.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given the tool's 24 parameters, output schema presence, and high complexity, the description fully covers court selection, filter semantics, availability caveats, historical windows, and sibling tool handoffs. Nothing an agent needs to decide when to invoke this tool or how to invoke it correctly is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters5/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so baseline is 3, but the description adds meaning far beyond the schema: identifies norm as 'the highest-value filter', clarifies court-conditional filter usage, and supplies data availability proofs for subject_area and decision_kind. It also explains collection_number formatting differences, which the schema alone leaves ambiguous.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description states a specific verb ('Search'), a well-defined resource ('Austrian case law (Judikatur)'), and a critical scoping rule ('in ONE court or tribunal per call — court is required'). It enumerates all court codes, making the search domain unambiguous. It also differentiates from a sibling by directing known-instrument lookups to ris_lookup_citation.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explicitly names ris_lookup_citation as the right choice for known Geschäftszahl or VfSlg/VwSlg citations, advises on cross-court research strategy ('one call per court; calls are cheap'), and routes code/window definitions to ris_list_reference. It also warns about historical body coverage ('closed windows with successors'). This is clear when-to-use and when-not-to-use guidance.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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