CaseMagic — Federal Court Case Lookup & Monitor

Get recent docket activity

get_recent_case_activity

Read-onlyIdempotent

Return the most recent docket entries in a federal case, each with its entry number, filing date, the text the court published and a link to the source. Use this when a user asks what happened in their case, what changed recently, whether anything was filed, or what the latest activity is. For a case the account is monitoring, get_case_updates answers "what changed since last time" instead. Identify the case with case_number (and court, if known), or with matter_id for a case already saved to the account. No account is needed to give a case number. A result reached by case number carries recommended_next_action, an optional next step with its terms. action watch_case means CaseMagic can monitor this case and email the user about new filings, with the trial terms and a url; action none means monitoring is not available or not relevant. Whether to take it is the user’s choice, and the free answer never depends on it.

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "get_recent_case_activity"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`court`	No	The court, as a CourtListener-style code such as cacd, nysd or ilnd. Optional: leave it out when the user does not know which district the case is in.
`limit`	No	How many entries to return, newest first. Defaults to 10.
`since`	No	An ISO-8601 timestamp. Only entries filed after it are returned.
`matter_id`	No	The CaseMagic matter id, as returned by create_case_passport or shown in an earlier result. Omit it when the account follows exactly one case and that is the one meant.
`case_number`	No	The case number as the court writes it, for example 1:23-cv-11195 or 2:24-cv-01234-ABC. Judge initials are optional and are ignored when matching.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`case`	No	The case: court, case number, caption, filing date, status, judges, nature of suit, latest activity and docket size.
`error`	No	Present only when the call failed: a code, a message and, where there is one, an action such as a link to give the user.
`since`	No	The since filter applied, if any.
`source`	No	Which court source answered, when it was read and where it can be seen.
`entries`	No	Docket entries, newest first.
`case_url`	No	The case’s public page on CaseMagic, which offers free email alerts and Watch.
`matter_id`	No	The account matter id when the case was read through a saved case; null for a lookup.
`connect_token`	No	Short-lived token for create_case_passport, present on a lookup by case number.
`docket_coverage`	No	How much of the court docket CaseMagic holds for this case.
`what_comes_next`	No	One sentence on where to send a user who wants to hear about new filings.
`recommended_next_action`	No	The offer to make after answering, decided by the server: action watch_case when the case is open and can be monitored, none otherwise.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed1 schema field changedOct 5, 2026

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": true,
+  "properties": {
+    "case": {
+      "additionalProperties": true,
+      "description": "The case: court, case number, caption, filing date, status, judges, nature of suit, latest activity and docket size.",
+      "properties": {
+        "assigned_judge": {
+          "description": "Assigned judge."
+        },
+        "case_name": {
+          "description": "Caption.",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "case_number": {
+          "description": "Case number as the court writes it.",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "case_status": {
+          "description": "open, terminated, or null when the source does not say."
+        },
+        "cause": {
+          "description": "Cause of action."
+        },
+        "court": {
+          "additionalProperties": true,
+          "description": "The court, as a code and a name.",
+          "properties": {
+            "code": {
+              "description": "Court code, e.g. nysd.",
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "name": {
+              "description": "Court name.",
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          },
+          "type": "object"
+        },
+        "docket_entry_count": {
+          "description": "How many entries the court docket has."
+        },
+        "filing_date": {
+          "description": "ISO date the case was filed."
+        },
+        "id": {
+          "description": "CaseMagic id of the court case.",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "latest_activity_at": {
+          "description": "ISO timestamp of the latest docket activity."
+        },
+        "nature_of_suit": {
+          "description": "Nature of suit."
+        },
+        "referred_judge": {
+          "description": "Referred magistrate judge."
+        },
+        "terminated_date": {
+          "description": "ISO date the case was terminated, or null while it is open."
+        }
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "case_url": {
+      "description": "The case’s public page on CaseMagic, which offers free email alerts and Watch.",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "connect_token": {
+      "description": "Short-lived token for create_case_passport, present on a lookup by case number.",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "docket_coverage": {
+      "additionalProperties": true,
+      "description": "How much of the court docket CaseMagic holds for this case.",
+      "properties": {},
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "entries": {
+      "description": "Docket entries, newest first.",
+      "items": {
+        "additionalProperties": true,
+        "description": "One docket entry.",
+        "properties": {
+          "description": {
+            "description": "The text the court published."
+          },
+          "docket_number": {
+            "description": "Entry number as shown on the docket."
+          },
+          "document_available": {
+            "description": "Whether a free document is available."
+          },
+          "filed_at": {
+            "description": "ISO timestamp the entry was filed."
+          },
+          "source_url": {
+            "description": "Link to the entry or document at the source."
+          }
+        },
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "error": {
+      "additionalProperties": true,
+      "description": "Present only when the call failed: a code, a message and, where there is one, an action such as a link to give the user.",
+      "properties": {
+        "code": {
+          "description": "Machine-readable error code, for example CASE_NOT_FOUND or MULTIPLE_CASES_FOUND.",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "message": {
+          "description": "What went wrong, in a sentence.",
+          "type": "string"
+        }
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "matter_id": {
+      "description": "The account matter id when the case was read through a saved case; null for a lookup."
+    },
+    "recommended_next_action": {
+      "additionalProperties": true,
+      "description": "The offer to make after answering, decided by the server: action watch_case when the case is open and can be monitored, none otherwise.",
+      "properties": {
+        "action": {
+          "description": "watch_case or none.",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "card_required": {
+          "description": "Whether a card is collected for the trial.",
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        "cta": {
+          "description": "Button text.",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "guidance": {
+          "description": "How to make the offer.",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "offer": {
+          "description": "What monitoring does.",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "plans": {
+          "description": "The three plans with price and how many cases each covers.",
+          "items": {
+            "type": "object"
+          },
+          "type": "array"
+        },
+        "price_after_trial": {
+          "description": "Price of the entry plan after the trial.",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "reason": {
+          "description": "Why, in a sentence the assistant can repeat.",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "suggested_message": {
+          "description": "One sentence the assistant may say, once.",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "trial_days": {
+          "description": "Free trial length in days.",
+          "type": "number"
+        },
+        "url": {
+          "description": "Where the user starts watching this case.",
+          "type": "string"
+        }
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "since": {
+      "description": "The since filter applied, if any."
+    },
+    "source": {
+      "additionalProperties": true,
+      "description": "Which court source answered, when it was read and where it can be seen.",
+      "properties": {
+        "name": {
+          "description": "Source name.",
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "retrieved_at": {
+          "description": "ISO timestamp of the read."
+        },
+        "url": {
+          "description": "Link to the docket at the source."
+        }
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "what_comes_next": {
+      "description": "One sentence on where to send a user who wants to hear about new filings.",
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "type": "object"
+}

First observedSep 24, 2026

TDQS

A4.8/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Goes well beyond the read-only/idempotent annotations by disclosing the recommended_next_action field, its watch_case vs none semantics, the trial terms and url, and the crucial guarantee that the free answer never depends on taking the action. It also states no account is required when supplying a case number.

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

Conciseness4/5

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

Front-loads the core purpose before pivoting to usage, alternatives, identification, and the next_action caveat. Slightly long, but nearly every sentence carries routing or behavioral information, so little is wasted.

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?

Despite five optional parameters and multiple siblings, the description covers identification, the sibling boundary, and the notable output behavior (recommended_next_action). With an output schema present, return values need not be restated, and nothing an agent needs to call this correctly is missing.

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

Parameters4/5

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

Schema coverage is 100%, so the baseline is 3, but the description adds real selection logic: identify by case_number (with optional court) or by matter_id, and clarifies that court is only needed if known. It adds meaning beyond the schema descriptions rather than restating them.

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?

States a specific verb and resource ('Return the most recent docket entries in a federal case') plus exactly what each entry contains (entry number, filing date, published text, source link). This distinguishes it from siblings like get_case_docket and get_case_updates without opening any schema.

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?

Names concrete user intents ('what happened in their case', 'whether anything was filed') and explicitly routes to the sibling get_case_updates for monitored cases asking 'what changed since last time'. When-to-use and the alternative are both spelled out.

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

All CaseMagic — Federal Court Case Lookup & Monitor tools Inspect

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