Patent PreCheck
OfficialThis server lets you assess the patentability of source code or invention descriptions using USPTO statutory criteria, with no API key required.
precheck_score: Analyze source code or an invention description (inline or via local file path) and receive:A 0–100 overall patentability score across four USPTO pillars: §101 eligibility, §102 novelty, §103 non-obviousness, and §101 utility
A separate §112 filing-readiness signal
A readiness band ("Not Ready" → "File Ready")
The bottleneck pillar holding the score back
Top opportunities to strengthen the patent case
A count of prior-art matches consulted
precheck_pillars: Retrieve a reference listing the five patentability pillars, their statutes, weights, and band rules — no network call required.precheck_start_review: Generate a URL to begin a paid, live Interactive Code Review session that strengthens each pillar with evidence and produces a filing package — intended as a follow-up after scoring.
@patentprecheck/mcp — Patent PreCheck CLI + MCP server
Run a patentability pre-check on your code from inside your terminal or your AI coding agent (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity). It wraps the hosted Patent PreCheck engine, so no API keys are required — the scoring engine and prior-art corpus stay server-side.
Informational only — not legal advice and not a substitute for a licensed patent attorney.
What it does
Scores code or an invention description across the four USPTO statutory pillars (§101 eligibility, §102 novelty, §103 non-obviousness, §101 utility) plus a separate §112 filing-readiness signal.
Reports the band (Not Ready → File Ready), the pillar holding the band back, top opportunities to strengthen, and how much prior art was consulted.
Exposes MCP tools so an agent can score the code it just wrote, inline.
Related MCP server: fittin-mcp
Install
# Run directly (no install)
npx -y @patentprecheck/mcp score ./src/widget.ts
# Or install globally
npm i -g @patentprecheck/mcp
precheck score ./src/widget.tsCLI
precheck score ./path/to/file.ts # human-readable report
precheck score ./file.ts --format json # raw JSON
cat invention.md | precheck score - # read from stdin
precheck score ./file.ts --min-score 60 # exit 4 if below threshold (CI gate)
precheck pillars # scoring reference (no network)
precheck review # Interactive Code Review signup URL
precheck mcp # run as an MCP server over stdioExit codes: 0 ok · 1 usage · 2 request error · 3 §101 gate not passed ·
4 below --min-score. stdout is clean data; progress/errors go to stderr.
Use in an AI coding agent
See config-examples/. Quickest paths:
# Claude Code
claude mcp add patent-precheck -- npx -y @patentprecheck/mcp mcp// Cursor — .cursor/mcp.json
{ "mcpServers": { "patent-precheck": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@patentprecheck/mcp", "mcp"] } } }MCP tools: precheck_score, precheck_prior_art, precheck_rejection_patterns, precheck_legal_context, precheck_pillars, precheck_start_review, precheck_search_corpus, precheck_cpc_suggest, precheck_session_status, precheck_deliverables, precheck_lookup_patent, precheck_compare_to_patent.
Cursor users can skip the JSON and use the Add to Cursor button at the top.
The server is published to the official MCP Registry
(io.github.Patent-PreCheck/patent-precheck), so MCP-aware clients can discover it directly.
Hosted endpoint (no install)
There's also a hosted, keyless Streamable HTTP MCP server, so remote-capable
clients can connect without npx or a local Node install:
https://patentprecheck.com/mcp// Cursor — remote server, no command needed
{ "mcpServers": { "patent-precheck": { "url": "https://patentprecheck.com/mcp" } } }Same 12 tools and the same scoring engine. The hosted variant takes invention
text inline via code (it never reads files from your machine — use the local
npx server above if you want the path argument).
Quick try in Cursor (no install): copy config-examples/cursor-mcp-hosted.json into .cursor/mcp.json.
Why Patent PreCheck vs. other patent MCPs?
USPTO lookup MCPs (50+ tools) answer "what does patent X say?" Patent PreCheck answers "can this code be patented?" — pillar scores, prior-art similarity, rejection patterns, and a path to strengthen before filing. No USPTO API key; corpus and keys stay server-side.
Develop from source
git clone https://github.com/Patent-PreCheck/patent-precheck-mcp.git
cd patent-precheck-mcp
npm install
node bin/precheck.js pillars
echo "a novel rate limiter that ..." | node bin/precheck.js score - --format text
node bin/precheck.js mcp # stdio server; blocks waiting for an MCP clientAvailable Tools
12 toolsprecheck_compare_to_patentPatent PreCheck — compare invention to patentA
Compare invention text to a known US patent: embedding similarity and prior-art risk analysis.
Inputs: code (required), patent_id (required), filename, path.
precheck_cpc_suggestPatent PreCheck — CPC classification hintsB
Suggest Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) codes for an invention description. Offline heuristic — informational only.
Inputs: code, path, limit.
precheck_deliverablesPatent PreCheck — deliverable download linksA
Return download URLs for finalized ICR deliverables (filing packet, coaching report, package zip, scorecard PDF).
Inputs: report_id (required), session_key (required).
precheck_legal_contextPatent PreCheck — legal intelligence contextB
Return a short snippet of current US software-patent legal guidance relevant to this invention.
Inputs: code, path, filename.
precheck_lookup_patentPatent PreCheck — US patent lookupA
Resolve a US patent or application number via USPTO ODP and optional corpus join.
Inputs: patent_id (required), include_grant_text.
precheck_pillarsPatent PreCheck — scoring referenceA
List the patentability pillars and band rules used by precheck_score. No network call.
Inputs: no named parameters.
precheck_prior_artPatent PreCheck — prior art matchesB
Return the closest prior-art matches (titles, sources, similarity, URLs) for an invention.
Inputs: code, path, filename, tier, +1 more.
precheck_rejection_patternsPatent PreCheck — rejection pattern previewC
Preview examination-risk signals and similar office-action / abandonment patterns.
Inputs: code, path, filename, tier.
precheck_scorePatent PreCheck — score patentabilityB
Run a patentability pre-check on source code or an invention description. Returns pillar scores, band, opportunities, prior-art count, rejection patterns, and legal context when available. Provide code or path.
Inputs: code, path, filename, tier.
precheck_search_corpusPatent PreCheck — semantic corpus searchA
Fast semantic search against the 1M+ prior-art corpus without LLM scoring. Returns ranked matches with similarity scores.
Inputs: code, filename, tier, limit.
precheck_session_statusPatent PreCheck — ICR session statusA
Return status for an active Interactive Code Review session. Requires report_id and session_key.
Inputs: report_id (required), session_key (required).
precheck_start_reviewPatent PreCheck — start an Interactive Code ReviewB
Return the URL to start an Interactive Code Review (optionally with a promo code).
Inputs: promo, report_id, email.
Tool Schema Changelog
Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
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TDQS
Scored across 12 tools
Each tool has a clearly distinct purpose: comparison, CPC suggestion, deliverable retrieval, legal context, patent lookup, pillars, prior art, rejection patterns, scoring, search, session management, and review initiation. No two tools overlap significantly in function.
All tools share the 'precheck_' prefix, but verb-noun order varies (e.g., 'score' vs 'pillars' vs 'session_status'). The pattern is mostly understandable but not fully uniform.
12 tools cover the patent pre-check domain comprehensively without being excessive. Each tool serves a specific, justifiable purpose in the workflow.
The tool set covers all major aspects of patent pre-examination: scoring, prior art search, classification, legal context, rejection patterns, and interactive review. No obvious gaps for the stated purpose.
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