# Germany Legal Research MCP Server (`de-legal-mcp`)

Model Context Protocol (MCP) server providing direct, read-only access to **Germany (DE)** legislation, multi-tier judicial decisions (First Instance, Regional/Cantonal/Appellate, and Supreme/Constitutional courts), and statutory citation verification for Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Antigravity.

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## Quick Desktop Setup (No Command Line Required)

This package includes a graphical installer for legal practitioners who prefer not to use terminal commands or edit JSON configuration files manually.

1. **Download:** Click **`<> Code`** at the top right of this repository, select **`Download ZIP`**, and extract the folder to your computer.
2. **Run the Setup Utility:**
   - **Windows:** Double-click `Click_Here_To_Install_Windows.bat`
   - **macOS:** Double-click `Click_Here_To_Install_Mac.command`
3. **Connect:** Click **Install & Connect Automatically** in the setup window and restart Claude Desktop.

**System Integrity Note:** The setup utility operates strictly in read-only mode with respect to your personal files and documents. It installs an isolated Python environment inside the extracted folder and registers the server entry in your AI client configuration.

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## Multi-Tier Judicial Hierarchy & Official Sources

This server indexes and queries decisions across the full judicial hierarchy of **Germany**, allowing practitioners to filter research by procedural stage:

| Judicial Tier | Covered Courts & Tribunals |
|:---|:---|
| **Tier 1 — First Instance** | Amtsgerichte (AG), Landgerichte (LG), Verwaltungsgerichte (VG), Arbeitsgerichte (ArbG), Sozialgerichte (SG) & Finanzgerichte (FG) |
| **Tier 2 — Regional / Cantonal / Appellate** | 24 Oberlandesgerichte (OLG / KG Berlin), Oberverwaltungsgerichte (OVG / VGH), Landesarbeitsgerichte (LAG) & Landessozialgerichte (LSG) across 16 Bundesländer |
| **Tier 3 — Supreme & Constitutional** | Bundesverfassungsgericht (BVerfG), Bundesgerichtshof (BGH), Bundesverwaltungsgericht (BVerwG), Bundesfinanzhof (BFH), Bundesarbeitsgericht (BAG) & Bundessozialgericht (BSG) |

### Primary Legal Portals

- **National Legislation Registry:** Gesetze im Internet (gesetze-im-internet.de) & Rechtsinformationen des Bundes (`https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de`)
- **Multi-Tier Case Law Database:** OpenLegalData.io (AG/LG/OLG/Federal) & Rechtsprechung im Internet + 16 Landesrechtsprechungsdatenbanken (`https://de.openlegaldata.io/api/cases/`)
- **Supported Citation Format Example:** `ECLI:DE:BGH:2024:100124UVIII_ZR_12.23.0 or BGB § 433`

### Indexed Court & Regional Sub-Portals

| Sub-Portal Identifier (`sub_court`) | Official Endpoint / Registry |
|:---|:---|
| `openlegaldata_all_tiers` | `https://de.openlegaldata.io/api/cases/` |
| `rechtsprechung_bund` | `https://www.rechtsprechung-im-internet.de` |

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## Available MCP Tools

| Tool | Description |
|:---|:---|
| `search_legislation` | Searches enacted statutes, codes, decrees, and official gazette publications in Germany. |
| `search_case_law` | Searches national jurisprudence and European/ECLI-linked judgments for Germany. |
| `search_tiered_court_decisions` | Filters case law specifically by judicial instance (`first_instance`, `appellate_regional`, `supreme_constitutional`) or regional/cantonal court key (`sub_court`). |
| `list_court_hierarchy` | Returns the complete 3-tier court structure and registered sub-portal endpoints for Germany. |
| `get_legal_document_markdown` | Retrieves full statutory or judicial texts and converts them into clean Markdown. |
| `verify_citation` | Validates statutory and case law citations against official registries. |

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<details>
<summary><b>Manual Configuration for Developers (Optional)</b></summary>

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "de-legal-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/jurisatlas/de-legal-mcp",
        "de-legal-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```
</details>