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JAIL Search — MCP Server

Status: backend offline.

Install in Cursor Install in VS Code

Search a billion+ documents — papers, books, code, legal cases, forums, Wikipedia, and more.

jail.li

Installation

Connect to the hosted MCP server:

https://api.jail.li/mcp

Get API key for higher limits — append ?jailApiKey= to the URL.

claude mcp add --transport http jail https://api.jail.li/mcp

With API key:

claude mcp add --transport http jail "https://api.jail.li/mcp?jailApiKey=sk_live_..."
codex mcp add jail --url https://api.jail.li/mcp

With API key: codex mcp add jail --url "https://api.jail.li/mcp?jailApiKey=sk_live_..."

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jail": {
      "url": "https://api.jail.li/mcp"
    }
  }
}

With API key: "url": "https://api.jail.li/mcp?jailApiKey=sk_live_..."

Add to .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "jail": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.jail.li/mcp"
    }
  }
}

With API key: "url": "https://api.jail.li/mcp?jailApiKey=sk_live_..."

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jail": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://api.jail.li/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

With API key: "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://api.jail.li/mcp?jailApiKey=sk_live_..."]

Add to your opencode.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "jail": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://api.jail.li/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

With API key: "url": "https://api.jail.li/mcp?jailApiKey=sk_live_..."

Edit ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jail": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.jail.li/mcp"
    }
  }
}

With API key: "url": "https://api.jail.li/mcp?jailApiKey=sk_live_..."

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jail": {
      "serverUrl": "https://api.jail.li/mcp"
    }
  }
}

With API key: "serverUrl": "https://api.jail.li/mcp?jailApiKey=sk_live_..."

Add to ~/.hermes/config.yaml:

mcp_servers:
  jail:
    url: "https://api.jail.li/mcp"

With API key: url: "https://api.jail.li/mcp?jailApiKey=sk_live_..."

Or install the skill: hermes skill install jail-search

Via npm Package

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jail": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "jail-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Or with Python: "command": "uvx", "args": ["jail-mcp"]

For API key with stdio: "env": { "JAIL_API_KEY": "sk_live_..." }

Related MCP server: Alexandria MCP

Tools

Tool

What it does

search

Search across all content types. Filter by type, paginate with cursor.

detail

Get full metadata for a document by ID.

Content Types

Type

Sources

academic

OpenAlex, arXiv, Semantic Scholar, DBLP

books

Books, digital libraries, classical literature

wiki

Wikipedia — en, zh, de, fr, es, ru, ja, ko + 10 more

forums

Hacker News, StackExchange, Lobsters, LessWrong, 60+ more

legal

Harvard Case Law, CourtListener, EUR-Lex, UK Legislation

news

News articles and journalism

packages

npm, PyPI, Crates.io, Libraries.io

economics

World Bank, IMF, FRED, ECB, BLS, Tax Foundation

knowledge

Wikidata, structured knowledge

video

IMDb, YouTube

music

Discogs, MusicBrainz

health

Clinical trials, food safety

geo

World place names, geographic data

tech

Dev.to, product community forums

social

Reddit, Mastodon, Lemmy, fediverse

fandom

Fan wiki articles, community knowledge

crypto

DeFi protocols, token data, on-chain analytics

predictions

Prediction markets, forecasting

audio

Podcasts and audio content

License

MIT

Available Tools

2 tools
detailAInspect

Get full metadata for a document. Use IDs from search results.

Args: doc_id: Document ID from search results (e.g. "md5:abc123...", "hn:19415066", "doi:10.1038/...")

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
doc_idYes

TDQS

A4.5/5.0
Behavior4/5

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

With no annotations provided, the description carries the burden. 'Get' implies a read-only operation, and the description doesn't suggest any side effects. It also provides example ID formats, which is helpful context. However, it doesn't explicitly state read-only or mention rate limits/authentication, so a 4 rather than 5.

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?

The description is concise: two sentences plus a well-formatted args section. It's front-loaded with the purpose and immediately clarifies usage. Every sentence earns its place.

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

Completeness4/5

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

For a single-parameter tool with no annotations or output schema, the description covers the essential aspects: what it does, where the ID comes from, and example formats. It lacks detail on the exact contents of 'full metadata', but that's a minor gap given the tool's simplicity.

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 0%, and the description fully compensates by explaining doc_id as a Document ID from search results with concrete examples of ID formats (md5, hn, doi). This adds significant meaning beyond the schema's bare type string.

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 uses a specific verb 'Get' with a resource 'full metadata for a document', clearly distinguishing it from the sibling 'search' tool which presumably finds documents. The instruction to use IDs from search results reinforces its role as a lookup tool.

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

Usage Guidelines4/5

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

The description states to use IDs from search results, implying this tool is used after a search to retrieve details. It provides clear context but doesn't explicitly mention exclusions or alternative tools beyond the implication.

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

Tool Schema Changelog

Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. 2 tool updatesv1.4.1
    • First observeddetail
    • First observedsearch

TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Scored across 2 tools

Disambiguation5/5

The two tools serve distinct functions: search is for exploratory queries, while detail retrieves specific document metadata. There is no overlap in their use cases, making selection unambiguous.

Naming Consistency4/5

Both tool names are single lowercase verbs, which is consistent, though they do not follow a more descriptive verb_noun pattern. The style is uniform and each name clearly suggests its action.

Tool Count3/5

With only two tools, the server feels minimal, but the search tool is highly versatile and covers many content types. The count is borderline but reasonable for the server's focused purpose.

Completeness4/5

The search and detail tools cover the core workflow of discovering and examining documents. While full-text retrieval is delegated to other tools, metadata and search are well-covered, with only minor gaps like no direct enumeration of content types.

Maintenance

ActivityInactive
ResponsivenessNo issues

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