Connect to Claude

Search 125,000+ UK court judgments and 17 legal databases directly from Claude. Set up in under 2 minutes.

Case Law Search

125,000+ judgments from the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, and tribunals

Citation Network

193,000+ citation relationships showing how courts treat each authority

Legislation

Full UK legislation search including Acts, Statutory Instruments, and amendments

49 Research Tools

Hansard, HMRC manuals, CPS guidance, ICO decisions, Gazette notices, and more

Easiest

Claude.ai (Web)

For anyone using Claude in their browser at claude.ai

  1. Open Settings in Claude
    Go to claude.ai and click on your name or the settings icon in the bottom-left corner.
  2. Find the Integrations section
    In Settings, look for Integrations (or MCP Servers). Click Add or Add Integration.
  3. Enter the connection URL
    Paste this URL when prompted: 
    https://searchthe.law/mcp
  4. Approve and start searching
    A sign-in window will open for your Search the Law account. Sign in with your email (magic link, no password), approve the connection, and you are ready to go.

Claude Desktop App

For the Claude desktop app on Mac or Windows

  1. Open your Claude Desktop config file
    In Claude Desktop, go to Settings (the gear icon), then scroll down and click Edit Config under the Developer section. This opens the config file in your text editor.
    SystemConfig file location
    Mac~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
    Windows%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
  2. Paste this configuration
    Replace the contents of the file (or add to the existing mcpServers section) with: 
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "search-the-law": {
      "url": "https://searchthe.law/mcp"
    }
  }
}
  3. Save and restart Claude Desktop
    Close and reopen the app. You should see a hammer icon in the chat input area showing the connected tools.
  4. Sign in when prompted
    The first time you use a Search the Law tool, a browser window will open for you to sign in with your email. You will receive a magic link — no password needed. Click it, approve the connection, and you are set.

Claude Code (Terminal)

For developers using Claude Code in the command line

  1. Run one command
    Open your terminal and run: 
    claude mcp add search-the-law --transport http https://searchthe.law/mcp
  2. Start using it
    Next time you run claude, it will connect automatically. Sign in via the browser when prompted on first use.

Any MCP-Compatible Client

For Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, or any tool that supports MCP

  1. Use these connection details 
    Server URL:      https://searchthe.law/mcp
Transport:       Streamable HTTP
Authentication:  OAuth 2.0 (handled automatically)
Tools available: 49

    Most MCP clients use the same JSON format as Claude Desktop. Add the URL to your client’s MCP configuration and it should connect.
Once connected, just ask Claude any UK legal question in plain English. Search the Law tools activate automatically — you don’t need to learn any special commands or syntax. Claude will search case law, check citation treatments, and pull legislation as part of its normal response.

Try these once connected

“What are the leading cases on unfair dismissal for whistleblowing?”
“Show me how courts have treated Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] UKHL 100”
“Find recent tribunal decisions on disability discrimination reasonable adjustments”
“What does section 123 of the Equality Act 2010 say about time limits?”
“My landlord hasn’t protected my deposit — what are my rights?”

Common Questions

Do I need an API key?

No. Authentication is handled automatically via OAuth. The first time you use a tool, a browser window will open for you to sign in with your email. After that, the connection stays active.

Is it free?

The free tier gives you 5 searches per day. Professional accounts get unlimited searches for £39.99/month. You can sign up at searchthe.law/pricing.

What can I search?

Court judgments (UKSC, EWCA, EWHC, tribunals), UK legislation, Hansard debates, HMRC manuals, CPS guidance, ICO decisions, Gazette notices, Companies House filings, and more. 49 tools across 17 databases.

Does this replace the website?

No — it gives you a different way to access the same data. The website at searchthe.law offers Research Reports, Full Briefs, and a visual interface. The Claude connector lets you search and ask questions conversationally.

I need the full technical documentation

See the MCP Connector Documentation for OAuth flow details, the complete tool list, usage examples, and rate limits.

View Full Documentation

49 tools · OAuth 2.0 · No API key required

Search the Law holds a 5-year transactional licence from The National Archives for computational analysis of UK court judgments.