Rechtspraak (Dutch Case Law) MCP Server

Dutch case law over MCP: search & fetch uitspraken by ECLI (Rechtspraak Open Data + LiDO)

Local serverstdio

What is the Rechtspraak (Dutch Case Law) MCP server?

If you already use Rechtspraak (Dutch Case Law), the rechtspraak (dutch case law) mcp server is the piece that lets your assistant work with it directly. Dutch case law over MCP: search & fetch uitspraken by ECLI (Rechtspraak Open Data + LiDO).

What the server does

search_uitspraken is a faceted search over the official Open Data feed — filter by date, court (instantie), legal area (rechtsgebied) and document type. It does not do free-text keyword matching; pass an ECLI to query for a direct lookup, or use the facet filters. get_uitspraak fetches the full text and metadata from the documented Open Data content endpoint.

Available tools

The toolset is worth reading before you wire it up, because it tells you what the integration is really for:

  • search_uitspraken — Search case law (faceted by default; full-text behind a flag). Returns ECLIs + links
  • search_uitspraken_bulk — Run 3–10 searches at once
  • get_uitspraak — Fetch full text + metadata + relations of one decision by ECLI
  • get_uitspraken_bulk — Fetch up to 10 decisions by ECLI in one call
  • list_waardelijsten — List value lists (instanties, rechtsgebieden, proceduresoorten, …) to build valid filters
  • lido_related — LiDO citation graph around an ECLI: what cites it, what it cites, statute references

Credentials and setup notes

Configuration is passed through the environment: PRUDAI_BASE_URL. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.

Installation

Installation goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at rechtspraak-mcp on npm and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.

Where it fits

Among the developer tooling options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Rechtspraak (Dutch Case Law)'s toolset — search_uitspraken, search_uitspraken_bulk, get_uitspraak and 3 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by Prudai; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Worth knowing first

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
search_uitsprakenSearch case law (faceted by default; full-text behind a flag). Returns ECLIs + links.
search_uitspraken_bulkRun 3–10 searches at once.
get_uitspraakFetch full text + metadata + relations of one decision by ECLI.
get_uitspraken_bulkFetch up to 10 decisions by ECLI in one call.
list_waardelijstenList value lists (instanties, rechtsgebieden, proceduresoorten, …) to build valid filters.
lido_relatedLiDO citation graph around an ECLI: what cites it, what it cites, statute references.

How to install the Rechtspraak (Dutch Case Law) MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rechtspraak": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "rechtspraak-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PRUDAI_BASE_URL": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
PRUDAI_BASE_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Rechtspraak (Dutch Case Law) to search uitspraken.
  • Use Rechtspraak (Dutch Case Law) to search uitspraken bulk.
  • Use Rechtspraak (Dutch Case Law) to get uitspraak.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Rechtspraak (Dutch Case Law) to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 6 tools (search_uitspraken, search_uitspraken_bulk, get_uitspraak, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Rechtspraak (Dutch Case Law) directly.