Europaius for developers: Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code
Anyone building an application that works with law needs to quickly verify the wording of provisions, test search functionality and generate test data from real case law during development. The Europaius MCP server can be added to developer tools with a single command and a browser sign-in.
4 883 Laws553 Laws with AI explanation
Claude Code
Claude Code supports remote MCP servers with HTTP transport and OAuth. Simply run claude mcp add --transport http europaius https://mcp.europaius.com/mcp in the terminal. The first time the tool is used, a browser window will open for Europaius sign-in. You can add it for the current project or globally using the --scope user switch.
In the conversation, Claude Code then sees the tools search_law, find_caselaw, get_paragraf and others. A typical scenario: “When implementing the severance pay calculation, check the current wording of Section 67 of the Labour Code and write tests with edge cases for it.” Claude retrieves the provision and derives the tests from the actual text, not from memory.
Cursor and VS Code
Cursor lets you add MCP servers in settings (Cursor Settings → MCP) or in the .cursor/mcp.json file within the project. VS Code with GitHub Copilot uses .vscode/mcp.json. In both cases, the configuration is the same: name, type http, server address. Sign-in happens in the browser, and the editor stores the tokens itself.
A configuration file shared in the repository is safe: it contains no secret key, and each team member signs in with their own email and has their own limits.
What this is used for during development
- Verifying texts in the application: every reference to a law in your application can be checked by the agent against the current wording.
- Test data: real case numbers, decision dates and legal sentences for fixture files.
- Search prototypes: the
searchtool returns JSON with identifiers,fetchreturns the full text, so you can build a prototype without your own database. - Documentation: generating explanations for provisions referenced by the application.
Data format for programmatic use
The search tool returns JSON with a list of results, each containing id, title, url and snippet. The identifier has the form case:ns:<slug> for decisions, para:CZ:89/2012:§2991 for a provision, and eu:DE:<id> for a document from a foreign country. The fetch tool returns the full text with metadata based on the identifier. For custom scripts outside the editor, an API key is used, see Your own AI agent with a legal corpus.
Step-by-Step Guide
- Claude Code: run
claude mcp add --transport http europaius https://mcp.europaius.com/mcpand complete the browser sign-in when asking your first question. - Cursor: add
{"mcpServers":{"europaius":{"url":"https://mcp.europaius.com/mcp"}}}to.cursor/mcp.jsonand click Connect in the MCP settings. - VS Code: add
{"servers":{"europaius":{"type":"http","url":"https://mcp.europaius.com/mcp"}}}to.vscode/mcp.jsonand switch to Agent mode in Copilot Chat. - Verify it works with the query “Fetch Section 2991 of the Civil Code via Europaius”.
https://mcp.europaius.com/mcp
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the older SSE transport still work?
Yes, for older clients the address https://mcp.europaius.com/sse remains available without sign-in. However, we recommend the HTTP variant with OAuth, which provides an overview of the account and limits.
Can I call the server from a CI pipeline?
Yes, using an API key from the price list. You enter the key at sign-in instead of an email address, or use it directly in your own MCP client.
How do I find out which tools the server offers?
In Claude Code, use the /mcp command; in Cursor and VS Code, check the MCP panel. A description of each tool is included in its definition.