Austrian Law MCP Server

The RIS (Rechtsinformationssystem) alternative for the AI age.

Query 5,101 Austrian statutes -- from Datenschutzgesetz and Strafgesetzbuch to Allgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, Arbeitsverfassungsgesetz, and more -- directly from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client.

If you're building legal tech, compliance tools, or doing Austrian legal research, this is your verified reference database.

Built by Ansvar Systems -- Stockholm, Sweden

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Why This Exists

Austrian legal research means navigating the RIS (Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes), juggling Bundesgesetze, Landesgesetze, and RIS-Suchabfragen. Whether you're:

• A lawyer validating citations in a brief or contract
• A compliance officer checking DSGVO obligations or Arbeitsverfassungsgesetz requirements
• A legal tech developer building tools on Austrian law
• A researcher tracing legislative history from Regierungsvorlage to enacted statute

...you shouldn't need dozens of browser tabs and manual PDF cross-referencing. Ask Claude. Get the exact provision. With context.

This MCP server makes Austrian law searchable, cross-referenceable, and AI-readable.

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Quick Start

Use Remotely (No Install Needed)

Connect directly to the hosted version -- zero dependencies, nothing to install.

Endpoint: https://mcp.ansvar.eu/law-at/mcp

Client	How to Connect
Claude.ai	Settings > Connectors > Add Integration > paste URL
Claude Code	claude mcp add austrian-law --transport http https://mcp.ansvar.eu/law-at/mcp
Claude Desktop	Add to config (see below)
GitHub Copilot	Add to VS Code settings (see below)

Claude Desktop -- add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "austrian-law": {
      "type": "url",
      "url": "https://mcp.ansvar.eu/law-at/mcp"
    }
  }
}

GitHub Copilot -- add to VS Code settings.json:

{
  "github.copilot.chat.mcp.servers": {
    "austrian-law": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.ansvar.eu/law-at/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Use Locally (npm)

npx @ansvar/austrian-law-mcp

Claude Desktop -- add to claude_desktop_config.json:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "austrian-law": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@ansvar/austrian-law-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor / VS Code:

{
  "mcp.servers": {
    "austrian-law": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@ansvar/austrian-law-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Example Queries

Once connected, just ask naturally -- in German or English:

• "Was sagt das Datenschutzgesetz (DSG 2018) § 4 über Einwilligung?"
• "Ist das Arbeitsverfassungsgesetz (ArbVG) noch in Kraft?"
• "Suche nach Bestimmungen über Datenschutz im österreichischen Recht"
• "Welche EU-Richtlinien setzt das DSG 2018 um?"
• "Finde die Strafbestimmungen im Strafgesetzbuch (StGB) zu Computerbetrug"
• "Was regelt das ABGB (Allgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch) über Vertragsabschluss?"
• "Suche nach Arbeitnehmerschutzvorschriften im ArbVG"
• "Which Austrian laws implement the GDPR?"
• "Compare NIS2 implementation requirements across Austrian statutes"

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What's Included

Category	Count	Details
Statutes	5,101 statutes	Comprehensive Austrian federal legislation
Provisions	56,760 sections	Full-text searchable with FTS5
Preparatory Works	2,674 documents	Regierungsvorlagen and parliamentary materials (Premium)
Case Law	230,201 decisions	OGH, VfGH, VwGH (Premium tier)
Database Size	~1.5 GB	Optimized SQLite, portable
Daily Updates	Automated	Freshness checks against RIS

Verified data only -- every citation is validated against official sources (ris.bka.gv.at). Zero LLM-generated content.

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See It In Action

Why This Works

Verbatim Source Text (No LLM Processing):

• All statute text is ingested from RIS (Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes) official sources
• Provisions are returned unchanged from SQLite FTS5 database rows
• Zero LLM summarization or paraphrasing -- the database contains regulation text, not AI interpretations

Smart Context Management:

• Search returns ranked provisions with BM25 scoring (safe for context)
• Provision retrieval gives exact text by BGBl number + paragraph/section
• Cross-references help navigate without loading everything at once

Technical Architecture:

RIS OGD API → Parse → SQLite → FTS5 snippet() → MCP response
                ↑                      ↑
         Provision parser       Verbatim database query

Traditional Research vs. This MCP

Traditional Approach	This MCP Server
Search RIS by Gesetzestitel	Search by plain German: "Datenschutz Einwilligung"
Navigate multi-paragraph statutes manually	Get the exact provision with context
Manual cross-referencing between laws	build_legal_stance aggregates across sources
"Ist dieses Gesetz noch in Kraft?" → manual check	check_currency tool → answer in seconds
Find EU basis → dig through EUR-Lex	get_eu_basis → linked EU directives instantly
Check RIS for updates	Daily automated freshness checks
No API, no integration	MCP protocol → AI-native

Traditional: Search RIS → Download PDF → Ctrl+F → Cross-reference with Regierungsvorlage → Check EUR-Lex → Repeat

This MCP: "Welche EU-Richtlinie liegt dem DSG 2018 § 4 zur Einwilligung zugrunde?" → Done.

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Available Tools (13)

Core Legal Research Tools (8)

Tool	Description
search_legislation	FTS5 search on 56,760 provisions with BM25 ranking
get_provision	Retrieve specific provision by BGBl number + paragraph/section
validate_citation	Validate citation against database (zero-hallucination check)
build_legal_stance	Aggregate citations from statutes, case law, preparatory works
format_citation	Format citations per Austrian conventions (full/short/pinpoint)
check_currency	Check if statute is in force, amended, or repealed
list_sources	List all available statutes with metadata and data provenance
about	Server info, capabilities, dataset statistics, and coverage summary

EU Law Integration Tools (5)

Tool	Description
get_eu_basis	Get EU directives/regulations for Austrian statute
get_austrian_implementations	Find Austrian laws implementing EU act
search_eu_implementations	Search EU documents with Austrian implementation counts
get_provision_eu_basis	Get EU law references for specific provision
validate_eu_compliance	Check implementation status (requires EU MCP)

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EU Law Integration

Austria is an EU member state. Austrian law is heavily shaped by EU directives and regulations, particularly in data protection, financial services, consumer protection, and environmental law.

Metric	Value
EU Member Since	1995
GDPR Implementation	DSG 2018 (Datenschutzgesetz)
NIS2 Implementation	NISG 2024 (Netz- und Informationssystemsicherheitsgesetz)
Authority	Datenschutzbehörde (DSB)
EUR-Lex Integration	Automated metadata fetching

Key Austrian EU Implementations

• GDPR (2016/679) → Datenschutzgesetz 2018 (DSG 2018)
• NIS2 Directive (2022/2555) → NISG 2024
• AI Act (2024/1689) → Austrian implementation in progress
• eIDAS (910/2014) → E-Government-Gesetz, Signaturgesetz
• AML Directive (2015/849) → Finanzmarkt-Geldwäschegesetz (FM-GwG)
• Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83) → Konsumentenschutzgesetz (KSchG)

See EU_INTEGRATION_GUIDE.md for detailed documentation.

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Data Sources & Freshness

All content is sourced from authoritative Austrian legal databases:

• RIS - Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes -- Official federal law database, Bundeskanzleramt
• EUR-Lex -- Official EU law database (metadata only)

Data Provenance

Field	Value
Authority	Bundeskanzleramt Österreich
Retrieval method	RIS OGD API
Language	German
License	RIS data (public domain, Austria)
Coverage	5,101 federal statutes
Last ingested	2026-02-25

Automated Freshness Checks (Daily)

A daily GitHub Actions workflow monitors all data sources:

Source	Check	Method
Statute amendments	RIS API date comparison	All 5,101 statutes checked
New statutes	RIS Bundesgesetzblatt feed	Diffed against database
EU reference staleness	Git commit timestamps	Flagged if >90 days old

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Security

This project uses multiple layers of automated security scanning:

Scanner	What It Does	Schedule
CodeQL	Static analysis for security vulnerabilities	Weekly + PRs
Semgrep	SAST scanning (OWASP top 10, secrets, TypeScript)	Every push
Gitleaks	Secret detection across git history	Every push
Trivy	CVE scanning on filesystem and npm dependencies	Daily
Docker Security	Container image scanning + SBOM generation	Daily
Socket.dev	Supply chain attack detection	PRs
OSSF Scorecard	OpenSSF best practices scoring	Weekly
Dependabot	Automated dependency updates	Weekly

See SECURITY.md for the full policy and vulnerability reporting.

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Important Disclaimers

Legal Advice

THIS TOOL IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE

Statute text is sourced from official RIS publications. However:

• This is a research tool, not a substitute for professional legal counsel
• Court case coverage is available in Premium tier only -- do not rely solely on this for case law research in the free tier
• Verify critical citations against primary sources (ris.bka.gv.at) for court filings
• EU cross-references are extracted from Austrian statute text, not EUR-Lex full text

Before using professionally, read: DISCLAIMER.md | PRIVACY.md

Client Confidentiality

Queries go through the Claude API. For privileged or confidential matters, use on-premise deployment. See PRIVACY.md for Österreichischer Rechtsanwaltskammertag (ÖRAK) compliance guidance.

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Documentation

• EU Integration Guide -- Detailed EU cross-reference documentation
• EU Usage Examples -- Practical EU lookup examples
• Security Policy -- Vulnerability reporting and scanning details
• Disclaimer -- Legal disclaimers and professional use notices
• Privacy -- Client confidentiality and data handling

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Development

Setup

git clone https://github.com/Ansvar-Systems/Austria-law-mcp
cd Austria-law-mcp
npm install
npm run build
npm test

Running Locally

npm run dev                                       # Start MCP server
npx @anthropic/mcp-inspector node dist/index.js   # Test with MCP Inspector

Data Management

npm run ingest                     # Ingest statutes from RIS
npm run build:db                   # Rebuild SQLite database
npm run drift:detect               # Run drift detection
npm run check-updates              # Check for amendments and new statutes
npm run db:update-seed             # Update database from seed data

Performance

• Search Speed: <100ms for most FTS5 queries
• Database Size: ~1.5 GB (comprehensive corpus)
• Reliability: 100% ingestion success rate

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Related Projects: Complete Compliance Suite

This server is part of Ansvar's Compliance Suite -- MCP servers that work together for end-to-end compliance coverage:

@ansvar/eu-regulations-mcp

Query 49 EU regulations directly from Claude -- GDPR, AI Act, DORA, NIS2, MiFID II, eIDAS, and more. Full regulatory text with article-level search. npx @ansvar/eu-regulations-mcp

@ansvar/austrian-law-mcp (This Project)

Query 5,101 Austrian statutes directly from Claude -- DSG 2018, StGB, ABGB, ArbVG, and more. Full provision text with EU cross-references. npx @ansvar/austrian-law-mcp

@ansvar/german-law-mcp

Query German federal statutes -- BDSG, StGB, BGB, and more. npx @ansvar/german-law-mcp

@ansvar/security-controls-mcp

Query 261 security frameworks -- ISO 27001, NIST CSF, SOC 2, CIS Controls, SCF, and more. npx @ansvar/security-controls-mcp

@ansvar/sanctions-mcp

Offline-capable sanctions screening -- OFAC, EU, UN sanctions lists. pip install ansvar-sanctions-mcp

70+ national law MCPs covering Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, and more.

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Contributing

Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Priority areas:

• EU regulation cross-reference expansion
• Historical statute versions and amendment tracking
• English translations for key statutes
• Lower court decision coverage

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Roadmap

• Core statute database with FTS5 search
• Full corpus ingestion (5,101 statutes, 56,760 provisions)
• EU law integration tools
• Vercel Streamable HTTP deployment
• npm package publication
• Daily freshness checks against RIS
• Court case law expansion (Premium tier)
• Historical statute versions (amendment tracking)
• English translations for key statutes
• Landesrecht coverage (provincial law)

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Citation

If you use this MCP server in academic research:

@software{austrian_law_mcp_2026,
  author = {Ansvar Systems AB},
  title = {Austrian Law MCP Server: Production-Grade Legal Research Tool},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://github.com/Ansvar-Systems/Austria-law-mcp},
  note = {5,101 Austrian statutes with 56,760 provisions and EU law cross-references}
}

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License

Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE for details.

Data Licenses

• Statutes & Legislation: Bundeskanzleramt Österreich (public domain, RIS OGD)
• EU Metadata: EUR-Lex (EU public domain)

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About Ansvar Systems

We build AI-accelerated compliance and legal research tools for the European market. This MCP server started as our internal reference tool for Austrian law -- turns out everyone building for the DACH market has the same research frustrations.

So we're open-sourcing it. Navigating 5,101 statutes in the RIS shouldn't require a Rechtswissenschaftsstudium.

ansvar.eu -- Stockholm, Sweden

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