Icelandic Law MCP Server

The Lagasafn alternative for the AI age.

Query 1,709 Icelandic statutes -- from Persónuverndarlög and Almenn hegningarlög to Lyfjalög, Stjórnarskrá, and more -- directly from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client.

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

Built by Ansvar Systems -- Stockholm, Sweden

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Why This Exists

Icelandic legal research is scattered across Althingi, Lagasafn (the official legal gazette), and EUR-Lex. Whether you're:

• A lawyer validating citations in a brief or contract
• A compliance officer checking if a statute is still in force
• A legal tech developer building tools on Icelandic law
• A researcher tracing legislative provisions across 1,709 statutes

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

This MCP server makes Icelandic 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://icelandic-law-mcp.vercel.app/mcp

Client	How to Connect
Claude.ai	Settings > Connectors > Add Integration > paste URL
Claude Code	claude mcp add icelandic-law --transport http https://icelandic-law-mcp.vercel.app/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": {
    "icelandic-law": {
      "type": "url",
      "url": "https://icelandic-law-mcp.vercel.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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

{
  "github.copilot.chat.mcp.servers": {
    "icelandic-law": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://icelandic-law-mcp.vercel.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Use Locally (npm)

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

Cursor / VS Code:

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

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Example Queries

Once connected, just ask naturally:

• "Leita að 'persónuvernd' -- hvaða skyldur setur lög nr. 90/2018?"
• "Er Almenn hegningarlög enn í gildi?"
• "Finna ákvæði um lyfjamál í Lyfjalögum"
• "Hvaða reglur ESB eru innleiddar í Stjórnarskrá Íslands?"
• "Hvaða íslensk lög innleiða GDPR?"
• "Staðfesta tilvísun: lög nr. 90/2018, 6. gr."
• "Búa til lagalega afstöðu varðandi gagnavernd"
• "Uppfylla kröfur NIS2 tilskipunarinnar í íslenskum rétti?"

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What's Included

Category	Count	Details
Statutes	1,709 statutes	Comprehensive Icelandic legislation from Lagasafn
Provisions	19,026 sections	Full-text searchable with FTS5
EU Cross-References	Included	EEA-incorporated directives and regulations linked
Database Size	68 MB	Optimized SQLite, portable
Daily Updates	Automated	Freshness checks against Althingi/Lagasafn

Verified data only -- every citation is validated against official sources (Althingi, lagasafn.is). 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 Althingi/Lagasafn official sources
• Provisions are returned unchanged from SQLite FTS5 database rows
• Zero LLM summarization or paraphrasing -- the database contains statute text, not AI interpretations

Smart Context Management:

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

Technical Architecture:

Althingi/Lagasafn → Parse → SQLite → FTS5 snippet() → MCP response
                      ↑                      ↑
               Provision parser       Verbatim database query

Traditional Research vs. This MCP

Traditional Approach	This MCP Server
Search Lagasafn by statute number	Search by plain Icelandic: "persónuvernd samþykki"
Navigate multi-chapter statutes manually	Get the exact provision with context
Manual cross-referencing between laws	build_legal_stance aggregates across sources
"Is this statute still in force?" → check manually	check_currency tool → answer in seconds
Find EEA/EU basis → dig through EUR-Lex	get_eu_basis → linked EU acts instantly
Check multiple sites for updates	Daily automated freshness checks
No API, no integration	MCP protocol → AI-native

Traditional: Search Lagasafn → Download PDF → Ctrl+F → Cross-reference → Check EUR-Lex for EEA basis → Repeat

This MCP: "Hvaða ESB-reglur eru grundvöllur laga nr. 90/2018 um persónuvernd?" → Done.

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Available Tools (13)

Core Legal Research Tools (8)

Tool	Description
search_legislation	FTS5 full-text search across 19,026 provisions with BM25 ranking
get_provision	Retrieve specific provision by statute number + article/section
validate_citation	Validate citation against database -- zero-hallucination check
build_legal_stance	Aggregate citations from multiple statutes for a legal topic
format_citation	Format citations per Icelandic 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/EEA Law Integration Tools (5)

Tool	Description
get_eu_basis	Get EU/EEA directives and regulations that underpin an Icelandic statute
get_icelandic_implementations	Find Icelandic laws implementing a specific EU/EEA act
search_eu_implementations	Search EU documents with Icelandic implementation counts
get_provision_eu_basis	Get EU/EEA law references for a specific provision
validate_eu_compliance	Check implementation status of Icelandic statutes against EEA obligations

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EEA Law Integration

Iceland is an EEA member state but not an EU member. Iceland implements EU law via the EEA Agreement, including GDPR (as Regulation (EU) 2016/679 incorporated into EEA Annex XI), NIS2, and most of the EU single market acquis. This creates a close but distinct relationship with EU law.

Key areas of EEA-Icelandic law integration:

• GDPR (2016/679) -- incorporated into EEA Agreement; implemented via lög nr. 90/2018 um persónuvernd og vinnslu persónuupplýsinga
• NIS2 Directive (2022/2555) -- incorporated into EEA and implemented in Icelandic cybersecurity legislation
• eIDAS Regulation (910/2014) -- incorporated into EEA; supplemented by national e-signature provisions
• Financial Services Directives -- MiFID II, Solvency II, and related acts incorporated via EEA Agreement Annex IX
• Product Safety and Market Surveillance -- EEA-incorporated regulations apply directly

Note: Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway participate in the EU single market via the EEA Agreement. EU acts must be formally incorporated into the EEA Agreement before applying to Iceland. The EU tools in this server reflect EEA-incorporated acts and their Icelandic implementations.

Metric	Value
EEA Member	Since 1994
Legal System	Civil law (Nordic tradition)
Official Legal Gazette	Lagasafn (lagasafn.is)
Parliament	Althingi (althingi.is)
EUR-Lex Integration	Automated metadata fetching (EEA-incorporated acts)

See EU_INTEGRATION_GUIDE.md for detailed documentation.

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Data Sources & Freshness

All content is sourced from authoritative Icelandic legal databases:

• Althingi -- Icelandic Parliament's official legislative database
• Lagasafn -- Official Icelandic Legal Gazette (consolidated statutes)
• EUR-Lex -- Official EU law database (EEA-incorporated acts, metadata only)

Automated Freshness Checks (Daily)

A daily GitHub Actions workflow monitors all data sources:

Source	Check	Method
Statute amendments	Lagasafn comparison	All 1,709 statutes checked
New statutes	Althingi publications (90-day window)	Diffed against database
EU/EEA 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 Althingi/Lagasafn publications. However:

• This is a research tool, not a substitute for professional legal counsel
• Verify critical citations against primary sources for court filings
• EEA/EU cross-references reflect EEA-incorporated acts; verify current incorporation status
• Always confirm current in-force status via Lagasafn before relying on a provision professionally

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 Lögmannafélag Íslands (Icelandic Bar Association) compliance guidance.

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Documentation

• EU Integration Guide -- Detailed EEA/EU cross-reference documentation
• EU Usage Examples -- Practical EU/EEA 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/Icelandic-law-mcp
cd Icelandic-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 Althingi/Lagasafn
npm run build:db            # Rebuild SQLite database
npm run check-updates       # Check for amendments and new statutes

Performance

• Search Speed: <100ms for most FTS5 queries
• Database Size: 68 MB (efficient, portable)
• 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/icelandic-law-mcp (This Project)

Query 1,709 Icelandic statutes directly from Claude -- persónuverndarlög, hegningarlög, lyfjalög, and more. Full provision text with EEA cross-references. npx @ansvar/icelandic-law-mcp

@ansvar/norwegian-law-mcp

Query Norwegian statutes directly from Claude -- EEA member, Nordic legal tradition. npx @ansvar/norwegian-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 Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and more.

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Contributing

Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Priority areas:

• EEA incorporation status tracking (which EU acts are in force in Iceland)
• Supreme Court (Hæstiréttur) case law expansion
• Historical statute versions and amendment tracking
• English translations for key statutes

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Roadmap

• Core statute database with FTS5 search
• Full corpus ingestion (1,709 statutes, 19,026 provisions)
• EEA/EU law integration tools
• Vercel Streamable HTTP deployment
• npm package publication
• Daily freshness checks
• Case law expansion (Hæstiréttur, Landsréttur)
• Historical statute versions (amendment tracking)
• English translations for key statutes
• EEA incorporation status tracking

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Citation

If you use this MCP server in academic research:

@software{icelandic_law_mcp_2026,
  author = {Ansvar Systems AB},
  title = {Icelandic Law MCP Server: Production-Grade Legal Research Tool},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://github.com/Ansvar-Systems/Icelandic-law-mcp},
  note = {Comprehensive Icelandic legal database with 1,709 statutes and 19,026 provisions}
}

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License

Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE for details.

Data Licenses

• Statutes & Legislation: Althingi/Lagasafn (public domain)
• EU/EEA 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 Icelandic law -- turns out everyone building for the EEA market has the same research frustrations.

So we're open-sourcing it. Navigating 1,709 statutes shouldn't require a law degree.

ansvar.eu -- Stockholm, Sweden

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_{Built with care in Stockholm, Sweden}