Icelandic Law MCP
Provides access to 1,709 Icelandic statutes and 19,026 provisions with full-text search, citation validation, and EU/EEA law integration, enabling legal research and compliance checks through natural language queries.
README
Icelandic Law MCP Server
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▶ Try this MCP instantly via Ansvar Gateway
50 free queries/day · no card required · OAuth signup at ansvar.eu/gateway
One endpoint, one OAuth signup, access from any MCP-compatible client.
Connect
Claude Code (one line):
claude mcp add ansvar --transport http https://gateway.ansvar.eu/mcp
Claude Desktop / Cursor — add to claude_desktop_config.json (or mcp.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"ansvar": {
"type": "url",
"url": "https://gateway.ansvar.eu/mcp"
}
}
}
Claude.ai — Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector → paste https://gateway.ansvar.eu/mcp
First request opens an OAuth flow at ansvar.eu/gateway. After signup, your client is bound to your account; tier (free / premium / team / company) determines fan-out, quota, and which downstream MCPs are reachable.
Self-host this MCP
You can also clone this repo and build the corpus yourself. The schema, fetcher, and tool implementations all live here. What is not in the repo is the pre-built database — TDM and standards-licensing constraints on the upstream sources mean we host the corpus on Ansvar infrastructure rather than redistribute it as a public artifact.
Build your own: run this repo's ingestion script (entry-point varies per
repo — typically scripts/ingest.sh, npm run ingest, or make ingest;
check the repo root).
<!-- ANSVAR-CTA-END -->
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
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.
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?"
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.
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.
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 |
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.
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 |
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.
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.
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
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
More Ansvar MCPs
Full fleet at ansvar.eu/gateway.
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
Roadmap
-
[x] Core statute database with FTS5 search
-
[x] Full corpus ingestion (1,709 statutes, 19,026 provisions)
-
[x] EEA/EU law integration tools
-
[x] Vercel Streamable HTTP deployment
-
[x] Daily freshness checks
-
[ ] Case law expansion (Hæstiréttur, Landsréttur)
-
[ ] Historical statute versions (amendment tracking)
-
[ ] English translations for key statutes
-
[ ] EEA incorporation status tracking
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}
}
License
Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE for details.
Data Licenses
- Statutes & Legislation:
Icelandic-Statutory-PD— Icelandic statutory public domain under Höfundalög nr. 73/1972 §9, which excludes laws, regulations, government directives, court decisions, similar documents produced by public authorities, and official translations of such documents from copyright protection. Single unconditional clause — no statutory attribution obligation. Verbatim basis: Alþingi consolidated text (Lagasafn). Commercial reuse permitted. Verified 2026-05-17. - EU/EEA Metadata: EUR-Lex (EU public domain)
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
<p align="center"> <sub>Built with care in Stockholm, Sweden</sub> </p>
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