Connecting Claude to Légifrance: what it changes
Asked on its own, Claude does not know the state of French law on the day you ask. It answers from its training data, with a cutoff date, and that is where misnumbered articles and rulings that never existed come from. Plugging it into Légifrance changes the nature of the tool: it stops answering from memory, it consults the source and cites its reference.
Three connectors to cover Légifrance
The Légifrance corpus is not a single block: it is consumed database by database. Three MCP Factory connectors cover it, and you enable them separately depending on your practice:
- Code for the consolidated codes, article by article, with the text in force on a given date
- LODA for statutes, ordinances, decrees and ministerial orders in their consolidated version
- Kali for collective bargaining agreements, searchable by IDCC number
A fourth one, Juri, rounds out the set on the case law side, outside the Légifrance perimeter proper.
The questions Claude can then handle
Once the connection is live, you can ask it for the wording of an article in force on a given date, the earlier version of an amended text, the exact content of a collective bargaining agreement by its IDCC number, or the list of texts that have amended a provision. Every answer points back to the source consulted, which makes verification immediate instead of resting on your memory of the law as it stands.
Test this first: ask it a question you already know the answer to, on a text you know well. It is the fastest way to measure what the connector adds, and to get a feel for the way it cites.
Two methods set up this connection, both detailed below: adding it through the Claude Desktop interface, the simplest one, and adding it through the configuration file, for those who prefer. The result is identical.
What the connection does not solve
Two limits are worth stating up front. The connection removes invented references on the texts consulted, not reasoning errors: the model can cite the right article and draw the wrong consequence from it. Verification still applies in full to the analysis; it simply moves from the source to the reasoning.
Then, confidentiality. The connectors query public sources, but your question and the content you submit travel through Anthropic, a company incorporated under US law. That is of no consequence for research on public texts. The moment a case document enters the conversation, run it first through lexform.zevra.tech, our pseudonymization firewall, or work on a self-hosted model: the connectors themselves stay the same.
Method 1: Add a connector through the interface
This is the simplest method and the one we recommend for getting started.
1Get the connector URL
Sign in to your MCP Factory account. On your dashboard, you'll see the list of all available connectors. Click the one you want to add (for example "Juri") and copy the MCP address shown.
2Generate your API key
Still on the MCP Factory, generate your personal API key. Keep it: you'll need it for the next step.
3Add the connector in Claude Desktop
Open Claude Desktop, then go to Settings → Connectors. Click "Add a custom connector". Enter the connector name (for example "Juri") and paste the URL you got in step 1.
In the URL, replace the Your API Key placeholder with the API key you generated.
Confirm by clicking "Add connector".
4Configure permissions
Once the connector is added, Claude will ask how to handle permissions. We recommend selecting "Always allow".
Why "Always allow"? These connectors only search legal databases: they take no action on your accounts, make no purchases, and change nothing. Leaving them on permanent access lets Claude organize its reasoning and freely dig through the sources to give you the best possible answer.
Method 2: Add a connector through the configuration file
Some MCP publishers don't provide a hosted link. In that case, you have to go through Claude Desktop's configuration file.
1Open the developer settings
In Claude Desktop, go to Settings → Developer.
2Open the configuration file
Open the MCP configuration file provided.
3Copy the configuration block
Copy the code block provided by the MCP publisher (available on the MCP Factory for each connector).
4Paste and configure
Paste the block into the configuration file. Replace the API key field with the one you generated on the MCP Factory.
5Save and restart
Save the file. The connector will be active the next time you launch Claude Desktop.
Note: If you're not comfortable with configuration files, use Method 1. The result is identical.
How to use your connectors
Once your connectors are installed, just ask Claude your legal question naturally.
A concrete example
"Find me case law for an employment law dispute: dismissal for misconduct following driving under the influence of narcotics. I want to challenge the dismissal."
Claude will automatically bring its reasoning abilities to bear to query the Légifrance and Papers APIs, then give you a legally sourced answer with references you can verify directly online.
Tip: The more precise your question, the better the answer. Feel free to specify the area of law, the type of decision you're after, and the factual context.
Alternative: the MCP Factory legal chat
Your MCP Factory account also includes a built-in legal chat with all the connected sources. This chat was configured by lawyers and offers a ready-to-use alternative if you'd rather not go through Claude Desktop.
Go to the MCP Factory legal chat →
Need help?
Installation support is part of your training. Contact me directly on LinkedIn or via WhatsApp with any question about setting up your connectors.
Going further
MCP is a technical building block. To understand how AI fits into legal practice as a whole (LLMs, prompts, professional ethics, the AI Act), read our full study on AI training for lawyers in France — an analysis of the 11 bar schools, an overview of the training programs, and the AI Act regulatory timeline.
To get hands-on training, Zevra Campus offers free tracks (including one on MCP servers), up to the 3-day residential bootcamp.
One last reflex, and not the least: a connector hands your assistant whatever you give it to read. Before letting a case document in, run it through lexform.zevra.tech, our pseudonymization firewall. The mapping table stays on your machine, no text is kept, and 8,000 words are free every month.
Tutorial written on February 13, 2026. Interfaces and features are subject to change.