Install

This page covers connecting over Streamable HTTP, the current standard transport. (The connector also supports stdio and SSE, but those are not covered here.)

Looking for click-by-click steps instead? See Easy setup for Claude (claude.ai, Desktop, Cowork) and ChatGPT.

Transport

The connector is served over Streamable HTTP at the /mcp path on its public host:

https://mcp.chancerylaneproject.org/mcp

No key needed to try it

Connections that present no API key of their own are served with a shared public key, so you can connect and start searching immediately — nothing to request, nothing to configure. The public key is rate-limited more tightly than a named key, which is enough for trying the connector out and for personal use.

Getting a named key

A named key is issued by the TCLP team for legaltech platforms and law firms integrating the connector into their own tools. It carries higher rate limits than the shared public key and lets TCLP attribute usage to your organisation. You'll still need to complete the form — a key isn't required just to test the connector.

Request access here

Treat your key like a password once you have one.

Authentication

If you have a named key, present it in one of two ways:

• X-Api-Key request header — preferred. Headers are not recorded in proxy access logs, so this is the safer choice for shared or production setups.
• ?api_key= query parameter — convenient. Useful for URL-based configuration, but the key may appear in proxy and server logs.

Streamable HTTP is stateless and authenticates on every request: the client resends the key with each call (or sends none, and falls back to the shared public key). Connector configuration handles this for you — you supply the key once in the config, and the client attaches it to every request.

Client configuration

Configure the connector in your client to point at the /mcp endpoint. With a named key, send it in the X-Api-Key header. For a client that takes a JSON connector definition, the entry looks like this:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tclp-kg": {
      "url": "https://mcp.chancerylaneproject.org/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-Api-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your key, or omit the headers block entirely to use the shared public key. Once connected, head to Usage for worked examples.