Bankruptcy Observer — MCP

Public documentation for the Bankruptcy Observer Model Context Protocol server. It provides agent-first access to US business bankruptcy filings, dockets, court documents, case summaries, and monitoring workflows.

Website: bankruptcyobserver.com
MCP docs: mcp.bankruptcyobserver.com/docs
Subscribe: mcp.bankruptcyobserver.com/subscribe
Laravel controller: Laravel13/app/Http/Controllers/BKO/BkoMcpController.php

MCP endpoint

Transport	Streamable HTTP (JSON-RPC 2.0 over HTTPS)
URL	https://mcp.bankruptcyobserver.com/mcp
Auth	Optional — free tier works without credentials; paid tools require a subscriber MCP token
Server name	bko-mcp

Send a standard MCP session: initialize → notifications/initialized (optional) → tools/list → tools/call.

Authentication

The BKO middleware never returns HTTP 401. Instead:

• Free tier (no auth): Limited lookups for exact debtor name (no * wildcard) and 7-digit case numbers.
• Subscriber (auth required for full data): Pass your MCP API token via:
  • Authorization: Bearer <api_token>
  • X-API-Key: <api_token> (optionally with X-Client-Email)
  • OAuth Bearer token from the shared MCP OAuth flow (/oauth/token)

Website subscribers get MCP access included. Tokens are visible in the subscriber dashboard at /subscriber/mcp-setup. New users can also call list_plans_tool and purchase_plan_tool without auth to start Stripe checkout.

Subscription tiers

Tier	Access
Anonymous	Free-shape lookups only (exact name, 7-digit case number)
Single-Case Agent	Case tools scoped to monitored cases on your BKO account
Full Access Agent	All search tools plus full case/docket/document access

Tools

Free / lookup tools

search_bankruptcy_cases_tool

Search US business bankruptcy cases by debtor name.

Parameter	Type	Description
search_term	string	Debtor name (prefix or *contains for paid wildcard search)
limit	integer	Max results (1–100); default 25
skip	integer	Pagination offset
court_id	string	Optional court filter
court_state	string	Two-letter state to filter court name

Free: exact/prefix match without *. Paid: *term contains search and full fields.

get_case_by_case_number_tool

Look up case(s) by short case number (e.g. 26-10543).

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
short_case_number	string	yes	Short case number
court_id	string	no	Court filter
court_state	string	no	Two-letter state
live_update	boolean	no	One-time refresh from court sources (subscribers)

Free: 7-digit format returns limited fields across all courts. Paid: full data, live_update, court filters.

Paid search tools (Full Access Agent)

get_case_by_ein_tool

Look up cases by debtor EIN.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
debtor_ein	string	yes	Employer Identification Number
include_last_filing	boolean	no	Include lastFilingDate from docket
live_update	boolean	no	One-time source refresh (subscribers)

get_cases_by_industry_tool

Cases by industry label or key (Hotels, Retail, real-estate, etc.).

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
industry	string	yes	Industry label or key
limit	integer	no	Max results
start_date	string	no	YYYY-MM-DD
end_date	string	no	YYYY-MM-DD

get_cases_by_naics_tool

Cases by NAICS code (2–4 digits).

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
naics	string	yes	NAICS code
limit	integer	no	Max results
start_date	string	no	YYYY-MM-DD
end_date	string	no	YYYY-MM-DD

get_cases_by_state_tool

Cases by debtor state.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
state	string	yes	Two-letter state
limit	integer	no	Max results
start_date	string	no	YYYY-MM-DD
end_date	string	no	YYYY-MM-DD

get_cases_by_date_range_tool

Cases filed in a date range on dateFiled. Omitting both dates defaults to yesterday.

Parameter	Type	Description
start_date	string	YYYY-MM-DD
end_date	string	YYYY-MM-DD
limit	integer	Max results

Case intelligence tools (subscribers)

get_docket_entries_tool

Docket entries for a case. Each entry includes docket_id for document tools.

Parameter	Type	Description
simple_name	string	Case simpleName (preferred)
case_number	string	Short or full case number
short_case_number	string	Alias for case_number
court_id	string	Optional court filter
court_state	string	Two-letter state to disambiguate
limit	integer	Max entries (default 25, max 50)
live_update	boolean	Refresh from court sources first

get_case_summary_tool

Plain-English structured summary: debtor, chapter, court, key dates, asset/liability ranges, nature of business, judge, and AI-extracted profile data when available.

Parameter	Type	Description
simple_name	string	Case simpleName (preferred)
case_number	string	7-digit short case number
court_state	string	Two-letter state to disambiguate

list_monitored_cases_tool

List cases on your BankruptcyObserver.com monitoring list. No parameters.

add_monitored_case_tool

Add a case to your monitoring list (hourly court checks, daily docket updates).

Parameter	Type	Description
simple_name	string	Case simpleName
case_number	string	7-digit short case number alternative
court_state	string	Two-letter state to disambiguate
court_id	string	Optional court filter

refresh_docket_tool

Request an immediate docket refresh from court sources.

Parameter	Type	Description
simple_name	string	Case simpleName
case_number	string	7-digit short case number
court_state	string	Two-letter state
court_id	string	Optional court filter

get_recent_developments_tool

Docket entries since a date (default: last 7 days) for one monitored case or all monitored cases.

Parameter	Type	Description
simple_name	string	Optional; omit for all monitored cases
since_date	string	YYYY-MM-DD; default 7 days ago
limit	integer	Max entries (default 100, max 250)

Document tools (subscribers)

Recommended flow:

1. get_docket_entries_tool → obtain docket_id
2. get_document_tool with docket_id only → cost preview
3. User confirms → get_document_tool with accept_charge: true → signed PDF URL

get_document_cost_tool

Preview cost to download a court filing PDF. Does not pull or charge.

get_document_tool

Court filing PDF. Omit accept_charge/download for preview; set accept_charge: true or download: true after user confirms.

Shared parameters for document tools:

Parameter	Type	Description
docket_id	string	Preferred: 40-character hex hash from docket tools
simple_name	string	Legacy: case simpleName (use with item_number)
item_number	integer	Legacy: docket item number
accept_charge	boolean	true after user approves cost
download	boolean	Legacy alias for accept_charge: true

Note: get_document_cost is a dispatch alias of get_document_cost_tool but is filtered out of tools/list to avoid duplicate catalog entries.

Meta / account tools

list_plans_tool

List available BKO subscription plans with pricing and agent tiers. No auth required.

purchase_plan_tool

Get a Stripe checkout URL for a plan. No auth required.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
plan_id	string	yes	Plan ID or Stripe price ID from list_plans_tool
email	string	no	Email to prefill on checkout

check_subscription_tool

Check MCP subscription status and remaining quota.

Parameter	Type	Description
api_key	string	Optional; uses request credentials if omitted

MCP Registry

Listed (or publishable) in the official MCP Registry as com.bankruptcyobserver/mcp.

• Registry manifest: server.json
• Search: https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers?search=com.bankruptcyobserver

Example: Cursor / IDE config

Free tier (no headers):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bankruptcy-observer": {
      "type": "streamableHttp",
      "url": "https://mcp.bankruptcyobserver.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Subscriber:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bankruptcy-observer": {
      "type": "streamableHttp",
      "url": "https://mcp.bankruptcyobserver.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_BKO_MCP_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

License and data

Bankruptcy data is aggregated from public court records. Access and use are subject to Bankruptcy Observer terms of service and subscriber agreements.