List workflows and variables; create sessions and list session documents in Gavel. For legal and operations teams that automate documents with Gavel workflows. Hosted by usefulapi — connect from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any MCP client.
Team and Enterprise: an Owner adds the connector for the organization first.
Run this command, then run /mcp in Claude Code to log in:
Add to Cursor or add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"gavel": {
"url": "https://gavel.usefulapi.io/mcp"
}
}
}Add to VS Code or add this to .vscode/mcp.json:
{
"servers": {
"gavel": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://gavel.usefulapi.io/mcp"
}
}
}No Add custom MCP server option? It depends on your account or workspace settings: see OpenAI's guide.
Run these commands. The second one opens the login page:
Other MCP clients (Windsurf, Cline, Zed and more): add the URL as a remote MCP server (Streamable HTTP). The client then opens the login page in your browser. Do not add an Authorization header: see Before you connect.
List the workflows and read the variables of one workflow.
gavel_list_workflows gavel_get_workflow_variables
Create a session of a workflow with the answers that you already know.
Changes data · gavel_get_workflow_variables gavel_create_session
List the documents that a session produced.
gavel_list_session_documents
The login page asks for your Gavel subdomain and Gavel API key.
Log in to Gavel as a Builder or Admin, open Settings → API Keys and create a key. The API needs a Scale plan. Your key is used only to call the Gavel API for you and to derive a private account id.
Add only the URL. Do not add an Authorization header or an API key to the client config. The server signs you in with OAuth: the login page asks for your Gavel subdomain and Gavel API key. If the config has such a header, remove it: some clients then send that header instead of the login token, and every call fails with 401.
Turn on the Gavel connector, then ask in plain words. The AI picks the tools.
| Tool | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
gavel_list_workflows | read | List workflows List the names of all Gavel workflows on the account. API: GET /api/playground?folder=questions. |
gavel_get_workflow_variables | read | Get workflow variables Get the variable schema of one workflow: each variable name, data type, input type, label, options and whether it is required. Use it to learn what data gavel_create_session accepts. API: GET /officeaddin?pgtypes=<name>.yml. |
gavel_create_session | write | Create a workflow session WRITE: create a new session of a workflow with pre-filled variables. It does not send or sign anything. Each call creates one more session. Returns session_id and a continuation_url. If all variables are given, the URL opens the document download page; else the user answers only the missing questions. Dates: '2024-05-30T'. Date time: ISO 8601. Multi select: array of option labels. Repeating items: array of objects. Use gavel_get_workflow_variables for the names. API: POST /api/documate/v1/interviews/{name}/new. |
gavel_list_session_documents | read | List session documents List the documents of a completed workflow session: name, format (docx or pdf), type, source template and download URL. This tool returns metadata only. The download URL needs the X-Api-Key header. API: GET /api/documate/v1/data-manager/workflows/{name}/session/{id}/documents. |
gavel_usage_status | Usage status (free-tier meter) Report the caller's current usage: the plan, calls used this month, the limit of the plan (the free monthly cap or the Pro fair use limit), remaining, and whether the limit is reached. Read-only; does not count against the meter. | |
gavel_request_feature | Request a missing feature Tell usefulapi that the user needs something the Gavel tools cannot do yet (a missing tool, field or filter). Call it only when the user asks for something none of the tools can do, and tell the user that you send the request. Do not call it for errors or for normal requests. Do not include personal data, credentials or customer records. Stored with the product name and the client type (for example Claude or Cursor), without the user's account. At most 5 requests per day. Does not count against the meter. | |
gavel_upgrade | Upgrade to Pro (unlimited*) Get Pro: unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 10,000 a month) on Gavel (the free tier caps monthly usage). Plans: "monthly" — $9/month; "yearly" — $90/year (2 months free). Cancel any time: Pro then runs to the end of the paid period, so it also suits a one-time job. *A fair use limit applies. For heavy use (near Pro's limit): "plus" or "plus_yearly" — Pro+, $39/month or $390/year, unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 100,000 a month); an existing Pro subscription changes to Pro+ in place (needs confirm: true; the price difference for the rest of the period is charged at once). Otherwise returns a short link to open in your browser (it opens Stripe Checkout); after payment the account upgrades automatically. Does not count against the meter. | |
gavel_cancel_subscription | Cancel the Pro subscription Cancel the caller's Gavel Pro subscription at the end of the paid period (no refund for the current period; Pro continues until then, then the free tier applies). Requires confirm: true. Run gavel_upgrade later to undo the cancel before the period ends. Does not count against the meter. |
| Plan | Price | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 50 tool calls / month |
| Proper user | $9/mo · $90/yr | Unlimited* |
*Pro fair use limit: 10,000 tool calls a month on this server. For more, write to [email protected].
Pro covers this Gavel server only. Subscribe with gavel_upgrade (it returns a Stripe Checkout link). Cancel any time with gavel_cancel_subscription: Pro continues to the end of the paid period, with no refund for the current period, and running gavel_upgrade before then undoes the cancel. Or write to [email protected].
See which workflows exist. Start a document session. Get the documents of a session. See what you can do for the details.
No. usefulapi is an independent service. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Gavel. The server calls the Gavel API with your own Gavel access, so it sees only the data that your account can see.
Yes. In Claude, add this server's URL as a custom connector. In ChatGPT, add it as a custom MCP server in Plugins. Then log in once. Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code and Codex work too. See the setup steps.
The login page asks for your Gavel subdomain and Gavel API key. See Before you connect for where to find them.
No. Add only the URL. Do not add an Authorization header or an API key to the client config. The server signs you in with OAuth: the login page asks for your Gavel subdomain and Gavel API key. If the config has such a header, remove it: some clients then send that header instead of the login token, and every call fails with 401.
The login stores them encrypted in the authorization grant of your connection. The server uses them to call the Gavel API for you and to derive a private account id for usage metering. usefulapi does not show them on any page or in any reply. To stop all access, remove the connector and change or delete these credentials in Gavel.
Yes, if you approve it. 1 of the 4 Gavel tools can create or change data. The other 3 are marked read-only. Most MCP clients ask you to approve a tool call before it runs.
The Free plan gives 50 tool calls / month. Pro costs $9/mo or $90/yr, with unlimited tool calls (fair use limit: 10,000 tool calls a month), for this Gavel server only. Cancel any time: Pro then runs to the end of the paid period. Run gavel_usage_status to see how many calls you used.
Ask the AI to run gavel_upgrade: it returns a Stripe Checkout link. To cancel, run gavel_cancel_subscription. Pro continues to the end of the paid period.
Tell the AI what you wanted to do. It can send the request with gavel_request_feature. We store the text with the server name, the type of AI client and the tool you tried, not with your account, and read every request when we plan new tools. You can send up to 5 requests per day.
Any client that supports remote MCP servers (Streamable HTTP) with OAuth login: Claude (web and desktop), Claude Code, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf and others.
This is a Model Context Protocol endpoint — meant to be connected from an AI client, not opened in a browser. An invalid_token response at the URL is the auth gate working as designed; clients authenticate automatically.
Need a tool this server does not have, or a connection to another system? We build custom integrations and MCP servers.