UK Legal Research

Get Legislation Section

legislation_get_section

Read-onlyIdempotent

USE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a known Act / SI and want the parsed text of a specific section, with extent and in-force metadata.

Returns full section text, territorial extent, in-force status, and prospective flag. Content capped per max_chars (default 10,000, ~2,500 tokens) — raise for unusually long definition sections; check content_truncated in the response.

ALWAYS check extent — a section may apply to England & Wales but not Scotland or Northern Ireland. Reciting a section without checking extent is a recurring legal-research error.

Alternative: call read_resource(uri="legislation://{type}/{year}/{number}/ section/{section}") for raw CLML XML; use this tool when you want the parsed structured response instead.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`type`	Yes	Legislation type code: 'ukpga' (Acts), 'uksi' (SIs), 'asp' (Scottish Acts), 'nia' (NI Acts). Use the value from legislation_search results.
`year`	Yes	Year of enactment
`number`	Yes	Chapter or SI number
`section`	Yes	Section number, e.g. '47' or '12A'. Use the numeric part only — not 'section-47'. Schedules are not currently supported.
`max_chars`	No	Maximum characters of section content to return. Default 10,000 (~2,500 tokens) covers almost every section. Raise to 50,000+ only for unusually long Finance Act definition sections. Check content_truncated in the response to see if it was cut.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`title`	Yes	Section title or heading
`extent`	No	Territorial extent: list of 'England', 'Wales', 'Scotland', 'Northern Ireland'. Empty list means unknown — do not assume full UK extent.
`content`	Yes	Plain text content of the section, possibly truncated per max_chars. Check content_truncated and original_length for full-text information.
`in_force`	No	False if the section is explicitly marked repealed in CLML. True only when an InForce element is present in the section body (rare). Null for most sections — the data.xml endpoint does not carry a per-section current in-force boolean; null does not mean repealed.
`warnings`	No	Non-fatal retrieval or parsing warnings the caller should disclose where relevant.
`prospective`	No	True if this section has not yet come into force; None if unknown
`version_date`	No	Date of the version retrieved
`source_format`	No	Source parsed for this response. html_fallback means CLML XML was unavailable and text was parsed from the public HTML page.	xml
`section_number`	Yes	Section number, e.g. '47', '12A', 'Schedule 2'
`original_length`	No	Original plain-text length in characters before any truncation
`content_truncated`	No	True if content was cut to fit max_chars

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections. Dates show when Glama detected each change.

Changed7 schema fields changedJun 14, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / max_chars

Added value: +{
+  "default": 10000,
+  "description": "Maximum characters of section content to return. Default 10,000 (~2,500 tokens) covers almost every section. Raise to 50,000+ only for unusually long Finance Act definition sections. Check content_truncated in the response to see if it was cut.",
+  "maximum": 200000,
+  "minimum": 500,
+  "type": "integer"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / number

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Chapter or SI number",
+  "minimum": 1,
+  "type": "integer"
+}

removedInput schema / properties / params

Removed value: -{
-  "additionalProperties": false,
-  "description": "LegislationGetSectionInput.",
-  "properties": {
-    "max_chars": {
-      "default": 10000,
-      "description": "Maximum characters of section content to return. Default 10,000 (~2,500 tokens) covers almost every section. Raise to 50,000+ only for unusually long Finance Act definition sections. Check content_truncated in the response to see if it was cut.",
-      "maximum": 200000,
-      "minimum": 500,
-      "type": "integer"
-    },
-    "number": {
-      "description": "Chapter or SI number",
-      "minimum": 1,
-      "type": "integer"
-    },
-    "section": {
-      "description": "Section number, e.g. '47' or '12A'. Use the numeric part only — not 'section-47'. Schedules are not currently supported.",
-      "maxLength": 50,
-      "minLength": 1,
-      "type": "string"
-    },
-    "type": {
-      "description": "Legislation type code: 'ukpga' (Acts), 'uksi' (SIs), 'asp' (Scottish Acts), 'nia' (NI Acts). Use the value from legislation_search results.",
-      "maxLength": 10,
-      "minLength": 2,
-      "type": "string"
-    },
-    "year": {
-      "description": "Year of enactment",
-      "maximum": 2100,
-      "minimum": 1800,
-      "type": "integer"
-    }
-  },
-  "required": [
-    "type",
-    "year",
-    "number",
-    "section"
-  ],
-  "type": "object"
-}

addedInput schema / properties / section

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Section number, e.g. '47' or '12A'. Use the numeric part only — not 'section-47'. Schedules are not currently supported.",
+  "maxLength": 50,
+  "minLength": 1,
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / type

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Legislation type code: 'ukpga' (Acts), 'uksi' (SIs), 'asp' (Scottish Acts), 'nia' (NI Acts). Use the value from legislation_search results.",
+  "maxLength": 10,
+  "minLength": 2,
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / year

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Year of enactment",
+  "maximum": 2100,
+  "minimum": 1800,
+  "type": "integer"
+}

changedInput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "params"
-]New value: +[
+  "type",
+  "year",
+  "number",
+  "section"
+]

Changed1 schema field changedJun 13, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / in_force / description

Previous value: -"Whether this section is currently in force; None if unknown"New value: +"False if the section is explicitly marked repealed in CLML. True only when an InForce element is present in the section body (rare). Null for most sections — the data.xml endpoint does not carry a per-section current in-force boolean; null does not mean repealed."

Changed1 schema field changedMay 30, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / params / description

Previous value: -"type, year, number, section identifier, optional max_chars."New value: +"LegislationGetSectionInput."

Changed7 schema fields changedMay 16, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / extent / description

Previous value: -"Territorial extent: list of 'England', 'Wales', 'Scotland', 'Northern Ireland'"New value: +"Territorial extent: list of 'England', 'Wales', 'Scotland', 'Northern Ireland'. Empty list means unknown — do not assume full UK extent."

addedOutput schema / properties / prospective / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "boolean"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

changedOutput schema / properties / prospective / default
```
Previous value: -falseNew value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / properties / prospective / description

Previous value: -"True if this section has not yet come into force"New value: +"True if this section has not yet come into force; None if unknown"

removedOutput schema / properties / prospective / type
```
Removed value: -"boolean"
```

addedOutput schema / properties / source_format

Added value: +{
+  "default": "xml",
+  "description": "Source parsed for this response. html_fallback means CLML XML was unavailable and text was parsed from the public HTML page.",
+  "enum": [
+    "xml",
+    "html_fallback"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / warnings

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Non-fatal retrieval or parsing warnings the caller should disclose where relevant.",
+  "items": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

Changed11 schema fields changedApr 29, 2026

removedInput schema / properties / date

Removed value: -{
-  "anyOf": [
-    {
-      "type": "string"
-    },
-    {
-      "type": "null"
-    }
-  ],
-  "default": null,
-  "description": "Optional point-in-time date YYYY-MM-DD for historical version"
-}

removedInput schema / properties / number

Removed value: -{
-  "description": "Number, e.g. '46'",
-  "maxLength": 10,
-  "minLength": 1,
-  "type": "string"
-}

addedInput schema / properties / params

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "description": "type, year, number, section identifier, optional max_chars.",
+  "properties": {
+    "max_chars": {
+      "default": 10000,
+      "description": "Maximum characters of section content to return. Default 10,000 (~2,500 tokens) covers almost every section. Raise to 50,000+ only for unusually long Finance Act definition sections. Check content_truncated in the response to see if it was cut.",
+      "maximum": 200000,
+      "minimum": 500,
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "number": {
+      "description": "Chapter or SI number",
+      "minimum": 1,
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "section": {
+      "description": "Section number, e.g. '47' or '12A'. Use the numeric part only — not 'section-47'. Schedules are not currently supported.",
+      "maxLength": 50,
+      "minLength": 1,
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "type": {
+      "description": "Legislation type code: 'ukpga' (Acts), 'uksi' (SIs), 'asp' (Scottish Acts), 'nia' (NI Acts). Use the value from legislation_search results.",
+      "maxLength": 10,
+      "minLength": 2,
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "year": {
+      "description": "Year of enactment",
+      "maximum": 2100,
+      "minimum": 1800,
+      "type": "integer"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "type",
+    "year",
+    "number",
+    "section"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

removedInput schema / properties / section

Removed value: -{
-  "description": "Section number or ID, e.g. '172' or 'section-172'",
-  "maxLength": 50,
-  "minLength": 1,
-  "type": "string"
-}

removedInput schema / properties / type

Removed value: -{
-  "description": "Legislation type, e.g. 'ukpga', 'uksi'",
-  "maxLength": 20,
-  "minLength": 3,
-  "type": "string"
-}

removedInput schema / properties / year

Removed value: -{
-  "description": "Year, e.g. '2006'",
-  "maxLength": 4,
-  "minLength": 4,
-  "type": "string"
-}

changedInput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "type",
-  "year",
-  "number",
-  "section"
-]New value: +[
+  "params"
+]

removedOutput schema / additionalProperties
```
Removed value: -true
```

addedOutput schema / description

Added value: +"A single section of an Act or SI, with full metadata."

addedOutput schema / properties

Added value: +{
+  "content": {
+    "description": "Plain text content of the section, possibly truncated per max_chars. Check content_truncated and original_length for full-text information.",
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "content_truncated": {
+    "default": false,
+    "description": "True if content was cut to fit max_chars",
+    "type": "boolean"
+  },
+  "extent": {
+    "description": "Territorial extent: list of 'England', 'Wales', 'Scotland', 'Northern Ireland'",
+    "items": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "type": "array"
+  },
+  "in_force": {
+    "anyOf": [
+      {
+        "type": "boolean"
+      },
+      {
+        "type": "null"
+      }
+    ],
+    "default": null,
+    "description": "Whether this section is currently in force; None if unknown"
+  },
+  "original_length": {
+    "default": 0,
+    "description": "Original plain-text length in characters before any truncation",
+    "type": "integer"
+  },
+  "prospective": {
+    "default": false,
+    "description": "True if this section has not yet come into force",
+    "type": "boolean"
+  },
+  "section_number": {
+    "description": "Section number, e.g. '47', '12A', 'Schedule 2'",
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "title": {
+    "description": "Section title or heading",
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "version_date": {
+    "anyOf": [
+      {
+        "format": "date",
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      {
+        "type": "null"
+      }
+    ],
+    "default": null,
+    "description": "Date of the version retrieved"
+  }
+}

addedOutput schema / required

Added value: +[
+  "title",
+  "section_number",
+  "content"
+]

Changed11 schema fields changedApr 29, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / date

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "description": "Optional point-in-time date YYYY-MM-DD for historical version"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / number

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Number, e.g. '46'",
+  "maxLength": 10,
+  "minLength": 1,
+  "type": "string"
+}

removedInput schema / properties / params

Removed value: -{
-  "additionalProperties": false,
-  "description": "type, year, number, section identifier, optional max_chars.",
-  "properties": {
-    "max_chars": {
-      "default": 10000,
-      "description": "Maximum characters of section content to return. Default 10,000 (~2,500 tokens) covers almost every section. Raise to 50,000+ only for unusually long Finance Act definition sections. Check content_truncated in the response to see if it was cut.",
-      "maximum": 200000,
-      "minimum": 500,
-      "type": "integer"
-    },
-    "number": {
-      "description": "Chapter or SI number",
-      "minimum": 1,
-      "type": "integer"
-    },
-    "section": {
-      "description": "Section number, e.g. '47' or '12A'. Use the numeric part only — not 'section-47'. Schedules are not currently supported.",
-      "maxLength": 50,
-      "minLength": 1,
-      "type": "string"
-    },
-    "type": {
-      "description": "Legislation type code: 'ukpga' (Acts), 'uksi' (SIs), 'asp' (Scottish Acts), 'nia' (NI Acts). Use the value from legislation_search results.",
-      "maxLength": 10,
-      "minLength": 2,
-      "type": "string"
-    },
-    "year": {
-      "description": "Year of enactment",
-      "maximum": 2100,
-      "minimum": 1800,
-      "type": "integer"
-    }
-  },
-  "required": [
-    "type",
-    "year",
-    "number",
-    "section"
-  ],
-  "type": "object"
-}

addedInput schema / properties / section

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Section number or ID, e.g. '172' or 'section-172'",
+  "maxLength": 50,
+  "minLength": 1,
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / type

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Legislation type, e.g. 'ukpga', 'uksi'",
+  "maxLength": 20,
+  "minLength": 3,
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / year

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Year, e.g. '2006'",
+  "maxLength": 4,
+  "minLength": 4,
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "params"
-]New value: +[
+  "type",
+  "year",
+  "number",
+  "section"
+]

addedOutput schema / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +true
```

removedOutput schema / description

Removed value: -"A single section of an Act or SI, with full metadata."

removedOutput schema / properties

Removed value: -{
-  "content": {
-    "description": "Plain text content of the section, possibly truncated per max_chars. Check content_truncated and original_length for full-text information.",
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "content_truncated": {
-    "default": false,
-    "description": "True if content was cut to fit max_chars",
-    "type": "boolean"
-  },
-  "extent": {
-    "description": "Territorial extent: list of 'England', 'Wales', 'Scotland', 'Northern Ireland'",
-    "items": {
-      "type": "string"
-    },
-    "type": "array"
-  },
-  "in_force": {
-    "anyOf": [
-      {
-        "type": "boolean"
-      },
-      {
-        "type": "null"
-      }
-    ],
-    "default": null,
-    "description": "Whether this section is currently in force; None if unknown"
-  },
-  "original_length": {
-    "default": 0,
-    "description": "Original plain-text length in characters before any truncation",
-    "type": "integer"
-  },
-  "prospective": {
-    "default": false,
-    "description": "True if this section has not yet come into force",
-    "type": "boolean"
-  },
-  "section_number": {
-    "description": "Section number, e.g. '47', '12A', 'Schedule 2'",
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "title": {
-    "description": "Section title or heading",
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  "version_date": {
-    "anyOf": [
-      {
-        "format": "date",
-        "type": "string"
-      },
-      {
-        "type": "null"
-      }
-    ],
-    "default": null,
-    "description": "Date of the version retrieved"
-  }
-}

removedOutput schema / required

Removed value: -[
-  "title",
-  "section_number",
-  "content"
-]

Changed1 schema field changedApr 20, 2026
- addedInput schema / properties / params / description
```
Added value: +"type, year, number, section identifier, optional max_chars."
```

Changed14 schema fields changedApr 15, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / params / properties / max_chars

Added value: +{
+  "default": 10000,
+  "description": "Maximum characters of section content to return. Default 10,000 (~2,500 tokens) covers almost every section. Raise to 50,000+ only for unusually long Finance Act definition sections. Check content_truncated in the response to see if it was cut.",
+  "maximum": 200000,
+  "minimum": 500,
+  "type": "integer"
+}

changedOutput schema / description

Previous value: -"Generic wrapper for non-object return types."New value: +"A single section of an Act or SI, with full metadata."

addedOutput schema / properties / content

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Plain text content of the section, possibly truncated per max_chars. Check content_truncated and original_length for full-text information.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / content_truncated

Added value: +{
+  "default": false,
+  "description": "True if content was cut to fit max_chars",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / extent

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Territorial extent: list of 'England', 'Wales', 'Scotland', 'Northern Ireland'",
+  "items": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / in_force

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "boolean"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "description": "Whether this section is currently in force; None if unknown"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / original_length

Added value: +{
+  "default": 0,
+  "description": "Original plain-text length in characters before any truncation",
+  "type": "integer"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / prospective

Added value: +{
+  "default": false,
+  "description": "True if this section has not yet come into force",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

removedOutput schema / properties / result

Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}

addedOutput schema / properties / section_number

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Section number, e.g. '47', '12A', 'Schedule 2'",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / title

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Section title or heading",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / version_date

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "format": "date",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "description": "Date of the version retrieved"
+}

changedOutput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "result"
-]New value: +[
+  "title",
+  "section_number",
+  "content"
+]

removedOutput schema / x-fastmcp-wrap-result
```
Removed value: -true
```

First observedApr 14, 2026

TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare readOnly, openWorld, idempotent, and non-destructive. The description adds valuable behavioral context beyond annotations: content truncation via max_chars, the content_truncated response field, and the extent-check warning. It also mentions the 'prospective flag' as an output trait, so the agent knows what to expect.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is front-loaded with a bolded 'USE THIS TOOL WHEN' and organized into clear paragraphs. It is somewhat wordier than necessary (e.g., repeating default token count), but every section serves a distinct purpose—purpose, return details, warning, alternative—making it efficient and well-structured.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

The description is complete for a read tool with an output schema: it covers the intended use case, key output fields (extent, in-force, prospective flag), truncation behavior, a critical legal-research caution, and an explicit alternative. It also tells the user to get type/year/number from legislation_search, which is helpful. Nothing essential is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100% with detailed descriptions for every parameter, including max_chars default and guidance to check content_truncated. The description adds minimal extra meaning beyond schema, mostly reiterating the max_chars behavior. Baseline 3 is appropriate when the schema does the heavy lifting.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description clearly states the tool's function: 'USE THIS TOOL WHEN you have a known Act / SI and want the parsed text of a specific section, with extent and in-force metadata.' This specific verb+resource+outcome distinguishes it from siblings like legislation_get_toc and read_resource, and it explicitly contrasts with the raw XML alternative.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description provides explicit usage guidance: when to use the tool ('when you have a known Act / SI'), what to check ('ALWAYS check extent'), and names the alternative ('call read_resource(uri=...) for raw CLML XML'). This is a clear when/when-not with alternatives.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Disambiguation5/5

Every tool has a clearly distinct purpose, with detailed descriptions that prevent ambiguity. Tools covering similar domains (e.g., multiple parliament search tools) are carefully differentiated by their search approach and input requirements.

Naming Consistency5/5

All tools follow a consistent snake_case verb_noun pattern (e.g., bills_get_bill, case_law_search, citations_resolve). Even generic tools adhere to this style. No mixing of conventions.

Tool Count4/5

With 35 tools, the count is on the higher side but appropriate for the wide-ranging domain of UK legal research. Each tool contributes to specific sub-domains (bills, case law, citations, committees, HMRC, legislation, parliament, votes) without unnecessary duplication.

Completeness5/5

The tool surface covers nearly all essential aspects of UK legal research: searching and retrieving bills, case law, and legislation; parsing and resolving citations; exploring committee evidence; accessing Hansard debates and member interests; and checking HMRC guidance and VAT rates. Gaps like full judgment text retrieval are mitigated by paragraph-level access and indexing.

Get Legislation Section

Input Schema

Output Schema

Schema Changelog

TDQS

Glama MCP Gateway

TDQS

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