search_provisions

Returns the provisions that best match a query, ranked, each with its pinpoint, heading, a short snippet and its verification label. Never full text: fetch a hit with get_provision_text once you know its pinpoint.

Fact	Value
Tool	`search_provisions`
Partner scope required	`legislation:read`
Subscriber tier required	AI Pro
Accepts `as_at`	no

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Default
`query`	string	yes
`legislation_id`	string	no	`null`
`register_id`	string	no	`null`
`provision_types`	array of string	no	`null`
`limit`	integer	no	`10`
`cursor`	string	no	`null`
`mode`	string	no	`"hybrid"`

Notes

Scope it. Pass legislation_id (a title id, compilation id or the legislation_id another tool returned) or register_id. Unscoped search covers the whole corpus of law in force and is much noisier.
provision_types: ["section"] keeps notes, schedules and subsections out, and is usually what you want. Valid values: section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, definition, note, schedule, part, division, subdivision, chapter, long_title.
mode is hybrid (the default: word matching and meaning matching together), keyword or semantic. Meaning matching covers the Acts in the Administrative Arrangements Order. Elsewhere the search matches words only, and notes says so, so the wording of the query affects the rank more.
Rank is the order. Sort on rank, which continues across pages. similarity (present on a meaning match) and score (present on a word match) are on different scales; never compare or combine them.
match_type is semantic, all_terms, heading, partial or both. both is the strongest: the words and the meaning both match.
heading_clipped: true means the stored heading contained body text: that provision's record is incomplete.
label is the provision's verification label, as on get_provision_text.
Law in force only. Provisions of titles no longer in force are never matched. A search scoped to such a title returns TITLE_NOT_IN_FORCE.

Request (search_provisions with {"query":"notifying individuals of an eligible data breach","legislation_id":"C2004A03712","provision_types":["section"],"limit":3})

Python SDK

import asyncio, os
from mcp import ClientSession
from mcp.client.streamable_http import streamablehttp_client

async def main():
    headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['LAWATLAS_API_KEY']}"}
    async with streamablehttp_client("https://advisor.lawatlas.ai/api/mcp-http/mcp", headers=headers) as (read, write, _):
        async with ClientSession(read, write) as session:
            await session.initialize()
            result = await session.call_tool("search_provisions", {
                "query": "notifying individuals of an eligible data breach",
                "legislation_id": "C2004A03712",
                "provision_types": [
                    "section"
                ],
                "limit": 3
            })
            print(result.content[0].text)

asyncio.run(main())

curl

curl -s https://advisor.lawatlas.ai/api/mcp-http/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LAWATLAS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"search_provisions","arguments":{"query":"notifying individuals of an eligible data breach","legislation_id":"C2004A03712","provision_types":["section"],"limit":3}}}'

Response, as Advisor returned it on 10 October 2026. The tool's result is the JSON text of result.content[0].text; lists and long text are trimmed where marked "...".

{
  "schema_version": "3.5",
  "result": [
    {
      "provision_id": "74895e94-f52b-43b8-a3d3-f2d2981ccc64",
      "legislation_id": "eae28dff-3ff5-48eb-af3f-38686e6f650e",
      "pinpoint": "s 26WL",
      "heading": "Entity must notify eligible data breach",
      "snippet": "Entity must notify eligible data breach Scope\n(1)\tThis section applies if:\n(a)\tan entity is aware that there are reasonable grounds to believe that there has been an eligible data breach of the entity; and\n(b)\tthe entity has prepared a statement that",
      "snippet_type": "match",
      "rank": 1,
      "match_type": "both",
      "all_query_terms_present": true,
      "path_headings": [
        "Part IIIC",
        "Division 3",
        "Subdivision B"
      ],
      "anchor_state": "anchored",
      "anchor_qualifier": null,
      "label": "Verified",
      "similarity": 0.7884,
      "score": 0.0006,
      "title_id": "C2004A03712",
      "eid": "sec_26wl",
      "structure_path": "part_iiic/dvs_3/subdvs_b/sec_26wl",
      "contains_formula": false,
      "compilation": {
        "register_id": "C2026C00227",
        "compilation_no": 104,
        "state": "current",
        "check_date": "2026-10-09T16:47:33.513124Z"
      }
    },
    {
      "provision_id": "f4cc27bf-9901-40a6-8f19-5e6835f9ab44",
      "legislation_id": "eae28dff-3ff5-48eb-af3f-38686e6f650e",
      "pinpoint": "s 26WK",
      "heading": "Statement about eligible data breach",
      "snippet": "Statement about eligible data breach Scope\n(1)\tThis section applies if an entity is aware that there are reasonable grounds to believe that there has been an eligible data breach of the entity.\nStatement\n(2)\tThe entity must:\n(a)\tboth:\n(i)\tprepare a statement that",
      "snippet_type": "match",
      "rank": 2,
      "match_type": "both",
      "all_query_terms_present": false,
      "path_headings": [
        "Part IIIC",
        "Division 3",
        "Subdivision B"
      ],
      "anchor_state": "anchored",
      "anchor_qualifier": null,
      "label": "Verified",
      "similarity": 0.7807,
      "score": 0.0006,
      "title_id": "C2004A03712",
      "eid": "sec_26wk",
      "structure_path": "part_iiic/dvs_3/subdvs_b/sec_26wk",
      "contains_formula": false,
      "compilation": {
        "register_id": "C2026C00227",
        "compilation_no": 104,
        "state": "current",
        "check_date": "2026-10-09T16:47:33.513124Z"
      }
    },
    {
      "provision_id": "893fb7c4-2ae2-4afc-9972-bd8c58d1b383",
      "legislation_id": "eae28dff-3ff5-48eb-af3f-38686e6f650e",
      "pinpoint": "s 26WR",
      "heading": "Commissioner may direct entity to notify eligible data breach",
      "snippet": "Commissioner may direct entity to notify eligible data breach (1)\tIf the Commissioner is aware that there are reasonable grounds to believe that there has been an eligible data breach of an entity, the Commissioner may, by written notice given to the entity, direct",
      "snippet_type": "match",
      "rank": 3,
      "match_type": "both",
      "all_query_terms_present": true,
      "path_headings": [
        "Part IIIC",
        "Division 3",
        "Subdivision C"
      ],
      "anchor_state": "anchored",
      "anchor_qualifier": null,
      "label": "Verified",
      "similarity": 0.7692,
      "score": 0.0003,
      "title_id": "C2004A03712",
      "eid": "sec_26wr",
      "structure_path": "part_iiic/dvs_3/subdvs_c/sec_26wr",
      "contains_formula": false,
      "compilation": {
        "register_id": "C2026C00227",
        "compilation_no": 104,
        "state": "current",
        "check_date": "2026-10-09T16:47:33.513124Z"
      }
    }
  ],
  "page": {
    "returned": 3,
    "total": 194,
    "next_cursor": "eyJvIjogM30=",
    "truncated": false
  },
  "query": "notifying individuals of an eligible data breach",
  "legislation_id": "eae28dff-3ff5-48eb-af3f-38686e6f650e",
  "usage": "Search results only - snippets, not provision text. Retrieve the full text of any hit with get_provision_text using its provision_id."
}

Data currency: Advisor serves the text of titles that the Federal Register of Legislation records as in force. It does not return the text of a repealed, ceased or sunset title, for any date.

A title or a served provision carries a status block (status, or in_force in a list) with in_force, frl_status and confirmed_with_frl_at: when Advisor last confirmed the status with the Federal Register.

Served text and search hits carry a compilation block with register_id, compilation_no, check_date and state. state is one of four values:

current: the Federal Register's latest list names the compilation the text comes from.

not_current: the Federal Register lists a newer compilation. Tell the user, and use the frl_link in the response.

pending_compilation: amendments have commenced that are not yet compiled, so the text does not include them.

not_confirmed: the Federal Register lists no current compilation, or Advisor holds no record of one. Treat it as unknown.

TITLE_NOT_IN_FORCE and COMPILATION_NOT_CURRENT are answers, not failures. Show the user the Federal Register link in the response and do not fill the gap from another source.

Errors

Code	Meaning	What to do
`INVALID_ARGUMENT`	`query` is empty, a `mode` or `provision_types` value is unknown, or an id is malformed	Correct the value; the message lists the valid ones
`NOT_FOUND`	No title has this id	Find the title with `resolve_reference`
`TITLE_NOT_IN_FORCE`	The title is not in force	Show the `frl_link`; do not supply its text
`FORBIDDEN`	The account has no active AI Pro subscription	Renew the subscription

search_provisions

Notes

Errors

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