Is there an API for CanLII?

CanLII does not offer a public data API for this, but Anakin Wire provides 2 maintained endpoints for canlii.org. You call Anakin's REST API with an action ID and parameters and get structured JSON back; Anakin handles the browser, proxies, anti-bot, and parsing.

How do I scrape CanLII data?

POST to https://api.anakin.io/v1/wire/task with your API key, the action ID, and its parameters, then poll GET /v1/wire/jobs/{id} until the job settles. There is nothing to install and no scraper to maintain — when canlii.org changes its markup, Anakin updates the action.

Do I need a CanLII account?

No. Every CanLII action listed here runs anonymously — no account and no credentials required.

What does the CanLII API cost?

Usage-based credits, charged per call and refunded automatically when a job fails. New accounts start with 300 free credits and no card. See anakin.io/pricing for the current rates.

Government Legal

CanLII API

canlii.org

Canadian legal institute - court decisions, statutes, and legal databases.

Actions: 2
Category: Government Legal
Login: Not required
Output: JSON

Get an API key Wire API reference

Call the CanLII API

Submit a task, then poll the job until it settles. This example runs act_canlii_decision_cited_by_count.

curl -X POST https://api.anakin.io/v1/wire/task \
  -H "X-API-Key: $ANAKIN_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "action_id": "act_canlii_decision_cited_by_count",
    "params": {
      "judgment_links": ["/en/ca/scc/doc/1997/1997canlii357/1997canlii357.html","/en/ca/fca/doc/2009/2009fca139/2009fca139.html","/en/ca/fca/doc/2011/2011fca234/2011fca234.html","/en/ca/tcc/doc/2019/2019tcc120/2019tcc120.html","/en/ca/fca/doc/2016/2016fca236/2016fca236.html","/en/ca/tcc/doc/2022/2022tcc105/2022tcc105.html","/en/ca/tcc/doc/2018/2018tcc260/2018tcc260.html","/en/ca/fca/doc/2011/2011fca142/2011fca142.html","/en/ca/fca/doc/2011/2011fca331/2011fca331.html"]
    }
  }'

2 actions on canlii.org

Read

Paragraph Noteup Counts
act_canlii_paragraph_noteup_countsread2 credits / call
Returns a JSON map of paragraph-level noteup counts for a decision identified by concat ID.
concat_id
string · required

Write

Write actions change state on canlii.org and run as the account you connect.

Decision Cited By Count
act_canlii_decision_cited_by_countwrite2 credits / call
Returns the integer count of citing judgments and legislation references for a decision via POST to judgmentTabs/cited/count.
judgment_links
array · required

CanLII API questions

Is there an API for CanLII?: CanLII does not offer a public data API for this, but Anakin Wire provides 2 maintained endpoints for canlii.org. You call Anakin's REST API with an action ID and parameters and get structured JSON back; Anakin handles the browser, proxies, anti-bot, and parsing.
How do I scrape CanLII data?: POST to https://api.anakin.io/v1/wire/task with your API key, the action ID, and its parameters, then poll GET /v1/wire/jobs/{id} until the job settles. There is nothing to install and no scraper to maintain — when canlii.org changes its markup, Anakin updates the action.
Do I need a CanLII account?: No. Every CanLII action listed here runs anonymously — no account and no credentials required.
What does the CanLII API cost?: Usage-based credits, charged per call and refunded automatically when a job fails. New accounts start with 300 free credits and no card. See anakin.io/pricing for the current rates.