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Connect your AI to BIA Edge.

BIA Edge is a remote MCP server. Any AI client that speaks the Model Context Protocol — Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Codex, and most agent frameworks — can connect to it and research the full corpus directly. Setup takes about a minute and requires no code.

The endpoint

Endpointhttps://biaedge-mcp.onrender.com/mcp

Transportstreamable HTTP

AuthenticationOAuth 2.1 (sign-in) or bearer API key

Discovery/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource

HealthGET /health (unauthenticated)

Claude (web and desktop)

Open connector settings

In Claude, go to Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
Paste the endpoint

https://biaedge-mcp.onrender.com/mcp — leave the OAuth client ID and secret blank. Claude registers itself automatically.
Sign in

Complete the sign-in window that opens. That’s it — ask your first question and watch the tool calls.

ChatGPT and other OAuth-capable MCP clients follow the same pattern: add a custom connector or remote MCP server, paste the endpoint, sign in.

Claude Code, Codex, and API keys

Command-line agents and automations authenticate with a bearer API key instead of the sign-in flow. Add BIA Edge to your project’s .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "biaedge": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://biaedge-mcp.onrender.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

Keys are issued with pilot access — see below. Keep keys out of version control.

Getting access

During the pilot, connections are allowlisted and free for individual practitioners and small teams. Email chris@chrishammondlaw.com with the email address you sign in with (for the OAuth flow) or a note that you need an API key (for command-line use), and say which AI tool you use. You’ll typically be researching the same day. Metered self-serve keys are on the roadmap; pilot users keep preferred terms when pricing arrives.

What your agent can do once connected

Thirty-plus tools across the corpus: case search with authority metadata, ImmCite validity checks, the unpublished BIA and AAO collections, statutes and regulations, state criminal codes for crimmigration screening, USCIS policy resolution, visa bulletins, and pinpoint passage retrieval. See the full tool index and how ImmCite validity works.

Data handling

Queries are processed to answer the request and retained in operational logs; they are never used to train models. The corpus is built from public legal materials. Treat anything your agent sends as you would any cloud service — avoid client-identifying details in queries where you can. Details: privacy policy and AI disclaimer.

BIA Edge is a research tool, not legal advice. Verify authorities against the linked primary sources before filing — every citation lands on a real page in the library.