# RECAP PACER Federal Docket Search API (`nexgendata/recap-pacer-docket-search`) Actor

Search the free RECAP archive of PACER federal-court dockets (CourtListener): case name, court, dates, cause, nature of suit. A Docket-Navigator-style alternative for litigation analysts.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/nexgendata/recap-pacer-docket-search.md
- **Developed by:** [NexGenData](https://apify.com/nexgendata) (community)
- **Categories:** Business, AI, News
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 96.2% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$100.00 / 1,000 docket entries

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## RECAP PACER Federal Docket Search API

Search federal PACER dockets via the RECAP archive — case records without PACER fees.

> Factual public records — assembled for research and monitoring.

### 📊 Sample Output

![6 real rows delivered by RECAP PACER Federal Docket Search API — run WIS8rvubE8vMDBZUP on build 0.0.15](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/8gLgXMBveEI1tTz1z/records/recap-pacer-docket-search-sample)

| `caseName` | `court` | `courtId` | `dateFiled` | `docketNumber` | `assignedTo` |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mantle I.P. Holdings, Ltd v. Cardsmiths, LLC | District Court, S.D. New York | nysd | 2026-09-24 | 1:26-cv-08344 |  |
| CB Brand Strategies, LLC v. Flexiquor LLC | District Court, D. Colorado | cod | 2026-09-24 | 1:26-cv-04738 | Cyrus Y. Chung |
| WASHINGTON v. TREEHOUSE FOODS, INC. | District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania | paed | 2026-09-24 | 5:26-cv-07384 | John Michael Gallagher |
| Gerome v. WEIS MARKETS | District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania | paed | 2026-09-24 | 2:26-cv-07381 | Timothy J. Savage |
| Fricker's Progressive Concepts, Inc. v. Frikn Coffee LLC | District Court, N.D. Oklahoma | oknd | 2026-09-24 | 4:26-cv-00590 | Mark T. Steele |
| isoValent LLC v. Reddit, Inc. | District Court, D. Delaware | ded | 2026-09-23 | 1:26-cv-01189 | Unassigned Judge |

Real rows from run `WIS8rvubE8vMDBZUP` on build 0.0.15 (2026-09-25), unedited apart from masked emails/phones and shortened long text; fields the source does not publish are empty.

### ⚙️ Sample inputs

This is the Store example input — the same input Apify's automated check runs — so it is proven to return rows on the current build. Paste it into the input form, or send it through the API, CLI or a schedule:

```json
{
  "searchType": "r",
  "query": "patent infringement"
}
```

### 🔧 Input reference

| Field | Type | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| `searchType` | string | `"r"` | o = court opinions, r = RECAP dockets. |
| `query` | string | `"patent infringement"` | Full-text search (case name, party, topic). |
| `court` | string |  | Court ID filter (e.g. 'scotus', 'cafc'). |
| `dateFiledAfter` | string |  | Only records filed on/after this date (YYYY-MM-DD). |
| `maxResults` | integer | `200` | Maximum records to return. |
| `courtListenerToken` | string |  | Optional free CourtListener token to raise rate limits. |

### 🧾 JSON sample record

One real record from run `WIS8rvubE8vMDBZUP` (emails/phones masked, long text shortened):

```json
{
  "caseName": "Mantle I.P. Holdings, Ltd v. Cardsmiths, LLC",
  "court": "District Court, S.D. New York",
  "courtId": "nysd",
  "dateFiled": "2026-09-24",
  "docketNumber": "1:26-cv-08344",
  "citation": null,
  "citeCount": null,
  "judge": null,
  "attorney": [],
  "url": null,
  "snippet": null,
  "dateTerminated": null,
  "cause": "",
  "chapter": null,
  "assignedTo": null,
  "natureOfSuit": ""
}
```

### 💰 Pricing

| Event | Price (USD) | When it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Docket entry (`apify-default-dataset-item`) | $0.1 | Charged per result row returned. |

Pay-per-event: you pay only for what the run delivers. A run that delivers nothing bills no result events (only the actor-start event, when the actor defines one). Example: a run that delivers 100 results costs 100 × $0.1 = $10.00 plus the start fee.

### 🔗 Related Actors

More from the NexGenData **Data APIs** family:

- [Landing Page Change Monitor — Track Competitor Pages](https://apify.com/nexgendata/landing-page-change-monitor?fpr=2ayu9b)
- [NBA Scores — Live Stats & Game Data](https://apify.com/nexgendata/nba-scoreboard?fpr=2ayu9b)
- [OpenFEMA NFIP Flood Insurance Claims API](https://apify.com/nexgendata/openfema-nfip-flood-claims?fpr=2ayu9b)
- [Regulatory Enforcement to Markdown — RAG Data API](https://apify.com/nexgendata/regulatory-enforcement-rag?fpr=2ayu9b)
- [SERP Rank Tracker Lite](https://apify.com/nexgendata/serp-rank-tracker-lite?fpr=2ayu9b)
- [Similarweb Traffic Intelligence](https://apify.com/nexgendata/similarweb-traffic-intelligence?fpr=2ayu9b)

27 more in this family on the [NexGenData Store page](https://apify.com/nexgendata?fpr=2ayu9b).

### ⏰ Run this as a monitoring subscription (recommended)

Regulatory data is monitoring data. Schedule a weekly sweep (`0 8 * * 1`) and catch new dockets as they post — an always-on official-records feed.

### 📊 What you get

Clean JSON, one record per docket (full output has 16 fields):

- `caseName` — Case Name
- `court` — Court
- `courtId` — Court Id
- `dateFiled` — Date Filed
- `docketNumber` — Docket Number
- `citation` — Citation
- `citeCount` — Cite Count
- `judge` — Judge
- `attorney` — Attorney
- `url` — Url

**Pricing:** $0.100 per docket (Pay-Per-Event) — about **10 dockets per $1**.

### 🤖 Use with AI agents

Point Claude, the OpenAI Agents SDK, an n8n flow or any MCP-aware client at it and pull official records on demand.

**Agentic payments (x402):** Supports agentic payment via x402 — agents can call this actor with USDC, no API key required.

### 🔗 Related regulatory actors

**US courts & enforcement records — one schema:**

[Court Opinions](https://apify.com/nexgendata/courtlistener-court-opinions) · [Federal Dockets](https://apify.com/nexgendata/courtlistener-federal-docket-scraper) · [Federal Judges](https://apify.com/nexgendata/courtlistener-federal-judges) · [Oral Arguments](https://apify.com/nexgendata/courtlistener-oral-arguments) · [Court Records Search](https://apify.com/nexgendata/court-records-search) · [Federal Litigation Records](https://apify.com/nexgendata/federal-litigation-intelligence) · [FTC Enforcement](https://apify.com/nexgendata/ftc-enforcement-actions-scraper) · [Enforcement RAG](https://apify.com/nexgendata/regulatory-enforcement-rag)

**Agent front door — Legal MCP:** [Legal MCP](https://apify.com/nexgendata/legal-mcp-server)

***

*Public official records and enforcement data, assembled for research and monitoring.*

# Actor input Schema

## `searchType` (type: `string`):

o = court opinions, r = RECAP dockets.

## `query` (type: `string`):

Full-text search (case name, party, topic).

## `court` (type: `string`):

Court ID filter (e.g. 'scotus', 'cafc').

## `dateFiledAfter` (type: `string`):

Only records filed on/after this date (YYYY-MM-DD).

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum records to return.

## `courtListenerToken` (type: `string`):

Optional free CourtListener token to raise rate limits.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchType": "r",
  "query": "patent infringement",
  "maxResults": 200
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Default dataset of RECAP PACER Federal Docket Search API records (16 fields per row: caseName, court, courtId, dateFiled, docketNumber, citation, citeCount, judge, attorney, url, snippet, dateTerminated…).

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchType": "r",
    "query": "patent infringement"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("nexgendata/recap-pacer-docket-search").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "searchType": "r",
    "query": "patent infringement",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("nexgendata/recap-pacer-docket-search").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "searchType": "r",
  "query": "patent infringement"
}' |
apify call nexgendata/recap-pacer-docket-search --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,nexgendata/recap-pacer-docket-search"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/gv9CV2xfD9SxraPqj/builds/eJk6046lICOh4JyDv/openapi.json