/oscola-build-citation

/oscola-build-citation

1. Identify the source type: case / statute / SI / Hansard / journal article.
2. Verify first: citations_resolve(input=...) with the identifier the user gave.
3. If not_found, stop — tell the user; do not format an unverified citation.
4. If resolved, build OSCOLA from the authoritative fields in the result.
5. Tag [uk-legal MCP — verified]; note any discrepancy with the user's input.

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Purpose

Construct a correctly formatted OSCOLA citation for a UK legal source — after verifying that the source exists in the UK legal record. The failure mode this prevents: an agent formatting plausible-looking OSCOLA fields (correct year bracket style, court abbreviation, report reference) for a source that does not exist, or that differs in key details from what the user provided. Verification before formatting is the discipline.

Workflow

Source discipline: If a uk-legal MCP tool returns empty or errored (status: empty / not_found / upstream_validation / etc.), do NOT supplement from training data or web search. Report the empty result to the user with the tool's next_steps / detail field surfaced, and ask for clarifying information (different spelling of a name, a date range, the source URL) rather than fabricating a plausible-looking answer. Empty results are HONEST signal — not a failure mode to paper over.

Step 1 — Identify the source type

Determine which source type the user is asking to cite:

If the source type is ambiguous from the user's request, ask before proceeding.

Step 2 — Verify first

Call citations_resolve(input=...) with whatever identifier the user provided: a neutral citation, statute short title, SI number, Hansard column reference, or URI.

• For a Hansard source described rather than precisely cited (e.g. "Lord Pannick's speech on the Renters' Rights Bill"), use parliament_search_hansard followed by parliament_get_debate_contributions (as in /find-member-contribution) to locate the specific contribution first, then format from the returned fields.
• The resolved record provides the authoritative fields for formatting.

Step 3 — Refuse if not resolved

If citations_resolve returns not_found:

• Do NOT proceed to format a citation.
• Tell the user: "I can't verify [input] exists in the UK legal record. Could you share the source URL, or check the citation for typos?"
• Do NOT produce a best-guess OSCOLA format for an unresolved source.

If citations_resolve returns ambiguous, list the candidates and ask the user to confirm which one before formatting.

Step 4 — Format from authoritative fields

Build the OSCOLA citation using the resolved source's authoritative fields — NOT the user's input fields. If the user gave year 1993 and the resolved record says 1994, use 1994 and note the discrepancy explicitly.

Apply the following OSCOLA formats:

Case:

Party v Party [Year] Court Report, pinpoint if applicable (Neutral citation from the resolved record)

Statute:

Short Title Year (jurisdiction abbreviation if not England & Wales) Examples: Equality Act 2010; Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995

SI:

SI Year/Number (Short Title Year) Example: SI 2021/1234 (Short Title 2021)

Hansard:

HC/HL Deb, vol N, col M (Date) Example: HL Deb, vol 825, col 462 (14 October 2025)

Journal article (not MCP-verified — flag accordingly):

Author, 'Title' (Year) Vol Journal StartPage [model knowledge — verify]

Step 5 — Tag and note discrepancies

• Tag every output citation [uk-legal MCP — verified]
• Include the resolved source URI for traceability
• If the resolved record differs from what the user provided (e.g. different year, different court abbreviation, different party name spelling), note each discrepancy explicitly before the formatted citation

Source attribution. A citation may only carry [uk-legal MCP — verified] if citations_resolve returned a confirmed result in this session. Journal article citations (not in the MCP corpus) carry [model knowledge — verify] and must be checked manually by the user before use in a submission or assessed work.

Output

Surface to the user:

• Source type: confirmed

• Verification status: Verified via citations_resolve / Not resolved — do not cite

• OSCOLA citation (if verified):

  formatted citation [uk-legal MCP — verified] Source URI: [resolved URI]

• Discrepancies (if any): list what the user provided vs. what the resolved record shows, before the formatted citation

• Suggested next steps: for a case citation, offer to retrieve specific paragraphs via judgment_get_paragraph; for a Hansard citation, offer to retrieve the full contribution via /find-member-contribution

Test prompts:

• "Format this as OSCOLA: R v Brown, 1993, House of Lords, [1994] 1 AC 212."
• "Give me the OSCOLA citation for section 21 of the Housing Act 1988."
• "Cite Lord Pannick's contribution to the Renters' Rights Bill Lords debate in OSCOLA."