Migration guide — v1 to v2

What changed between DocketLayer v1 and v2, and how to update your integration.

DocketLayer v2 launched on 2026-04-28. v1 endpoints remain live at /v1/ until 2027-04-28, after which they will return 410 Gone.

What changed

URL path

All endpoints move from /v1/ to /v2/.

# v1
https://api.docketlayer.ai/v1/case

# v2
https://api.docketlayer.ai/v2/case

Renamed fields

Four fields were renamed for jurisdiction-agnostic clarity as coverage expanded beyond US federal courts:

v1 field	v2 field	Notes
nature_of_suit	nature_of_proceeding	Same data, broader name
pacer_doc_id	document_identifier	Generalized; accompanied by document_identifier_type
pacer_link	external_url	Renamed for non-PACER courts
related_cases	cross_references	Each entry now carries a typed relationship enum

All other field names are unchanged.

New fields — additive

v2 adds fields that v1 did not have. These are all additive — existing v1 response consumers will ignore them without breaking.

On GET /v2/case:

• context parameter (basic or full) — replaces the flat response structure
• language parameter and language_delivered response field
• filing_types filter parameter
• meta block: context_delivered, language_delivered, truncated, sandbox, tag
• case.case_name_secondary, case.case_name_secondary_language
• case.jurisdiction_country
• case.language
• delta.change_count, delta.new_filings[].document_identifier_type

New endpoints (no v1 equivalent):

• POST /v2/cases/batch
• GET /v2/wallet/keys
• POST /v2/wallet/keys
• GET /v2/wallet/deliveries
• POST /v2/mcp

On GET /v2/monitor:

• last_checked is now required (was optional in v1)
• Response now includes change_count and latest_activity_at

Delta block restructuring

In v1, new filings were returned at the top level of the response. In v2, they are inside a delta block and the block is only present when last_checked is supplied.

// v1
{
  "changed": true,
  "new_filings": [...]
}

// v2
{
  "delta": {
    "changed": true,
    "since": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
    "change_count": 2,
    "new_filings": [...]
  }
}

filing_types parameter

In v1, filing_types accepted a JSON array. In v2, it is a comma-separated string.

# v1
filing_types=["order","judgment"]

# v2
filing_types=order,judgment

Migration checklist

1. Update the base URL

   Change all references from https://api.docketlayer.ai/v1/ to https://api.docketlayer.ai/v2/.

2. Rename fields in your response handling

   Update field references:

   • nature_of_suit → nature_of_proceeding
   • pacer_doc_id → document_identifier
   • pacer_link → external_url
   • related_cases → cross_references
3. Update delta access

   Move from top-level new_filings to delta.new_filings. Check delta.changed before accessing delta.new_filings.

4. Update filing_types format

   If you use filing_types, change from JSON array to comma-separated string.

5. Make last_checked required on /v2/monitor

   last_checked is required on /v2/monitor. If you were calling it without last_checked, supply it.

6. Test in sandbox

   Add ?test=1 to verify your updated integration against the v2 response structure before going live.

Coexistence period

v1 and v2 can be used simultaneously during the coexistence period (until 2027-04-28). There is no need to migrate everything at once — you can update endpoint by endpoint.

If you have questions about the migration, email [e-mail].