Academic Paper Search
Enables real-time search and retrieval of academic paper information from multiple sources, providing access to paper metadata, abstracts, and full-text content when available, with structured data responses for integration with AI models that suppor
What is Academic Paper Search?
Academic Paper Search is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to enables real-time search and retrieval of academic paper information from multiple sources, providing access to paper metadata, abstracts, and full-text content when available, with structured data re...
Enables real-time search and retrieval of academic paper information from multiple sources, providing access to paper metadata, abstracts, and full-text content when available, with structured data responses for integration with AI models that suppor
This server falls under the Search & Data Extraction category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Enables real-time search and retrieval of academic paper inf
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx academic-paper-search-mcp-serverConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Academic Paper Search
Academic Paper Search MCP Server is a Python-based MCP server that gives AI assistants real-time access to academic literature from Semantic Scholar and Crossref, enabling search, metadata retrieval, and abstract access without leaving the AI conversation. It exposes three tools for querying papers by keyword, fetching detailed metadata by DOI or Semantic Scholar ID, and filtering results by topic and publication year range. Researchers, students, and developers building literature review workflows use it to ground AI responses in peer-reviewed sources and retrieve structured citation data on demand.
Prerequisites
- Python 3.10 or later
- uv package manager (recommended) or pip
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop
- Optional: Semantic Scholar API key (free at semanticscholar.org) for higher rate limits
- Optional: Crossref API key (free) for improved Crossref rate limits
Clone the repository
Clone the academic-search-mcp-server repository to a local directory.
git clone https://github.com/afrise/academic-search-mcp-server.git
cd academic-search-mcp-serverInstall dependencies with uv
Install the required Python dependencies using uv. The server depends on the MCP SDK and httpx for API requests.
uv add "mcp[cli]" httpxSet up optional API keys
Both APIs work without keys but with lower rate limits. Set these environment variables to increase throughput. Note: the README states the Semantic Scholar key is not yet fully implemented, but including it is harmless.
export SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY=your_key_here
export CROSSREF_API_KEY=your_key_hereTest the server runs
Verify the server starts correctly before connecting it to a client.
uv run server.pyAdd to Claude Desktop configuration
Add the server to your Claude Desktop config file. Replace /path/to/server with the actual absolute path where you cloned the repository.
{
"mcpServers": {
"academic-search": {
"command": "uv",
"args": ["run", "/path/to/server/server.py"],
"env": {
"SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY": "your_key_here",
"CROSSREF_API_KEY": "your_key_here"
}
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop
Restart Claude Desktop to load the new server. It will connect automatically when Claude starts.
Academic Paper Search Examples
Client configuration for Claude Desktop
Configuration block for the academic paper search server using uv to run the Python server script.
{
"mcpServers": {
"academic-search": {
"command": "uv",
"args": ["run", "/Users/yourname/academic-search-mcp-server/server.py"],
"env": {
"SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY": "your_semantic_scholar_key",
"CROSSREF_API_KEY": "your_crossref_key"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts that exercise the three main tools: search_papers, fetch_paper_details, and search_by_topic.
- "Search for academic papers about transformer attention mechanisms in NLP"
- "Find papers on CRISPR gene editing published between 2020 and 2023"
- "Fetch details for the paper with DOI 10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2"
- "Search for the top 5 papers on federated learning and summarize their abstracts"
- "Find recent papers about large language model hallucination and list their venues"Troubleshooting Academic Paper Search
Server fails to start with 'uv: command not found'
Install uv with: curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh — then restart your terminal. Alternatively, use 'python server.py' with pip-installed dependencies instead of uv.
API returns rate limit errors or empty results
Both Semantic Scholar and Crossref enforce rate limits on unauthenticated requests. Register for free API keys at https://www.semanticscholar.org/product/api and https://www.crossref.org/documentation/metadata-plus/ and set the environment variables in your config.
fetch_paper_details returns no results for a DOI
Ensure the DOI is in the canonical format (e.g., 10.1038/nature12345) without a URL prefix. If using a Semantic Scholar paper ID, it is a 40-character alphanumeric hash, not a DOI. Specify the source parameter as 'crossref' for DOIs or 'semantic_scholar' for Semantic Scholar IDs.
Frequently Asked Questions about Academic Paper Search
What is Academic Paper Search?
Academic Paper Search is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables real-time search and retrieval of academic paper information from multiple sources, providing access to paper metadata, abstracts, and full-text content when available, with structured data responses for integration with ai models that suppor It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Academic Paper Search?
Follow the installation instructions on the Academic Paper Search GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Academic Paper Search?
Academic Paper Search works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Academic Paper Search free to use?
Yes, Academic Paper Search is open source and available under the AGPL 3.0 license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Quick Config Preview
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