OpenAlex
MCP server for the OpenAlex API — search 240M+ scholarly works, analyze citations, track research trends, and map collaboration networks
What is OpenAlex?
OpenAlex is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to mcp server for the openalex api — search 240m+ scholarly works, analyze citations, track research trends, and map collaboration networks
MCP server for the OpenAlex API — search 240M+ scholarly works, analyze citations, track research trends, and map collaboration networks
This server falls under the Search & Data Extraction category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- MCP server for the OpenAlex API — search 240M+ scholarly wor
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx openalex-researchConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use OpenAlex
The OpenAlex Research MCP Server connects AI assistants to the OpenAlex scholarly database, which catalogs 240+ million academic works, authors, institutions, and journals. It exposes 31 specialized tools covering literature search with Boolean operators, citation network analysis, author profiling, institution ranking, journal quality assessment, research trend tracking, and geographic distribution mapping — plus curated preset lists for top journals (UTD24, FT50, AJG tiers) and institution groups (Ivy League, top US, global business schools). Researchers, academics, and analysts can conduct full literature reviews, find seminal papers, validate references, and map collaboration networks directly from Claude without leaving their workflow.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ installed (the server is JavaScript/Node-based)
- npm or npx available to run the package
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop
- An email address to set as OPENALEX_EMAIL for the polite pool (free, improves rate limits)
- Optional: an OpenAlex API key (OPENALEX_API_KEY) for premium access
Use the automated setup command (recommended)
Run the built-in setup wizard which auto-detects your Claude Desktop config path, prompts for your email and optional API key, writes the configuration, and verifies connectivity.
npx openalex-research-mcp setupRestart Claude Desktop
After the setup command writes the configuration, restart Claude Desktop to load the new server with its 31 research tools.
Manual installation: configure Claude Desktop yourself
If you prefer manual setup, add the server directly to your Claude Desktop config file at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS.
{
"mcpServers": {
"openalex": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "openalex-research-mcp"],
"env": {
"OPENALEX_EMAIL": "[email protected]"
}
}
}
}Optional: set an API key for premium rate limits
If you have an OpenAlex premium API key, add it to the env block in your config to enable higher request rates.
{
"mcpServers": {
"openalex": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "openalex-research-mcp"],
"env": {
"OPENALEX_EMAIL": "[email protected]",
"OPENALEX_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
}
}
}
}Verify the connection
Ask Claude to call the health check tool or list available journal presets to confirm the server is connected.
OpenAlex Examples
Client configuration
Manual Claude Desktop configuration for the OpenAlex MCP server with email for polite-pool rate limiting.
{
"mcpServers": {
"openalex": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "openalex-research-mcp"],
"env": {
"OPENALEX_EMAIL": "[email protected]"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Sample research queries using the 31 specialized tools and curated journal/institution presets.
- "Find the top 10 most cited papers on transformer architectures in machine learning"
- "Search for AI papers published in UTD24 journals since 2020"
- "Who are the leading researchers in reinforcement learning ranked by h-index?"
- "Build a citation network for this paper: doi:10.1145/3292500.3330701"
- "Find open-access versions of the top 5 papers on BERT"
- "What are the trending research topics in climate science over the last 3 years?"
- "Compare research output between Harvard, MIT, and Stanford in quantum computing"Troubleshooting OpenAlex
Rate limit errors or 429 responses from the OpenAlex API
Set OPENALEX_EMAIL in your MCP config env block to join the OpenAlex 'polite pool' which provides significantly higher rate limits. The email is used only for rate-limit identification, not for marketing or account creation.
The setup command cannot find or write the Claude Desktop config file
Run `npx openalex-research-mcp setup --config-path` to print the detected config path and verify it exists. On macOS the expected path is ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Create the directory and file if it doesn't exist, then re-run setup.
Searches for journal presets like 'utd24' return no results
Call `list_journal_presets` first to see all available preset keys. Use the exact key string shown (e.g., 'utd24', 'ft50', 'abs4star') in the journal_list parameter of search_in_journal_list. Keys are case-sensitive.
Frequently Asked Questions about OpenAlex
What is OpenAlex?
OpenAlex is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that mcp server for the openalex api — search 240m+ scholarly works, analyze citations, track research trends, and map collaboration networks It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install OpenAlex?
Follow the installation instructions on the OpenAlex GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with OpenAlex?
OpenAlex works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is OpenAlex free to use?
Yes, OpenAlex is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Quick Config Preview
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