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Glama

Server Details

Search 8.5M scientific papers with LLM TLDRs, citations, linked entities, figures, and full text.

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Healthy
Last Tested
Transport
Streamable HTTP
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Glama MCP Gateway

Connect through Glama MCP Gateway for full control over tool access and complete visibility into every call.

MCP client
Glama
MCP server

Full call logging

Every tool call is logged with complete inputs and outputs, so you can debug issues and audit what your agents are doing.

Tool access control

Enable or disable individual tools per connector, so you decide what your agents can and cannot do.

Managed credentials

Glama handles OAuth flows, token storage, and automatic rotation, so credentials never expire on your clients.

Usage analytics

See which tools your agents call, how often, and when, so you can understand usage patterns and catch anomalies.

100% free. Your data is private.
Tool DescriptionsA

Average 4.2/5 across 9 of 9 tools scored.

Server CoherenceA
Disambiguation5/5

Each tool has a clearly distinct purpose: citation retrieval is split into inbound and outbound, paper data is divided into metadata, full text, figures, entities, and structure, with separate search and similarity tools. No overlap.

Naming Consistency4/5

Most tools use snake_case, but there's a mix of 'get_' prefix (get_entities, get_figures, etc.) and direct action names (citations, references, search_papers). This is minor inconsistency; overall pattern is clear.

Tool Count5/5

9 tools is well within the optimal range for a scientific paper server. Each tool adds unique value without overwhelming the interface.

Completeness5/5

The server covers the full lifecycle for paper retrieval: search, metadata, full text, figures, citations (both directions), entities, structure, and similarity. No obvious gaps for its read-only purpose.

Available Tools

9 tools
citationsA
Read-only
Inspect

Get papers that cite the given paper (who refers to this work). Use when the user asks 'who cites X', 'what's the impact', or wants follow-up work. Note: 2024+ citation coverage is sparse; indexing in progress.

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
kNoMax citing papers (default 25, max 100).
idYesarXiv ID or OpenAlex Work ID.
Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already indicate readOnlyHint=true and openWorldHint=true. Description adds useful context about sparse 2024+ coverage, which helps set expectations beyond annotations.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Two sentences, no wasted words. Front-loaded with the core action and use cases.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given no output schema, some hint about return format would be helpful, but the description is adequate for a simple retrieval tool with clear intent.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema covers all parameters with descriptions. Description does not add new details about parameters beyond what schema provides, so baseline 3 is appropriate.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

Description clearly states 'Get papers that cite the given paper' with specific examples of user queries. Distinct from siblings like 'references' (papers that the given paper cites) and 'similar_papers'.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Provides explicit when-to-use scenarios: 'who cites X', 'what's the impact', or follow-up work. Also notes coverage limitation for 2024+, but no explicit when-not-to-use or alternative tool names.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

get_entitiesA
Read-only
Inspect

Get the biomedical entities linked to a paper: genes, proteins, chemicals, diseases, species, mutations, cell lines, and clinical-trial (NCT) IDs. Accepts an arXiv ID, PMC ID, or bioRxiv/medRxiv DOI.

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
idYesarXiv ID, PMC ID, or 10.1101/… DOI.
Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations (readOnlyHint, openWorldHint) already indicate safety and potential variation. The description adds transparency by listing the exact entity types returned, which is valuable beyond the annotations.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Two sentences, front-loaded with the core purpose and entity list, then supported by ID format specification. No extraneous information.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given a single parameter, no output schema, and informative annotations, the description fully communicates what the tool does, what inputs are needed, and what outputs to expect.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100% for the single parameter 'id', so the baseline is 3. The tool description repeats the ID formats but adds no new semantic detail beyond the schema.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description clearly states it retrieves biomedical entities linked to a paper, enumerating specific entity types (genes, proteins, etc.), and specifies accepted ID formats. This distinguishes it from sibling tools that return other paper-related data.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description states the accepted ID types (arXiv, PMC, DOI) but does not explicitly contrast with siblings like get_paper or get_figures. However, the context is clear enough for the agent to infer appropriate use.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

get_figuresA
Read-only
Inspect

Get a paper's real figure images — URLs, labels, and captions. Most biomedical papers have figures; arXiv papers often don't. Accepts an arXiv ID, PMC ID, or bioRxiv/medRxiv DOI.

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
idYesarXiv ID, PMC ID, or 10.1101/… DOI.
Behavior3/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already provide readOnlyHint and openWorldHint. Description adds some behavioral context (returning real images, URLs, captions) but does not elaborate on edge cases like missing figures or error handling.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Two sentences, front-loaded with purpose and output details. Every sentence adds value, no wordiness.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness3/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

No output schema exists, so description must compensate. It mentions returning URLs, labels, and captions, but lacks details on output structure or behavior when no figures found. Partial completeness.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100% with one parameter. Description slightly elaborates on ID types (e.g., mentions bioRxiv/medRxiv) but adds little beyond schema description. Baseline 3 is appropriate.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

Description clearly states 'Get a paper's real figure images' with specifics on what is returned (URLs, labels, captions). It distinguishes from other paper-related tools by focusing on figures.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Provides guidance on when to use (biomedical papers have figures, arXiv often don't) and acceptable ID types (arXiv, PMC, bioRxiv/medRxiv DOI). Lacks explicit when-not-to-use or alternatives, but context is sufficient.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

get_full_textA
Read-only
Inspect

Fetch a paper's full body text as Markdown (methods, results, protocols, inline tables) — use for deep questions the abstract can't answer. Accepts an arXiv ID (2401.12345), a PMC ID (PMC5339222), or a bioRxiv/medRxiv DOI (10.1101/…).

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
idYesarXiv ID, PMC ID, or 10.1101/… DOI.
Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint=true and openWorldHint=true. Description adds that output is Markdown with specific sections (methods, results, etc.), which adds useful context beyond annotations.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Two sentences, front-loaded with purpose, followed by parameter details. Every word earns its place; no redundancy.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given the simplicity (1 param, no output schema), the description covers purpose, usage context, accepted identifier types, and output format completely. No gaps.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100% with a single parameter described. The description adds examples (e.g., '2401.12345', 'PMC5339222', '10.1101/…'), clarifying acceptable formats and the bioRxiv/medRxiv DOI form.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description states 'Fetch a paper's full body text as Markdown', specifying the verb (Fetch) and resource (paper's full body text). It distinguishes from siblings like get_paper (likely metadata) and get_figures.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explicitly says 'use for deep questions the abstract can't answer', providing clear context. Does not explicitly exclude other scenarios, but the guidance is strong.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

get_paperA
Read-only
Inspect

Fetch a paper's full metadata: title, authors, year, abstract, TLDR (LLM-generated), key findings, citation count, GitHub repos, HuggingFace models/datasets, videos, peer reviews, and links. Accepts an arXiv ID (e.g. '2401.12345' or '1706.03762v5') or an OpenAlex Work ID (e.g. 'W4390723197'). Use when the user names a specific paper or pastes an arXiv link.

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
idYesarXiv ID like '2401.12345' or OpenAlex Work ID like 'W4390723197'.
Behavior3/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint and openWorldHint. Description adds return field details (TLDR, GitHub repos, etc.) without contradicting annotations. No additional behavioral disclosure needed beyond annotations.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Two sentences, first sentence lists return fields, second gives usage guidance. No wasted words, front-loaded with action.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Single parameter with full schema coverage, no output schema needed. Description comprehensively explains return values and ID formats, sufficient for retrieval tool.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, but description adds meaningful context for the 'id' parameter by specifying accepted formats (arXiv ID vs OpenAlex Work ID) and usage scenario beyond the schema description.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description clearly states the verb 'Fetch' and the resource 'paper's full metadata', listing specific fields. It distinguishes from siblings like search_papers by noting it is for a specific paper or arXiv link.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explicitly states when to use: 'when the user names a specific paper or pastes an arXiv link.' Provides accepted ID formats but does not mention when not to use or alternatives.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

get_structureA
Read-only
Inspect

Resolve a gene/protein name (e.g. 'TP53', 'CD44') or UniProt accession to its 3D structure — returns the UniProt accession + AlphaFold model URL (and PDB when available). Great for a gene named in a paper's entities.

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
nameYesGene/protein symbol (TP53, CD44) or UniProt accession (P04637).
Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already indicate readOnlyHint and openWorldHint. The description adds useful behavioral details (returns AlphaFold URL, PDB when available) without contradicting annotations.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Two sentences covering action, input, output, and usage hint. No redundancy, perfectly front-loaded.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given no output schema, the description adequately explains return values. It could mention handling of invalid inputs, but for a simple lookup tool it is sufficient.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so baseline is 3. The description adds value by providing concrete examples (TP53, CD44) and specifying the return structure, aiding parameter understanding.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description explicitly states the tool resolves a gene/protein name to its 3D structure and lists return values (UniProt accession, AlphaFold URL, PDB). This distinguishes it from siblings like get_entities and search_papers.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines3/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description mentions it's 'Great for a gene named in a paper's entities', which implies usage context but does not provide explicit when-not or alternatives among siblings.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

referencesA
Read-only
Inspect

Get the papers that this paper cites (its bibliography). Use when the user asks 'what does X cite' or 'show me the references'.

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
kNoMax references (default 25, max 100).
idYesarXiv ID or OpenAlex Work ID.
Behavior3/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint=true and openWorldHint=true, so the description's statement 'Get the papers that this paper cites' is consistent and adds no contradiction. However, it does not elaborate on behavioral aspects like pagination or result limits, though the schema does mention a max of 100 for parameter 'k'.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is extremely concise: two sentences with no filler. The purpose is front-loaded in the first sentence, and usage guidance in the second.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a simple read-only tool with two parameters and no output schema, the description is nearly complete. It explains what the tool returns and when to use it. A minor gap is the lack of description for the output format, but this is acceptable given the tool's simplicity.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, with both 'id' and 'k' parameters described. The description does not add additional meaning beyond what the schema already provides, so baseline score applies.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description explicitly states 'Get the papers that this paper cites (its bibliography)', which is a specific verb-resource pair. It clearly distinguishes from the sibling tool 'citations' which would retrieve papers citing the given paper.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description provides explicit usage examples: 'when the user asks what does X cite or show me the references'. Although it does not explicitly mention when not to use it, the sibling tool list and context make it clear that 'citations' is the alternative for incoming citations.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

search_papersA
Read-only
Inspect

Search 8.5 million academic papers (arXiv + biomedical: PMC / bioRxiv / medRxiv, all disciplines) by topic, keyword, author, or linked entity (gene / protein / disease). Each hit returns id, title, TLDR, type, and links. Use to find papers about a topic, e.g. 'transformer efficiency' or 'CRISPR base editing'.

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
kNoNumber of results (default 10, max 25).
queryYesNatural-language search query. E.g. 'transformer attention efficiency', 'graph neural networks for molecular property prediction'.
year_maxNoLatest publication year.
year_minNoEarliest publication year, e.g. 2024.
Behavior3/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already indicate readOnlyHint=true and openWorldHint=true, so the description need not restate safety. It adds that results include id, title, TLDR, type, and links, but does not disclose behavioral traits like pagination, result limits, or handling of broad queries. With annotations covering the basics, a score of 3 is appropriate.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Two sentences with no waste. The first sentence explains scope and capabilities; the second specifies return fields and gives concrete examples. Information is front-loaded and well-structured.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

While the output schema is absent, the description lists the return fields (id, title, TLDR, type, links), which is helpful. However, it does not mention the maximum results (k max 25) or how to paginate. Overall, it covers key contextual completeness but misses some edge cases.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, so the schema already documents all parameters. The description does not add additional meaning beyond what the schema provides (e.g., natural-language query examples are already in schema description). Baseline 3 is correct.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description clearly states the tool searches 8.5 million academic papers across multiple sources by topic, keyword, author, or linked entity. It specifies the return fields and gives example queries, making the purpose highly specific and distinguishable from sibling tools.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines3/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description provides example use cases like 'find papers about a topic' but does not explicitly state when to use this tool versus alternatives (e.g., similar_papers, get_paper). No when-not or exclusion criteria are provided.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

similar_papersA
Read-only
Inspect

Find papers semantically similar to a given paper using SPECTER2 embeddings (trained on scientific-citation triplets). Returns nearest neighbors with TLDR. Use when the user wants 'papers like X' or 'what's adjacent to this work'.

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
kNoNumber of neighbors (default 10, max 25).
idYesarXiv ID or OpenAlex Work ID.
Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

ReadOnlyHint and OpenWorldHint are already provided in annotations. The description adds context about the embedding model (SPECTER2) and output (neighbors with TLDR), enhancing transparency without contradiction.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Extremely concise: two sentences covering purpose, method, and usage guidance. No redundant information, front-loaded with the key action.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given the tool's simplicity (2 parameters, no output schema), the description covers purpose, method, output, and usage. Could hint at result structure but not required. Annotations fill safety and open-world aspects.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100% with clear descriptions for both parameters (id, k). The description does not add significant new meaning beyond the schema, so baseline of 3 is appropriate.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

Clearly states the tool finds semantically similar papers using SPECTER2 embeddings and returns neighbors with TLDR. Distinguishes from sibling tools like citations or search_papers by specifying the method and use cases ('papers like X').

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explicitly says use when user wants 'papers like X' or 'what's adjacent to this work'. No exclusions mentioned, but the positive guidance is clear and sufficient for the agent to decide.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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