orcid-mcp-server

Get ORCID Researcher Profile

orcid_get_profile

Read-onlyIdempotent

Fetch a researcher's public profile from ORCID: name, other names, biography, keywords, researcher URLs, and external identifiers such as Scopus Author ID, ResearcherID, and Loop profile. This is the entry point for building a researcher dossier. Pass a bare ORCID iD (0000-0001-2345-6789) or a full URI (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-2345-6789). The profile contains only publicly visible data — researchers control visibility per field.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`orcid_id`	Yes	ORCID iD — bare (0000-0001-2345-6789) or as an orcid.org URI (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-2345-6789). The check digit may be X or x.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`emails`	No	Publicly visible email addresses.
`notice`	No	Names the profile sections with no public data — ORCID visibility is set per field, so an empty section may be private — and, for a deprecated iD, the primary iD it was merged into.
`orcidId`	No	Normalized ORCID iD (bare format without URI prefix).
`keywords`	No	Research keywords set by the researcher.
`orcidUri`	No	Full ORCID URI (https://orcid.org/{id}).
`biography`	No	Researcher biography, if publicly visible.
`countries`	No	Countries listed in the researcher's address section.
`creditName`	No	Published credit name, if set.
`familyName`	No	Family (last) name, if publicly visible.
`givenNames`	No	Given (first) name, if publicly visible.
`otherNames`	No	Other names listed on the ORCID record.
`researcherUrls`	No	Researcher-provided URLs (personal site, lab page, blog, etc.).
`externalIdentifiers`	No	External identifiers from scholarly systems (Scopus, Web of Science, Loop, etc.).

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed1 schema field changedOct 28, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description

Previous value: -"Names the profile sections with no public data — ORCID visibility is set per field, so an empty section may be private."New value: +"Names the profile sections with no public data — ORCID visibility is set per field, so an empty section may be private — and, for a deprecated iD, the primary iD it was merged into."

Changed5 schema fields changedOct 3, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / orcid_id / description

Previous value: -"ORCID iD — bare format (0000-0001-2345-6789) or full URI (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-2345-6789)."New value: +"ORCID iD — bare (0000-0001-2345-6789) or as an orcid.org URI (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-2345-6789). The check digit may be X or x."

changedInput schema / properties / orcid_id / pattern

Previous value: -"^(https?:\\/\\/orcid\\.org\\/)?\\d{4}-\\d{4}-\\d{4}-\\d{3}[\\dX]$"New value: +"^(?:(?:https?:\\/\\/)?(?:www\\.)?orcid\\.org\\/)?\\d{4}-\\d{4}-\\d{4}-\\d{3}[\\dXx]\\/?$"

changedOutput schema / anyOf

Previous value: -[
-  {
-    "not": {
-      "required": [
-        "error"
-      ]
-    },
-    "required": [
-      "orcidId",
-      "orcidUri",
-      "keywords",
-      "researcherUrls",
-      "externalIdentifiers",
-      "emails",
-      "countries"
-    ]
-  },
-  {
-    "required": [
-      "error"
-    ]
-  }
-]New value: +[
+  {
+    "not": {
+      "required": [
+        "error"
+      ]
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "orcidId",
+      "orcidUri",
+      "otherNames",
+      "keywords",
+      "researcherUrls",
+      "externalIdentifiers",
+      "emails",
+      "countries"
+    ]
+  },
+  {
+    "required": [
+      "error"
+    ]
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / properties / notice

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Names the profile sections with no public data — ORCID visibility is set per field, so an empty section may be private.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / otherNames

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Other names listed on the ORCID record.",
+  "items": {
+    "description": "Alternative name.",
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

Changed6 schema fields changedAug 25, 2026

changedInput schema / $schema

Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

addedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +false
```

changedOutput schema / $schema

Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

addedOutput schema / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "not": {
+      "required": [
+        "error"
+      ]
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "orcidId",
+      "orcidUri",
+      "keywords",
+      "researcherUrls",
+      "externalIdentifiers",
+      "emails",
+      "countries"
+    ]
+  },
+  {
+    "required": [
+      "error"
+    ]
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / properties / error

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "description": "Present when the call failed. Absent on success.",
+  "properties": {
+    "code": {
+      "description": "JSON-RPC error code for this failure.",
+      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+      "minimum": -9007199254740991,
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "data": {
+      "additionalProperties": {},
+      "properties": {
+        "reason": {
+          "description": "Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `profile_not_found`: The ORCID iD does not correspond to a registered researcher. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler.",
+          "examples": [
+            "profile_not_found"
+          ],
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "recovery": {
+          "additionalProperties": {},
+          "description": "Actionable next step for the caller.",
+          "properties": {
+            "hint": {
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          },
+          "required": [
+            "hint"
+          ],
+          "type": "object"
+        },
+        "retryable": {
+          "description": "Whether retrying may succeed.",
+          "type": "boolean"
+        }
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "message": {
+      "description": "Human-readable description of what went wrong.",
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "code",
+    "message"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

removedOutput schema / required

Removed value: -[
-  "orcidId",
-  "orcidUri",
-  "keywords",
-  "researcherUrls",
-  "externalIdentifiers",
-  "emails",
-  "countries"
-]

First observedMay 29, 2026

TDQS

A4.3/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

The annotations already declare read-only, open-world, idempotent behavior. The description adds meaningful behavioral context by noting that only publicly visible data is returned and that researchers control per-field visibility, though it does not discuss rate limits or invalid-iD error behavior.

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 three compact sentences with the core purpose front-loaded. Every sentence contributes either field scope, usage positioning, input format, or visibility behavior.

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?

For a simple one-parameter read tool with an output schema and rich annotations, the description supplies enough context to call it correctly. It covers field scope, input format, usage positioning, and public-visibility limitations without needing to restate return values.

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%, and the schema already documents the single orcid_id parameter, including the pattern and check-digit details. The description repeats the bare-iD versus full-URI format but adds no syntax or validation meaning beyond what the schema provides.

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 uses a specific verb and resource: fetching a researcher's public ORCID profile. It enumerates the profile contents (name, biography, keywords, URLs, external identifiers) and positions the tool as the dossier entry point, which clearly separates it from sibling tools for works, funding, reviews, and affiliations.

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?

It gives clear usage context as the entry point for building a researcher dossier and explains the required ORCID iD input format. However, it does not explicitly route agents to orcid_resolve_researcher or orcid_search_researchers when only a name is known.

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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