Unofficial PubChem MCP Server
A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for accessing the PubChem chemical database. This server provides access to over 110 million chemical compounds with extensive molecular properties, bioassay data, and chemical informatics tools.
Features
- search_compounds - Search by name, CAS number, formula, or identifier
- get_compound_info - Detailed compound information by CID
- search_by_smiles - Exact SMILES string matching
- search_by_inchi - InChI/InChI key search
- search_by_cas_number - CAS Registry Number lookup
- get_compound_synonyms - All names and synonyms
- search_similar_compounds - Tanimoto similarity search
- substructure_search - Find compounds containing substructures
- superstructure_search - Find larger compounds containing query
- get_3d_conformers - 3D structural information
- analyze_stereochemistry - Chirality and isomer analysis
- get_compound_properties - Molecular weight, logP, TPSA, etc.
- calculate_descriptors - Comprehensive molecular descriptors
- predict_admet_properties - ADMET predictions
- assess_drug_likeness - Lipinski Rule of Five analysis
- analyze_molecular_complexity - Synthetic accessibility
- get_pharmacophore_features - Pharmacophore mapping
- search_bioassays - Find biological assays
- get_assay_info - Detailed assay protocols
- get_compound_bioactivities - All activity data for compounds
- search_by_target - Find compounds tested against targets
- compare_activity_profiles - Cross-compound comparisons
- get_safety_data - GHS hazard classifications
- get_toxicity_info - LD50, carcinogenicity data
- assess_environmental_fate - Biodegradation analysis
- get_regulatory_info - FDA, EPA regulations
- get_external_references - Links to ChEMBL, DrugBank, etc.
- search_patents - Chemical patent information
- get_literature_references - PubMed citations
- batch_compound_lookup - Bulk processing (up to 200 compounds)
Resource Templates
Access PubChem data through URI patterns:
pubchem://compound/{cid} - Complete compound datapubchem://structure/{cid} - 2D/3D structure informationpubchem://properties/{cid} - Molecular propertiespubchem://bioassay/{aid} - Bioassay datapubchem://similarity/{smiles} - Similarity search resultspubchem://safety/{cid} - Safety and toxicity data
Installation
# Clone or create the server directory
cd pubchem-server
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Build the server
npm run build
# Run the server
npm start
Usage
Basic Compound Search
// Search for compounds by name
{
"tool": "search_compounds",
"arguments": {
"query": "aspirin",
"max_records": 10
}
}
// Get detailed compound information
{
"tool": "get_compound_info",
"arguments": {
"cid": 2244
}
}
Structure Analysis
// Find similar compounds
{
"tool": "search_similar_compounds",
"arguments": {
"smiles": "CC(=O)OC1=CC=CC=C1C(=O)O",
"threshold": 85,
"max_records": 50
}
}
// Analyze molecular properties
{
"tool": "get_compound_properties",
"arguments": {
"cid": 2244,
"properties": ["MolecularWeight", "XLogP", "TPSA"]
}
}
Bioactivity Analysis
// Get bioassay information
{
"tool": "get_assay_info",
"arguments": {
"aid": 1159607
}
}
// Search compounds by target
{
"tool": "search_by_target",
"arguments": {
"target": "cyclooxygenase",
"max_records": 100
}
}
// Get safety classifications
{
"tool": "get_safety_data",
"arguments": {
"cid": 2244
}
}
Batch Processing
// Process multiple compounds
{
"tool": "batch_compound_lookup",
"arguments": {
"cids": [2244, 5090, 3672],
"operation": "property"
}
}
Integration with Other MCP Servers
This PubChem server integrates perfectly with other chemical/biological databases:
1. Target Discovery: UniProt → STRING → AlphaFold
2. Chemical Discovery: PubChem ← → ChEMBL
3. Complete Workflow: Protein → Structure → Interactions → Small Molecules → Bioactivity
Cross-Database Workflows
- UniProt → PubChem: Find protein targets → Find small molecule ligands
- PubChem → ChEMBL: Discover compounds → Analyze bioactivity data
- STRING → PubChem: Protein interactions → Chemical modulators
API Rate Limits
PubChem API guidelines:
- 5 requests per second
- 400 requests per minute maximum
- No API key required
- Respectful usage encouraged
Data Sources
- 110+ million compounds with full chemical data
- 1.5+ million bioassays with biological activity
- Chemical properties and computed descriptors
- 3D conformers and structural data
- Safety classifications and toxicity information
- Cross-references to 500+ external databases
Error Handling
The server includes comprehensive error handling:
- Invalid compound IDs return clear error messages
- API timeouts are handled gracefully
- Rate limiting compliance built-in
- TypeScript validation for all inputs
Contributing
This server uses:
- TypeScript for type safety
- Axios for HTTP requests
- MCP SDK for protocol compliance
- PubChem REST API for data access
License
MIT License - See LICENSE file for details.
Support
For issues with:
- Server functionality: Check error messages and API responses
- PubChem API: Refer to official PubChem documentation
- Chemical data: Validate compound identifiers and search terms
Examples
Drug Discovery Workflow
// 1. Search for anti-inflammatory compounds
{
"tool": "search_compounds",
"arguments": {
"query": "anti-inflammatory",
"max_records": 100
}
}
// 2. Analyze drug-likeness
{
"tool": "assess_drug_likeness",
"arguments": {
"cid": 2244
}
}
// 3. Check safety profile
{
"tool": "get_safety_data",
"arguments": {
"cid": 2244
}
}
// 4. Find bioactivity data
{
"tool": "search_by_target",
"arguments": {
"target": "COX-2",
"activity_type": "IC50"
}
}
Chemical Similarity Analysis
// 1. Find similar compounds
{
"tool": "search_similar_compounds",
"arguments": {
"smiles": "your_query_smiles",
"threshold": 90
}
}
// 2. Compare molecular properties
{
"tool": "batch_compound_lookup",
"arguments": {
"cids": [1234, 5678, 9012],
"operation": "property"
}
}
// 3. Analyze structural features
{
"tool": "analyze_stereochemistry",
"arguments": {
"cid": 1234
}
}
Architecture
The server is built with a modular architecture:
- Type-safe validation for all API inputs
- Comprehensive error handling with clear messages
- Efficient batch processing for multiple compounds
- Resource templates for direct data access
- Integration-ready for multi-database workflows
This makes it the most comprehensive chemical informatics MCP server available!
Citation
If you use this project in your research or publications, please cite it as follows:
author = {Moudather Chelbi},
title = {PubChem MCP Server},
year = {2025},
howpublished = {https://github.com/Augmented-Nature/PubChem-MCP-Server},
note = {Accessed: 2025-06-29}