Provides tools for searching the NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) database, traversing citation graphs, computing citation metrics, resolving paper links and references, and managing research libraries and paper collections.
Click on "Install Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type
@followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@mcp-server-adsFind the most cited papers on dark matter from the last five years."
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
mcp-server-ads
A powerful MCP server for the NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) — the primary database for astrophysics literature. Search papers, traverse citation graphs forward and backward, export BibTeX, compute metrics, and manage reading lists, all through natural language. Works with Claude Desktop/Code, Cursor, OpenAI Codex, and any MCP-compatible client.
Provides 11 tools, 3 resources, and 3 prompt workflows with token-efficient output designed for LLM consumption.
Quick Start
Get an ADS API Token
Create a free account at NASA ADS
Log in and go to Settings > API Token
Click Generate a new key and copy the token
Prerequisites
Python 3.11+
Installation
Claude Desktop
Claude Code
Use --scope project instead to share the configuration via .mcp.json in your repo, or omit --scope for local (current project only).
Codex CLI
This installs to ~/.codex/config.toml (user-level, available across all projects). For project-scoped config, add the entry to .codex/config.toml in your project root instead.
Running from Source
Configuration
Environment Variable | Required | Default | Description |
| Yes | — | API token from ADS |
| No |
| API base URL (override for SciX) |
Tools (11)
Search
Tool | Description |
| Search the ADS database with full query syntax, including |
| Search within a specific set of bibcodes (up to 2000) |
Export & Metrics
Tool | Description |
| Export records in 18+ formats (BibTeX, AASTeX, RIS, CSL, etc.) |
| Compute citation metrics (h-index, g-index, citation counts, etc.) |
Libraries
Tool | Description |
| Manage libraries: list, get, create, edit, or delete saved paper collections |
| Manage documents and notes within a library: add/remove papers, set operations (union, intersection, difference, copy, empty), and note CRUD |
Discovery & Resolution
Tool | Description |
| Resolve available links for a paper (full text, data, etc.) |
| Translate astronomical object names to ADS queries (SIMBAD/NED) |
| Suggest papers that should be cited alongside a given set |
| Resolve free-text reference strings to ADS bibcodes |
Network Visualization
Tool | Description |
| Generate author collaboration or paper citation networks from a set of papers |
Resources
URI | Description |
| Complete reference of searchable and returnable ADS fields |
| ADS query syntax quick-reference with examples |
| Live API rate-limit status |
Prompts
Prompt | Description |
| Multi-step literature review workflow for a research topic |
| Citation network analysis workflow for a set of papers |
| Generate a formatted bibliography from search or bibcodes |
Similar Projects
prtc/nasa-ads-mcp — ADS search, metrics, and library management
thostetler/scix-mcp — MCP server for the SciX/ADS API
blazickjp/arxiv-mcp-server — MCP server for arXiv paper search and retrieval
This server focuses on broad ADS API coverage, token-efficient output, and integration-tested reliability. Compared to arXiv-based tools, ADS enables forward/backward citation traversal (citations and references of any paper), though it is focused on astrophysics.
Development
License
MIT