# OpenAlex MCP Server Installation Guide
This guide provides instructions for installing and running the OpenAlex MCP server.
## Prerequisites
- Python 3.10 or higher
- pip (Python package installer)
## Installation
1. Clone the repository:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/drAbreu/alex-mcp.git
cd alex-mcp
```
2. Create a virtual environment:
```bash
python3 -m venv venv
```
3. Activate the virtual environment:
```bash
source venv/bin/activate # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
```
4. Install the package in development mode:
```bash
pip install -e .
```
## Running the Server
### Option 1: Using the run script
The easiest way to run the server is to use the provided run script:
```bash
./run_alex_mcp.sh
```
This script activates the virtual environment and runs the server.
### Option 2: Manual execution
1. Activate the virtual environment:
```bash
source venv/bin/activate # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
```
2. Run the server:
```bash
python run_server.py
```
## Using with Claude Desktop
To use this MCP server with Claude Desktop, add the following configuration:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"alex-mcp": {
"command": "/path/to/alex-mcp/run_alex_mcp.sh"
}
}
}
```
Replace `/path/to/alex-mcp` with the actual path to the repository on your system.
## Available Tools
The OpenAlex MCP server provides the following tools:
1. **disambiguate_author**: Disambiguate an author using OpenAlex's ML-powered disambiguation system.
2. **search_authors**: Search for authors with advanced filtering capabilities.
3. **get_author_profile**: Get detailed author profile by OpenAlex ID.
4. **resolve_institution**: Resolve institution name or abbreviation to full OpenAlex data.
## Troubleshooting
If you encounter any issues, make sure:
1. You're using Python 3.10 or higher
2. The virtual environment is activated
3. All dependencies are installed correctly
For more information, see the [README.md](README.md) file.
