download_pubmed
Explains that PubMed does not host PDFs and provides alternative methods to download academic papers from other sources.
Instructions
PubMed does NOT support direct PDF downloads.
PubMed is a metadata database - it does not host PDFs.
INSTEAD (try in order):
1. download_scihub(doi) - if published before 2023
2. download_semantic(id) - last resort
Args:
paper_id: PMID (unused).
save_path: Unused.
Returns:
Error message with alternatives.
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| paper_id | Yes | ||
| save_path | No |
Implementation Reference
- paper_find_mcp/server.py:263-280 (handler)Handler function for download_pubmed tool. Registered via @mcp.tool(). Delegates to _download helper with 'pubmed' platform. Includes input schema via type hints and comprehensive docstring explaining limitations.@mcp.tool() async def download_pubmed(paper_id: str, save_path: Optional[str] = None) -> str: """PubMed does NOT support direct PDF downloads. PubMed is a metadata database - it does not host PDFs. INSTEAD (try in order): 1. download_scihub(doi) - if published before 2023 2. download_semantic(id) - last resort Args: paper_id: PMID (unused). save_path: Unused. Returns: Error message with alternatives. """ return await _download('pubmed', paper_id, save_path)
- paper_find_mcp/server.py:115-134 (helper)Generic _download helper function called by download_pubmed. Retrieves the platform searcher (PubMedSearcher for 'pubmed') from SEARCHERS dict and invokes its download_pdf method, handling errors including NotImplementedError.async def _download( searcher_name: str, paper_id: str, save_path: Optional[str] = None ) -> str: """通用下载函数""" if save_path is None: save_path = get_download_path() searcher = SEARCHERS.get(searcher_name) if not searcher: return f"Error: Unknown searcher {searcher_name}" try: return searcher.download_pdf(paper_id, save_path) except NotImplementedError as e: return str(e) except Exception as e: logger.error(f"Download failed for {searcher_name}: {e}") return f"Error downloading: {str(e)}"
- PubMedSearcher.download_pdf method, the core platform-specific implementation called by the generic _download. Raises NotImplementedError with helpful message since PubMed is metadata-only.def download_pdf(self, paper_id: str, save_path: str) -> str: """尝试下载 PubMed 论文 PDF（不支持） PubMed 是索引数据库，不提供直接 PDF 下载。 请使用 DOI 或 PubMed Central 获取全文。 Raises: NotImplementedError: 始终抛出 """ raise NotImplementedError( "PubMed does not provide direct PDF downloads. " "Please use the paper's DOI to access the publisher's website, " "or check if the paper is available on PubMed Central (PMC)." )
- paper_find_mcp/server.py:75-85 (registration)SEARCHERS dictionary that instantiates all platform searchers, including PubMedSearcher for the 'pubmed' key used by download_pubmed.SEARCHERS = { 'arxiv': ArxivSearcher(), 'pubmed': PubMedSearcher(), 'biorxiv': BioRxivSearcher(), 'medrxiv': MedRxivSearcher(), 'google_scholar': GoogleScholarSearcher(), 'iacr': IACRSearcher(), 'semantic': SemanticSearcher(), 'crossref': CrossRefSearcher(), 'repec': RePECSearcher(), }