Paper Search MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for searching and downloading academic papers from multiple sources, including arXiv, PubMed, bioRxiv, and Sci-Hub (optional). Designed for seamless integration with large language models like Claude Desktop.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Features
• Installation
  • Quick Start
    • Install Package
    • Configure Claude Desktop
  • For Development
    • Setup Environment
    • Install Dependencies
• Contributing
• Demo
• License
• TODO

Overview

paper-search-mcp is a Python-based MCP server that enables users to search and download academic papers from various platforms. It provides tools for searching papers (e.g., search_arxiv) and downloading PDFs (e.g., download_arxiv), making it ideal for researchers and AI-driven workflows. Built with the MCP Python SDK, it integrates seamlessly with LLM clients like Claude Desktop.

Features

• Multi-Source Support: Search and download papers from arXiv, PubMed, bioRxiv, and Sci-Hub (optional).
• Standardized Output: Papers are returned in a consistent dictionary format via the Paper class.
• Asynchronous Tools: Efficiently handles network requests using httpx.
• MCP Integration: Compatible with MCP clients for LLM context enhancement.
• Extensible Design: Easily add new academic platforms by extending the academic_platforms module.

Installation

paper-search-mcp can be installed using uv or pip. Below are two approaches: a quick start for immediate use and a detailed setup for development.

Installing via Smithery

To install paper-search-mcp for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

Quick Start

For users who want to quickly run the server:

1. Install Package:
   uv add paper-search-mcp
2. Configure Claude Desktop: Add this configuration to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (Mac) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):
   { "mcpServers": { "paper_search_server": { "command": "uv", "args": [ "run", "--directory", "/path/to/your/paper-search-mcp", "-m", "paper_search_mcp.server" ] } } }

   Note: Replace /path/to/your/paper-search-mcp with your actual installation path.

For Development

For developers who want to modify the code or contribute:

1. Setup Environment:
   # Install uv if not installed curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh # Clone repository git clone https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp.git cd paper-search-mcp # Create and activate virtual environment uv venv source .venv/bin/activate # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
2. Install Dependencies:
   # Install project in editable mode uv add -e . # Add development dependencies (optional) uv add pytest flake8

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how to get started:

1. Fork the Repository: Click "Fork" on GitHub.
2. Clone and Set Up:
   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/paper-search-mcp.git cd paper-search-mcp pip install -e ".[dev]" # Install dev dependencies (if added to pyproject.toml)
3. Make Changes:
   • Add new platforms in academic_platforms/.
   • Update tests in tests/.
4. Submit a Pull Request: Push changes and create a PR on GitHub.

Demo

TODO

Planned Academic Platforms

• [√] arXiv
• [√] PubMed
• [√] bioRxiv/medRxiv
• [√] Google Scholar
• Semantic Scholar
• PubMed Central (PMC)
• Science Direct
• Springer Link
• IEEE Xplore
• ACM Digital Library
• Web of Science
• Scopus
• JSTOR
• ResearchGate
• CORE
• Microsoft Academic

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Happy researching with paper-search-mcp! If you encounter issues, open a GitHub issue.