PubMed MCP Server
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCBI_EMAIL | No | Your email address, used to identify your requests to NCBI services. | |
| NCBI_API_KEY | No | Optional NCBI API key for higher rate limits (10 req/s vs 3 req/s). |
Instructions
Guidance the server publishes about itself, which clients place ahead of the tool catalog so the model reads it before choosing anything.
This server publishes no instructions, or was last inspected before Glama recorded them.
Capabilities
Features and capabilities supported by this server
Protocol revision2025-11-25
| Capability | Details |
|---|---|
| tools | {} |
| resources | {} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| search_articlesB | Search PubMed for articles by keywords, authors, journals, dates, or MeSH terms. Returns PMIDs and basic metadata. |
| advanced_searchC | Perform advanced search with field-specific queries and boolean operators |
| search_by_authorB | Find articles by specific author(s) |
| search_by_journalA | Search articles within specific journal(s) |
| search_by_mesh_termsC | Search using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms |
| get_trending_articlesA | Get recently published or trending articles in a specific field |
| get_article_detailsA | Get comprehensive metadata and abstract for a specific article by PMID |
| get_abstractB | Retrieve article abstract by PMID |
| get_full_textB | Retrieve full text from PubMed Central (PMC) when available |
| batch_article_lookupB | Retrieve multiple articles efficiently (up to 200 PMIDs) |
| get_cited_byA | Find articles that cite a specific PMID |
| get_referencesC | Get reference list for an article |
| get_similar_articlesB | Find related articles based on content similarity |
| export_citationA | Export citation in various formats (APA, MLA, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS) |
| validate_pmidB | Validate PubMed ID format and check if article exists |
| convert_identifiersB | Convert between PMID, DOI, and PMC ID |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No prompts | |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| PubMed Article | Article metadata and abstract for a specific PMID |
| PMC Full Text | Full text article from PubMed Central |
| PubMed Search | Search results for a query |
TDQS
Scored across 16 tools
Most tools have distinct purposes, but there is slight overlap between 'get_abstract' and 'get_article_details' (the latter includes abstract), and between 'advanced_search' and 'search_articles' (advanced search allows field-specific queries). However, descriptions clearly differentiate them.
The naming follows a mostly consistent verb_noun pattern, with 'search_by_*' for specific field searches and 'get_*' for retrieval. However, a few tools like 'advanced_search', 'batch_article_lookup', and 'convert_identifiers' deviate from the prefix pattern.
16 tools is well-scoped for a PubMed server covering searching, retrieval, citation, and related articles. Each tool serves a clear purpose without being excessive.
The tool set covers the full lifecycle of PubMed access: search by various criteria, retrieve metadata/abstract/full text, export citations, convert identifiers, and find related articles. No obvious gaps for a read-only API.