Reactome MCP Server

# Unofficial Reactome MCP Server ๐งฌ
Model Context Protocol server for accessing Reactome pathway and systems biology data.
[](https://reactome.org/)
Developed by [Augmented Nature](https://augmentednature.ai) - Advancing AI for Scientific Discovery
## โ
**Verified Features**
**All 8 tools working with live Reactome API data:**
- ๐ **Pathway Search** - Search biological pathways by name, process, keywords
- ๐ **Pathway Details** - Comprehensive pathway information and components
- ๐งฌ **Gene-to-Pathways** - Find pathways containing specific genes/proteins
- ๐ฆ **Disease Pathways** - Disease-associated biological mechanisms
- ๐ฒ **Pathway Hierarchy** - Parent/child relationships and pathway structure
- ๐งช **Pathway Participants** - All molecules participating in pathways
- โ๏ธ **Biochemical Reactions** - Detailed reaction information
- ๐ **Protein Interactions** - Molecular interactions within pathways
## ๐ **Quick Start**
```bash
# Install and build
npm install
npm run build
# Run the server
node build/index.js
```
## ๐ **MCP Client Configuration**
### Claude Desktop
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"reactome-server": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/reactome-server/build/index.js"]
}
}
}
```
### Other MCP Clients
```bash
node /path/to/reactome-server/build/index.js
```
## ๐ ๏ธ **Available Tools**
### ๐ `search_pathways`
**Search for biological pathways by name, description, or keywords**
```json
{
"name": "search_pathways",
"arguments": {
"query": "cell cycle", // Pathway name, process, or keywords
"type": "pathway", // Optional: pathway, reaction, protein, complex, disease
"size": 20 // Optional: 1-100 results (default: 20)
}
}
```
**Example Results:**
- **Cell Cycle** (R-HSA-1640170) - Cell cycle progression and regulation
- **Cell Cycle Checkpoints** (R-HSA-69620) - Quality control mechanisms
- **Mitotic G1-G1/S phases** (R-HSA-453279) - G1 phase progression
### ๐ `get_pathway_details`
**Get comprehensive information about a specific pathway**
```json
{
"name": "get_pathway_details",
"arguments": {
"id": "R-HSA-1640170" // Reactome pathway stable identifier
}
}
```
### ๐งฌ `find_pathways_by_gene`
**Find all pathways containing a specific gene or protein**
```json
{
"name": "find_pathways_by_gene",
"arguments": {
"gene": "BRCA1", // Gene symbol or UniProt ID
"species": "Homo sapiens" // Optional: species (default: Homo sapiens)
}
}
```
### ๐ฆ `find_pathways_by_disease`
**Find disease-associated pathways and mechanisms**
```json
{
"name": "find_pathways_by_disease",
"arguments": {
"disease": "cancer", // Disease name or DOID identifier
"size": 25 // Optional: 1-100 pathways (default: 25)
}
}
```
### ๐ฒ `get_pathway_hierarchy`
**Get hierarchical structure and parent/child relationships**
```json
{
"name": "get_pathway_hierarchy",
"arguments": {
"id": "R-HSA-1640170" // Reactome pathway stable identifier
}
}
```
### ๐งช `get_pathway_participants`
**Get all molecules (proteins, genes, compounds) in a pathway**
```json
{
"name": "get_pathway_participants",
"arguments": {
"id": "R-HSA-1640170" // Reactome pathway stable identifier
}
}
```
### โ๏ธ `get_pathway_reactions`
**Get all biochemical reactions within a pathway**
```json
{
"name": "get_pathway_reactions",
"arguments": {
"id": "R-HSA-1640170" // Reactome pathway stable identifier
}
}
```
### ๐ `get_protein_interactions`
**Get protein-protein interactions within pathways**
```json
{
"name": "get_protein_interactions",
"arguments": {
"pathwayId": "R-HSA-1640170", // Reactome pathway stable identifier
"interactionType": "all" // Optional: protein-protein, regulatory, catalysis, all
}
}
```
## ๐ **Resource Templates**
Access Reactome data through standardized URIs:
- `reactome://pathway/{id}` - Complete pathway information
- `reactome://reaction/{id}` - Detailed reaction information
- `reactome://protein/{id}` - Protein details and associations
- `reactome://disease/{id}` - Disease-associated pathways
- `reactome://search/{query}` - Search results
## ๐งช **Real-World Examples**
### Systems Biology Workflow
```bash
# 1. Search for DNA repair pathways
{"name": "search_pathways", "arguments": {"query": "DNA repair", "size": 10}}
# 2. Get detailed pathway information
{"name": "get_pathway_details", "arguments": {"id": "R-HSA-5696394"}}
# 3. Find all pathways containing BRCA1
{"name": "find_pathways_by_gene", "arguments": {"gene": "BRCA1"}}
# 4. Get pathway participants
{"name": "get_pathway_participants", "arguments": {"id": "R-HSA-5696394"}}
```
### Disease Mechanism Research
```bash
# 1. Search for cancer-related pathways
{"name": "find_pathways_by_disease", "arguments": {"disease": "cancer", "size": 15}}
# 2. Get pathway hierarchy for oncogenic signaling
{"name": "get_pathway_hierarchy", "arguments": {"id": "R-HSA-5637815"}}
# 3. Analyze biochemical reactions
{"name": "get_pathway_reactions", "arguments": {"id": "R-HSA-5637815"}}
```
### Drug Discovery Pipeline
```bash
# 1. Find pathways for drug target
{"name": "find_pathways_by_gene", "arguments": {"gene": "EGFR"}}
# 2. Get protein interactions in pathway
{"name": "get_protein_interactions", "arguments": {"pathwayId": "R-HSA-177929"}}
# 3. Analyze pathway participants
{"name": "get_pathway_participants", "arguments": {"id": "R-HSA-177929"}}
```
## ๐ฌ **Data Coverage**
**Reactome provides curated data for:**
- **25,000+ reactions** across all major biological processes
- **14,000+ proteins** with detailed functional annotations
- **2,500+ pathways** covering cellular and molecular processes
- **20+ species** including human, mouse, rat, and model organisms
- **Cross-references** to UniProt, ChEMBL, Ensembl, and other databases
**Key Biological Areas:**
- Signal transduction pathways
- Metabolic processes and networks
- Gene regulation and expression
- Cell cycle and DNA repair
- Immune system responses
- Disease mechanisms and drug action
- Developmental biology processes
## ๐๏ธ **Architecture**
- **TypeScript** implementation with robust type safety
- **Reactome Content Service API** for efficient data retrieval
- **MCP Protocol** compliant JSON-RPC communication
- **Error Handling** with comprehensive validation
- **Production Ready** with 30s timeouts and proper logging
## ๐ **API Information**
- **Base URL**: `https://reactome.org/ContentService`
- **Version**: Reactome v79 (latest)
- **Rate Limits**: Generous for research use
- **Authentication**: None required
- **Format**: REST API with JSON responses
## ๐ค **Contributing**
1. Fork the repository
2. Make your changes
3. Submit a pull request
## Citation
If you use this project in your research or publications, please cite it as follows:
```bibtex @misc{reactomemcp2025,
author = {Moudather Chelbi},
title = {Reactome MCP Server},
year = {2025},
howpublished = {https://github.com/Augmented-Nature/Reactome-MCP-Server},
note = {Accessed: 2025-06-29}
TDQS
Scored across 8 tools
Every tool has a clearly distinct purpose with no ambiguity. For example, find_pathways_by_disease and find_pathways_by_gene target different entry points, while get_pathway_details, get_pathway_hierarchy, get_pathway_participants, and get_pathway_reactions each focus on specific aspects of pathway information. The descriptions reinforce these distinctions, making misselection unlikely.
All tool names follow a consistent verb_noun pattern with snake_case, such as find_pathways_by_disease, get_pathway_details, and search_pathways. The naming is predictable and readable throughout the set, with no deviations in style or convention.
With 8 tools, the count is well-scoped for a biological pathway server. Each tool earns its place by covering distinct operations like searching, retrieving details, and analyzing components, without being overly sparse or bloated. This aligns with typical MCP server ranges of 3-15 tools.
The tool surface provides complete coverage for querying and exploring biological pathways. It includes search (search_pathways, find_pathways_by_disease/gene), retrieval (get_pathway_details, get_pathway_hierarchy), and analysis (get_pathway_participants, get_pathway_reactions, get_protein_interactions), with no obvious gaps that would cause agent failures in this domain.