ResearchMCP

Instructions

Implementation Reference

• src/server.py:107-154 (handler)

  The core handler function for the 'compare_papers' tool, registered via @mcp.tool(). It parses comma-separated paper IDs, fetches paper details and abstracts using PaperFetcher, validates input (2-5 papers), formats a comparison report with titles, authors, years, citations, abstracts, and provides instructions for analyzing contradictions, consensus, and gaps.

  @mcp.tool()
  def compare_papers(paper_ids: str) -> str:
      """
      Compare claims across multiple papers to find contradictions and consensus.
  
      Args:
          paper_ids: Comma-separated list of OpenAlex paper IDs (e.g., "W123,W456,W789")
  
      Returns:
          Abstracts from all papers for comparison analysis
      """
      ids = [pid.strip() for pid in paper_ids.split(",")]
  
      if len(ids) < 2:
          return "Error: Please provide at least 2 paper IDs separated by commas"
  
      if len(ids) > 5:
          return "Error: Maximum 5 papers can be compared at once"
  
      papers_data = []
      for paper_id in ids:
          paper = fetcher.fetch_paper_by_id(paper_id)
  
          if "error" in paper:
              papers_data.append(f"**Error fetching {paper_id}:** {paper['error']}\n")
              continue
  
          abstract_text = fetcher.get_paper_abstract(paper)
  
          paper_info = f"**Paper {len(papers_data) + 1}:**\n"
          paper_info += f"Title: {paper['title']}\n"
          paper_info += f"Authors: {paper['authors']}\n"
          paper_info += f"Year: {paper['publication_year']}\n"
          paper_info += f"Citations: {paper['cited_by_count']}\n\n"
          paper_info += f"Abstract: {abstract_text}\n"
          paper_info += f"{'-' * 80}\n\n"
  
          papers_data.append(paper_info)
  
      result = f"**Comparing {len(papers_data)} papers:**\n\n"
      result += "".join(papers_data)
      result += "\n**Analysis Instructions:**\n"
      result += "Please analyze these papers and identify:\n"
      result += "1. **Contradictions:** Where do the papers disagree or present conflicting findings?\n"
      result += "2. **Consensus:** What do the papers agree on?\n"
      result += "3. **Gaps:** What questions remain unanswered or areas need more research?\n"
  
      return result

• src/server.py:107-107 (registration)

  The @mcp.tool() decorator registers the compare_papers function as an MCP tool.

  @mcp.tool()

• src/server.py:109-117 (schema)

  The docstring provides the tool schema, describing input (paper_ids as comma-separated string) and output (formatted abstracts for comparison). Type hints: paper_ids: str -> str.

  """
  Compare claims across multiple papers to find contradictions and consensus.
  
  Args:
      paper_ids: Comma-separated list of OpenAlex paper IDs (e.g., "W123,W456,W789")
  
  Returns:
      Abstracts from all papers for comparison analysis
  """