Paper Search MCP
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| WOS_API_KEY | No | Your Web of Science API key from Clarivate Developer Portal (required for Web of Science platform) | |
| PUBMED_API_KEY | No | Your NCBI PubMed API key (optional, increases rate limits from 3 to 10 requests/second) | |
| WILEY_TDM_TOKEN | No | Your Wiley TDM token (required for Wiley platform) | |
| WOS_API_VERSION | No | Web of Science API version (v1 or v2). Default is v1. | v1 |
| ELSEVIER_API_KEY | No | Your Elsevier API key (required for ScienceDirect and Scopus platforms) | |
| SPRINGER_API_KEY | No | Your Springer Nature API key for Metadata API v2 (required for Springer platform) | |
| SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY | No | Your Semantic Scholar API key (optional, increases rate limits) | |
| SPRINGER_OPENACCESS_API_KEY | No | Your Springer Nature OpenAccess API key (optional, if different from main SPRINGER_API_KEY) |
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 | {
"listChanged": true
} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| search_papersC | Search academic papers from multiple sources including arXiv, Web of Science, etc. |
| search_arxivC | Search academic papers specifically from arXiv preprint server |
| search_webofscienceC | Search Web of Science Starter (default) or explicitly selected Expanded API |
| get_webofscience_related_recordsB | Get references, citing records, or related records through Web of Science Expanded API |
| search_pubmedC | Search biomedical literature from PubMed/MEDLINE database using NCBI E-utilities API |
| search_biorxivB | Search bioRxiv preprint server for biology papers |
| search_medrxivC | Search medRxiv preprint server for medical papers |
| search_semantic_scholarC | Search Semantic Scholar for academic papers with citation data |
| search_iacrC | Search IACR ePrint Archive for cryptography papers |
| download_paperC | Download PDF file of an academic paper |
| search_google_scholarC | Search Google Scholar for academic papers using web scraping |
| get_paper_by_doiC | Retrieve paper information using DOI from available platforms |
| discover_paper_accessA | Discover a public publisher PDF candidate for one DOI without claiming open-license or complete download success |
| search_scihubA | Controlled, opt-in Sci-Hub DOI adapter (disabled by default); accepts DOI/doi.org URLs only, tries direct mirrors before bounded ScrapingAnt fallback, and does not grant access rights. |
| check_scihub_mirrorsC | Check the health status of all Sci-Hub mirror sites |
| get_platform_statusC | Check the status and capabilities of available academic platforms |
| search_sciencedirectC | Search academic papers from Elsevier ScienceDirect database (requires API key) |
| search_springerA | Search academic papers from Springer Nature database. Uses Metadata API by default (all content) or OpenAccess API when openAccess=true (full text available). Same API key works for both. |
| search_scopusC | Search the Scopus abstract and citation database (requires Elsevier API key) |
| search_crossrefC | Search academic papers from Crossref database. Free API with extensive scholarly metadata coverage across publishers. |
| get_citationsA | Retrieve citation data (citation count, references, venue) for a paper by DOI using Semantic Scholar |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No prompts | |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No resources | |
TDQS
Scored across 21 tools
Most tools are clearly distinguished by their target source (e.g., arXiv, PubMed, Scopus) or action (download, check, discover). Minor overlap exists between search_papers (multi-source) and individual source-specific searches, but descriptions clarify scope. The access-related tools (search_scihub, discover_paper_access) have distinct roles.
The naming pattern is predominantly verb_noun with search_* for queries, get_* for retrieval, and a few other action prefixes (download, check, discover). While consistent overall, some names are verbose (get_webofscience_related_records) and there is no uniform verb for all operations, but the convention is recognizable and predictable.
With 21 tools, the server sits at the upper edge of reasonable scope. The breadth of academic sources justifies a higher count, but it feels slightly heavy, especially with overlapping search capabilities. Each tool serves a purpose, yet a few could be consolidated without losing functionality.
The tool surface covers the core lifecycle of academic paper search and retrieval: searching across major databases, retrieving by DOI, downloading PDFs, and accessing citation data. Minor gaps exist, such as no direct full-text extraction or citation network visualization, but these are not essential for the stated purpose. The coverage is robust for search and access.