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Google Scholar Search

scholar_search

Find academic paper metadata—authors, venue, year, versions, and citation counts—from Google Scholar. Ideal for citation details, not full-text reading.

Instructions

Use only for paper metadata such as authors, venue, year, versions, and citation counts. With research enabled, one local broker lets multiple MCP sessions query the same knowledge base concurrently and orders writes safely. Do not use it to discover or read paper content; use search with extract_mode instead. Returns title, authors, publication, year, snippet, citation count, related/version links, and an available full-text link. With research enabled, metadata and citation observations retain provider provenance and research_context exposes related prior searches. Google Scholar uses browser search, SearchApi primary, or configured fallback. Results are cached with the same TTL as search. Max 10 papers per call.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`limit`	No	Maximum papers. Integer 1-10, default 10.
`query`	Yes	Google Scholar query. Supports quotes and author: operators.
`project_id`	No	Project memory id.
`session_id`	No	Stable host task id. Reuses the same project session after restart.
`memory_handle`	No	Reuse the handle returned by a prior project-aware call.
`session_intent`	No	Current durable task intent. A changed value creates an immutable revision.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`meta`	No
`error`	No
`query`	No
`memory`	No
`results`	No
`elapsed_ms`	No
`memory_handle`	No
`research_context`	No

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed3 schema fields changedv1.1.3Sep 11, 2026
- addedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / cancel_reason
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / phase
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / request_id
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```

Changed1 schema field changedv1.0.2Sep 1, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / limit / description

Previous value: -"Max papers (default 10)."New value: +"Maximum papers. Integer 1-10, default 10."

Changed7 schema fields changedv1.0.0Aug 28, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / memory_handle

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Reuse the handle returned by a prior project-aware call.",
+  "format": "uuid",
+  "pattern": "^([0-9a-fA-F]{8}-[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-[1-8][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[89abAB][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[0-9a-fA-F]{12}|00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000|ffffffff-ffff-ffff-ffff-ffffffffffff)$",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / project_id

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Project memory id.",
+  "maxLength": 64,
+  "minLength": 1,
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / session_id

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Stable host task id. Reuses the same project session after restart.",
+  "maxLength": 200,
+  "minLength": 1,
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / session_intent

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Current durable task intent. A changed value creates an immutable revision.",
+  "maxLength": 2000,
+  "minLength": 1,
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / memory
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
addedOutput schema / properties / memory_handle
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```

addedOutput schema / properties / research_context

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "properties": {
+    "prior_searches": {
+      "items": {
+        "additionalProperties": false,
+        "properties": {
+          "query": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "relation": {
+            "enum": [
+              "same",
+              "related",
+              "recent"
+            ],
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "results": {
+            "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+            "minimum": -9007199254740991,
+            "type": "integer"
+          },
+          "searched_at": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "surface": {
+            "type": "string"
+          }
+        },
+        "required": [
+          "query",
+          "relation",
+          "searched_at",
+          "results"
+        ],
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "maxItems": 3,
+      "type": "array"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "prior_searches"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

Addedv0.8.0Aug 12, 2026

TDQS

A4.2/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

The description adds meaningful behavioral detail beyond the annotations, such as the underlying provider chain ('browser search, SearchApi primary, or configured fallback'), caching behavior ('cached with the same TTL as search'), and output contents like full-text links. It also hints at write behavior ('orders writes safely'), which is consistent with readOnlyHint=false. The research-enabled concurrency and provenance details are less directly actionable but still informative.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness3/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is front-loaded with the most important usage boundary, but it includes dense and somewhat tangential clauses about 'research enabled' behavior, provenance, and broker concurrency that blur the core message. It is not overly long, yet it could be tightened by separating the essential selection guidance from optional background details.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

The description covers the core use case, exclusions, alternative tools, output fields, provider behavior, caching, and a hard result limit. Given the rich input and output schemas already present, only minor gaps remain—such as the precise effect of the research-mode parameters on writes—but nothing essential for typical tool selection and invocation is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, so the schema already documents all six parameters thoroughly. The description repeats the max limit ('Max 10 papers per call') but does not add much meaning for parameters like project_id, session_id, memory_handle, or session_intent beyond what the schema already states. This lands at the baseline of 3.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description clearly states that this tool is for paper metadata retrieval only, listing specific fields like authors, venue, year, versions, and citation counts. It also explicitly contrasts itself with 'search with extract_mode' for reading full paper content, making its scope unmistakable relative to sibling tools.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description gives direct usage boundaries: 'Use only for paper metadata' and 'Do not use it to discover or read paper content; use search with extract_mode instead.' It names the alternative tool and the condition for choosing it, leaving no ambiguity about when scholar_search is appropriate.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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