openalex-mcp
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOG_LEVEL | No | DEBUG · INFO · WARNING · ERROR | INFO |
| OPENALEX_EMAIL | No | Your email — uses the 'polite pool' (slower but free, no key) | |
| OPENALEX_API_KEY | No | Free API key from openalex.org/settings/api | |
| OPENALEX_CACHE_TTL | No | Response cache duration in seconds (0 = disabled) | 300 |
| OPENALEX_MAX_RETRIES | No | Retries on rate-limit errors | 3 |
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": false
} |
| prompts | {
"listChanged": false
} |
| resources | {
"subscribe": false,
"listChanged": false
} |
| experimental | {} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| openalex_search_worksA | Search scholarly works (articles, books, datasets, preprints, theses) in OpenAlex. Use 'query' for full-text keyword search. Use 'filters' to narrow by year, type, institution, open access, citation count, etc. Filter syntax: 'publication_year:2020-2024,type:article,open_access.is_oa:true'. Sort options: 'cited_by_count:desc', 'publication_date:desc', 'relevance_score:desc'. Returns title, DOI, authors, year, citation count, open-access status. |
| openalex_get_workA | Retrieve full metadata for a single scholarly work. Accepts an OpenAlex ID (W-number), DOI (bare '10.x/y' or full URL), PubMed ID ('pmid:12345678'), or MAG ID. Returns title, abstract, all authors with affiliations, topics, citation count, open-access URL, referenced works count, and more. |
| openalex_search_authorsA | Search researchers/authors in OpenAlex by name or filter by institution, ORCID, citation count, etc. Returns OpenAlex ID, name, ORCID, h-index, works count, cited-by count, and current affiliation. Use openalex_get_author for full profile. |
| openalex_get_authorA | Retrieve the full profile for a researcher: name, ORCID, h-index, i10-index, works count, total citations, last known affiliation, top research topics, and year-by-year citation counts. Accepts an OpenAlex Author ID (A-number) or ORCID. |
| openalex_search_institutionsA | Search universities, research institutes, hospitals, and other organizations in OpenAlex. Returns the OpenAlex institution ID (needed for work filters), ROR ID, name, country, type, and publication/citation counts. Use the returned 'openalex_id' in openalex_search_works filter: 'institutions.id:{id}' |
| openalex_get_institutionA | Retrieve full details for a university or research institution: name, country, type, ROR ID, total works, total citations, h-index, homepage URL, and top research topics. Accepts an OpenAlex Institution ID (I-number) or ROR ID. |
| openalex_search_sourcesA | Search journals, conference proceedings, repositories, and other publication venues in OpenAlex. Returns ISSN, publisher, open-access status, h-index, works count, and citation count. Use the returned 'openalex_id' in work filters: 'primary_location.source.id:{id}' |
| openalex_get_sourceA | Get full details for a journal, conference, or repository: ISSN, publisher, open-access status, DOAJ listing, total works, citations, h-index, i10-index, and top research topics. Accepts OpenAlex Source ID (S-number) or ISSN. |
| openalex_aggregate_worksA | Aggregate (count/group) works by a field to get distribution statistics. Useful for: annual publication trends, breakdown by type or language, top institutions by output, open-access percentage, topic distribution. Returns a list of {key, label, count} groups sorted by count descending. Combine with 'filters' to scope the analysis (same syntax as openalex_search_works). |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No prompts | |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| filter_reference | Complete OpenAlex filter syntax, operators, and query examples. |
TDQS
Scored across 9 tools
Each tool has a unique purpose: search vs get vs aggregate for each entity type (works, authors, institutions, sources). There is no overlap or ambiguity.
All tools follow the exact pattern 'openalex_<verb>_<entity>' with verbs like get, search, aggregate. Consistent and predictable.
9 tools is well-scoped for a scholarly database API, covering search and retrieval for the main entities plus aggregation.
Covers all core entities with search and get operations. Minor gaps like no dedicated topic/concept search, but the main workflows are well-supported.