# OpenAlex MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for accessing OpenAlex scholarly research database with OSINT-focused tools.

## Overview

OpenAlex MCP Server provides AI applications with direct access to OpenAlex's comprehensive database of 240M+ scholarly works, researchers, institutions, and funding information. Built specifically with OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) capabilities in mind.

## Features

### Core Search Tools
- **Search Works**: Find scholarly publications with advanced filters
- **Get Work Details**: Comprehensive information including funding, collaborations, citations
- **Search Authors**: Find researchers and their profiles
- **Search Institutions**: Discover research organizations worldwide

### OSINT-Focused Tools
- **Search by Funder**: Track research funding patterns by organization
- **Search by Country**: Analyze geographic research patterns
- **Citation Network Analysis**: Map information flow and influence
- **Author Collaborators**: Discover research networks and partnerships
- **Institutional Collaborations**: Map inter-institutional partnerships
- **Temporal Trends**: Track research evolution over time
- **Institution Research Tracking**: Monitor specific organization outputs

## Installation

### Prerequisites
- Python 3.10 or higher
- UV package manager (recommended) or pip

### Setup

```bash
# Clone or download the repository
cd openalex-mcp

# Install dependencies using UV (recommended)
uv sync

# Or using pip
pip install -e .
```

## Configuration

### Claude Desktop Integration

Add to your Claude Desktop config file:

**MacOS**: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
**Windows**: `%APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openalex": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/absolute/path/to/openalex-mcp",
        "run",
        "openalex-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPENALEX_EMAIL": "your.email@example.com"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### Environment Variables

- `OPENALEX_EMAIL` (optional but recommended): Your email for the "polite pool" with better rate limits

## Usage Examples

### Basic Research Search

```
Search for works about "quantum computing" published after 2020
```

### OSINT: Funding Analysis

```
Show me research funded by DARPA in the last 3 years
```

### OSINT: Geographic Patterns

```
Find AI research from China published between 2020-2024
```

### OSINT: Network Mapping

```
Get the citation network for work W2741809807
```

### OSINT: Collaboration Analysis

```
Find the top collaborators of author A5023888391
```

### OSINT: Institutional Intelligence

```
Show me MIT's research on cybersecurity from 2023
```

### OSINT: Temporal Analysis

```
Get publication trends for "neural networks" from 2015 to 2024
```

### OSINT: Institutional Networks

```
Find institutions that frequently collaborate with Stanford University
```

## Available Tools

| Tool | Purpose | OSINT Use Case |
|------|---------|----------------|
| `search_works` | Search publications | General research discovery |
| `get_work_details` | Full work information | Deep dive on specific research |
| `search_by_funder` | Find funded research | Track funding patterns |
| `search_by_country` | Geographic research | Analyze national research priorities |
| `get_citation_network` | Citation relationships | Map influence and information flow |
| `get_author_collaborators` | Find co-authors | Discover research networks |
| `search_works_by_institution` | Institution research | Monitor organizational output |
| `get_temporal_trends` | Time-series analysis | Track research evolution |
| `get_institutional_collaborations` | Institution networks | Map organizational partnerships |
| `search_authors` | Find researchers | Identify domain experts |
| `get_author_details` | Author information | Researcher profiling |
| `search_institutions` | Find organizations | Discover research centers |
| `get_institution_details` | Institution data | Organization intelligence |
| `health_check` | API status | System monitoring |

## API Information

- **Base URL**: https://api.openalex.org
- **Authentication**: None required
- **Rate Limits**: 100,000 requests/day, 10 requests/second
- **Polite Pool**: Add your email for better performance
- **Cost**: Completely free

## Data Sources

OpenAlex indexes:
- 240M+ scholarly works
- 90M+ authors
- 100K+ institutions
- Funding information from major grant agencies
- Citation relationships
- Open access availability

## OSINT Use Cases

1. **Research Funding Intelligence**: Track which organizations fund specific research areas
2. **Geopolitical Analysis**: Monitor research priorities by country
3. **Network Mapping**: Discover collaboration patterns between researchers and institutions
4. **Influence Analysis**: Map citation networks to understand information flow
5. **Institutional Intelligence**: Monitor research output from specific organizations
6. **Trend Analysis**: Track emerging research topics over time
7. **Expert Identification**: Find leading researchers in specific domains
8. **Partnership Discovery**: Identify institutional collaboration patterns

## Development

```bash
# Run tests
uv run pytest

# Run server locally
uv run openalex-mcp

# Format code
uv run black src/
```

## Troubleshooting

### Server not connecting
- Verify the path in your Claude config is absolute
- Check that UV is installed: `uv --version`
- Restart Claude Desktop after config changes

### Rate limit errors
- Add your email to `OPENALEX_EMAIL` for polite pool access
- Reduce request frequency
- Consider Premium plan for higher limits

### Empty results
- Verify entity IDs are correct format (e.g., W2741809807)
- Check filter parameters are valid
- Try broader search queries

## Resources

- [OpenAlex Documentation](https://docs.openalex.org)
- [OpenAlex API Reference](https://docs.openalex.org/how-to-use-the-api/api-overview)
- [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io)
- [FastMCP Framework](https://github.com/jlowin/fastmcp)

## License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

## Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please open issues or pull requests on GitHub.

## Acknowledgments

- OpenAlex for providing free, open scholarly data
- FastMCP framework for simplified MCP server development
- Model Context Protocol specification