OpenAlex MCP Server
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABSTRACT_MODE | No | Abstract processing mode (quick/deep) | quick |
| CACHE_ENABLED | No | Whether to enable local cache | true |
| OPENALEX_API_KEY | No | OpenAlex API key (optional, but recommended for higher rate limits) |
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 | {} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| openalex_searchB | Search for academic papers in OpenAlex database by keywords. Returns simplified paper metadata with title, authors, publication venue, year, citation count, and open access status. |
| openalex_get_workA | Get detailed information about a specific paper by its OpenAlex ID, DOI, or PMID. Includes full abstract, author information, topics, and references count. |
| openalex_batch_get_worksA | Get information for multiple papers in one request. More efficient than calling get_work multiple times. |
| openalex_detect_fulltextA | Check if full text is available for a paper and get the open access URL if available. |
| openalex_download_fulltextA | Download full text PDF for an open access paper. Returns the cached file path on success. |
| openalex_get_fulltext_sectionsA | Get extracted sections (abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, etc.) from a downloaded paper. Will trigger download if not cached. |
| openalex_cache_statsC | Get cache statistics or clear the cache. Shows number of cached papers, total size, and cache directory. |
| openalex_system_checkA | Check system status and API connectivity. Returns health status, API reachability, cache status, and version info. |
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 8 tools
Each tool has a distinct purpose: searching, retrieving works, batch queries, fulltext handling, cache management, and system checks. No overlap or ambiguity.
All tools follow the consistent pattern 'openalex_' + verb_phrase in snake_case, making them predictable and easy to understand.
With 8 tools, the server is well-scoped for its purpose of querying and downloading academic papers. Each tool earns its place without being overwhelming.
The tool surface covers search, retrieval, batch operations, fulltext detection/download, section extraction, cache stats, and system status. Minor gaps: no direct author/institution endpoints, but works include that data.