pubmed-mcp-server

Pubmed Europepmc Fetch

pubmed_europepmc_fetch

Read-only

Fetch complete Europe PMC records and full, untruncated abstracts by source and epmcId. Retrieves preprint, patent, and Agricola records that lack a PMID or DOI.

Instructions

Fetch complete Europe PMC records — including the full, untruncated abstract — for records addressed by source plus epmcId. Pairs with pubmed_europepmc_search, which returns bounded abstractSnippet values and flags cut ones with abstractTruncated: true; pass those hits' source and epmcId here to read the whole abstract. This is the retrieval path for preprint (PPR), patent (PAT), and Agricola (AGR) records, which frequently carry no PMID and no DOI, so pubmed_fetch_articles and pubmed_fetch_fulltext cannot address them. Up to 25 records per call.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`records`	Yes	Records to retrieve, each addressed by the `source` and `epmcId` of a `pubmed_europepmc_search` hit. The whole batch resolves in one Europe PMC request.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`notice`	No	Guidance when one or more requested records could not be resolved. Absent when every record came back.
`records`	No	Resolved records, in the order Europe PMC returned them
`notFound`	No	Requested `source` + `epmcId` pairs Europe PMC returned no record for

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed1 schema field changedv2.10.19Sep 30, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description

Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `europepmc_unreachable`: Europe PMC failed on every retry attempt — unreachable, an HTTP 404 or 5xx other than a 504 timeout from its search endpoint, or an empty response with no results. `europepmc_invalid_response`: Europe PMC returned a body that could not be parsed (invalid JSON or XML). `europepmc_invalid_input`: Europe PMC rejected the request input — an error message such as an empty query, an empty response to a sort with an undocumented field or no asc/desc direction, or an empty response to a pagination cursor on every attempt. `europepmc_disabled`: Europe PMC service is disabled via EUROPEPMC_ENABLED=false. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `europepmc_unreachable`: Europe PMC failed on every retry attempt — unreachable, an HTTP 404 or 5xx other than a 504 timeout from its search endpoint, or an empty response with no results. `europepmc_invalid_response`: Europe PMC returned a body that could not be parsed (invalid JSON or XML). `europepmc_invalid_input`: Europe PMC rejected the request input — an error message in place of results, an empty response to a sort with an undocumented field or no asc/desc direction, or a pagination cursor it cannot read (an empty response on the last attempt the retry budget allows, or a second HTTP 503 when the first page of the same query is served). `europepmc_disabled`: Europe PMC service is disabled via EUROPEPMC_ENABLED=false. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."

Changed1 schema field changedv2.10.18Sep 23, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description

Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `europepmc_unreachable`: Europe PMC was unreachable after all retry attempts. `europepmc_invalid_response`: Europe PMC returned a body that could not be parsed (invalid JSON or XML). `europepmc_invalid_input`: Europe PMC rejected the request input (empty query, unknown sort field, malformed parameter). `europepmc_disabled`: Europe PMC service is disabled via EUROPEPMC_ENABLED=false. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `europepmc_unreachable`: Europe PMC failed on every retry attempt — unreachable, an HTTP 404 or 5xx other than a 504 timeout from its search endpoint, or an empty response with no results. `europepmc_invalid_response`: Europe PMC returned a body that could not be parsed (invalid JSON or XML). `europepmc_invalid_input`: Europe PMC rejected the request input — an error message such as an empty query, an empty response to a sort with an undocumented field or no asc/desc direction, or an empty response to a pagination cursor on every attempt. `europepmc_disabled`: Europe PMC service is disabled via EUROPEPMC_ENABLED=false. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."

Changed3 schema fields changedv2.10.8Sep 9, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / records / items / properties / authors / description

Previous value: -"Formatted author string"New value: +"Formatted author string as display-ready plain text — JATS/HTML markup stripped and HTML entities decoded."

changedOutput schema / properties / records / items / properties / journal / description

Previous value: -"Journal title"New value: +"Journal title as display-ready plain text — JATS/HTML markup stripped and HTML entities decoded."

changedOutput schema / properties / records / items / properties / title / description

Previous value: -"Record title"New value: +"Record title as display-ready plain text — JATS/HTML markup stripped and HTML entities decoded."

Changed6 schema fields changedv2.10.4Aug 28, 2026

changedInput schema / $schema

Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

addedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +false
```

changedOutput schema / $schema

Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

addedOutput schema / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "not": {
+      "required": [
+        "error"
+      ]
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "records"
+    ]
+  },
+  {
+    "required": [
+      "error"
+    ]
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / properties / error

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "description": "Present when the call failed. Absent on success.",
+  "properties": {
+    "code": {
+      "description": "JSON-RPC error code for this failure.",
+      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+      "minimum": -9007199254740991,
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "data": {
+      "additionalProperties": {},
+      "properties": {
+        "reason": {
+          "description": "Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `europepmc_unreachable`: Europe PMC was unreachable after all retry attempts. `europepmc_invalid_response`: Europe PMC returned a body that could not be parsed (invalid JSON or XML). `europepmc_invalid_input`: Europe PMC rejected the request input (empty query, unknown sort field, malformed parameter). `europepmc_disabled`: Europe PMC service is disabled via EUROPEPMC_ENABLED=false. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler.",
+          "examples": [
+            "europepmc_unreachable",
+            "europepmc_invalid_response",
+            "europepmc_invalid_input",
+            "europepmc_disabled"
+          ],
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "recovery": {
+          "additionalProperties": {},
+          "description": "Actionable next step for the caller.",
+          "properties": {
+            "hint": {
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          },
+          "required": [
+            "hint"
+          ],
+          "type": "object"
+        },
+        "retryable": {
+          "description": "Whether retrying may succeed.",
+          "type": "boolean"
+        }
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "message": {
+      "description": "Human-readable description of what went wrong.",
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "code",
+    "message"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

removedOutput schema / required
```
Removed value: -[
-  "records"
-]
```

Addedv2.10.2Jul 30, 2026

TDQS

A4.7/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint and openWorldHint, so the safety profile is covered. The description adds real behavioral context beyond them: up to 25 records per call, the whole batch resolving in a single Europe PMC request, and that abstracts come back untruncated. Auth requirements and any rate-limit behavior are not stated, keeping it short of a 5.

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

Conciseness5/5

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

Three sentences, front-loaded with the core action, then the truncation/pairing rationale, then the record-count limit. Every sentence carries distinct information; no filler.

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

Completeness5/5

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

With an output schema present, the description need not explain return values, and it still flags the key payload property (full abstract). For a one-parameter, read-only batch fetch it covers purpose, routing, and limits adequately.

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

Parameters4/5

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

The single nested parameter is documented at 100% schema coverage, so the schema carries most of the load. The description still adds value by framing the pair as an address and pointing at where the values come from (the search hit's source and epmcId), plus the batch cap.

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?

States a specific verb and resource ('Fetch complete Europe PMC records') and immediately scopes it with the addressing model (source plus epmcId) and the full untruncated abstract. It explicitly distinguishes itself from pubmed_europepmc_search, pubmed_fetch_articles, and pubmed_fetch_fulltext by naming what each cannot do.

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?

Explicit routing: use this when search returns abstractTruncated: true, and this is the only retrieval path for PPR/PAT/AGR records that lack PMID and DOI. Names the alternative tools and the exact condition that rules them out, so nothing is left to inference.

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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