google-patents-details-mcp

An MCP server that fetches the full Google Patents record for a single patent through the SerpApi Google Patents Details API. It returns compact Markdown that an LLM can read:

• bibliography: dates, assignees, inventors, family ID, PDF link

• abstract

• all claims, in full

• full description text, converted from HTML with paragraph numbers and section headings, and paged so long specifications fit into context

• CPC classifications

• worldwide family members with their legal status, plus priority, parent and child applications

• backward citations (including examiner-cited ones) and forward citations ("cited by"), with family-to-family variants

• legal events and the prosecution timeline

• optionally: similar documents and drawing image URLs

Best used together with google-patents

This server does not search. It answers "give me everything about this patent". For search, pair it with KunihiroS/google-patents-mcp, whose search_patents tool queries Google Patents by keywords, dates, inventor, assignee and country. The two servers share the same SerpApi key and complement each other:

search_patents("solid-state battery separator", assignee="Toyota")   ← google-patents
        │  returns a list of publication numbers
        ▼
get_patent_details("JP2023123456A", sections=["claims"])            ← google-patents-details
        │  full claims, then the description, citations, family…
        ▼
get_patent_details("US10446823B2")    ← follow a "cited by" entry, and so on

The usual workflow: search to find candidates → details to read claims, check the family and legal status, and walk the citation graph.

Related MCP server: patents-mcp

Tool: get_patent_details

Ask only for the sections you need. For example, sections: ["claims"] keeps the output small.

Credits and caching

• Each new patent costs 1 SerpApi search credit.

• Results are cached in memory for 1 hour. Paging through the description or asking for different sections of the same patent costs no extra credit.

• The description text is downloaded from SerpApi's description_link, which does not cost a credit.

Example output (abridged)

patent_id: patent/US10319978B2/en

# US10319978B2 — Multi-tabbed electrodes having high aspect ratios and batteries incorporating the same

## Bibliography
- **Application:** US15/604,759
- **Priority date:** 2017-05-25
- **Assignees:** GM Global Technology Operations LLC
- **Family ID:** 64109352
- **PDF:** https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/.../US10319978.pdf

## Claims (18)
1. A lithium battery cell, comprising: ...

## Family / worldwide applications (3)
- 2017-05-25 US US15/604,759 → US10319978B2 — Active (this)
- 2018-05-18 CN CN201810478074.4A → CN108963184B — Active
- 2018-05-21 DE DE102018112153.9A → DE102018112153B4 — Active

## Cited by (forward)
- US10446823B2 (2019-10-15) — Multi-tabbed electrodes having current-optimizing ... — GM Global Technology Operations LLC

## Description (chars 0–20000 of 34050)
## INTRODUCTION
[0001] Lithium ion batteries describe a class of rechargeable batteries ...
_[truncated: ... call again with description_offset=20000 for more — served from cache, no extra SerpApi credit]_

Installation

You need Node.js 18 or newer and a SerpApi API key. The free plan includes 100 searches per month.

1. Provide the API key

The server reads SERPAPI_API_KEY from the environment. If the variable is not set, it falls back to the file ~/.google-patents-mcp.env (%USERPROFILE%\.google-patents-mcp.env on Windows):

SERPAPI_API_KEY=your_serpapi_key

Keeping the key in this file keeps it out of your MCP client config. The google-patents search server uses the same file name, so you only need to set the key once (see the note below).

2. Register the server

Claude Code (any OS), straight from GitHub:

claude mcp add google-patents-details -s user -- npx -y github:kuchtgpt-svg/google-patents-details-mcp

On Windows, wrap npx in cmd /c:

claude mcp add google-patents-details -s user -- cmd /c npx -y github:kuchtgpt-svg/google-patents-details-mcp

Or from a local clone:

git clone https://github.com/kuchtgpt-svg/google-patents-details-mcp.git
cd google-patents-details-mcp && npm install
claude mcp add google-patents-details -s user -- node /absolute/path/to/google-patents-details-mcp/index.mjs

Claude Desktop and other MCP hosts (claude_desktop_config.json or similar):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-patents": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@kunihiros/google-patents-mcp"],
      "env": { "SERPAPI_API_KEY": "your_serpapi_key" }
    },
    "google-patents-details": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "github:kuchtgpt-svg/google-patents-details-mcp"],
      "env": { "SERPAPI_API_KEY": "your_serpapi_key" }
    }
  }
}

You can leave out env for google-patents-details if you use the ~/.google-patents-mcp.env file.

Note on google-patents v0.2.0 and the .env file

The google-patents-mcp README says it reads ~/.google-patents-mcp.env. Version 0.2.0 does not do this. Without SERPAPI_API_KEY in its environment it exits immediately, and your MCP client shows a "connection closed" error. Either pass the key through env in the host config, or launch it through a small wrapper that loads the file first. A Windows .cmd example:

@echo off
for /f "usebackq eol=# tokens=1,* delims==" %%a in ("%USERPROFILE%\.google-patents-mcp.env") do set "%%a=%%b"
npx -y @kunihiros/google-patents-mcp@0.2.0

claude mcp add google-patents -s user -- cmd /c C:\path\to\google-patents.cmd

google-patents-details reads the file itself and needs no wrapper.

Disclaimer

This is an unofficial project and is not affiliated with Google or SerpApi. Patent data, including machine translations and legal status, comes from Google Patents through SerpApi and may be incomplete or out of date. Check official patent office records for anything that matters legally.

License

MIT