OmniScholar

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OmniScholar adds literature search, local Zotero reading, PDF parsing, citation tools, materials data, and scientific image generation to coding agents through a local Python MCP server.

It can search public indexes, combine online records with your Zotero notes, send an approved PDF to MinerU, and publish Markdown into a regular folder or an Obsidian vault. Zotero access is read-only.

Features

• Search Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, PubMed/PMC, arXiv, Crossref, Unpaywall, easyScholar, Google Scholar, and Google Patents

• Retrieve paper details, authors, citations, references, recommendations, snippets, datasets, and journal metrics

• Read Zotero collections, items, notes, annotations, attachments, indexed text, and local PDF paths without changing the library

• Parse selected PDFs with MinerU and keep text, formulas, tables, and figures together

• Find citation candidates, check bibliographic identity, and format accepted references

• Query Materials Project and export JSON, CSV, Markdown, or CIF

• Generate or edit scientific illustrations with configured image services

• Preserve local Markdown edits and place incoming conflict versions in .conflicts/

OmniScholar exposes 38 tools. See the tool list.

Related MCP server: Crossref Academic MCP Server

Install

Python 3.11 or newer is required:

uv tool install luffysolution-omnischolar
# or
pipx install luffysolution-omnischolar
# or
python -m pip install luffysolution-omnischolar

For development from a source checkout, replace the package name with ..

The distribution name is luffysolution-omnischolar; the command and Python package are omnischolar.

Check the installation:

omnischolar --version
omnischolar doctor --json

Connect an agent

Preview the files that will change, then install the local MCP entry and Skills:

omnischolar install --dry-run claude
omnischolar install claude

Replace claude with codex, cursor, opencode, hermes, pi, or workbuddy. Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, OpenCode, Pi, and WorkBuddy/CodeBuddy support both user and project scopes. Hermes supports user-level MCP configuration; project-level installation adds Skills and reports that MCP setup is manual.

omnischolar install cursor --scope project
omnischolar update cursor --scope project
omnischolar uninstall cursor --scope project

For Pi, the full installer runs pi install npm:@luffysolution/omnischolar-pi and installs the bundled Skills separately. The npm Extension starts omnischolar mcp, discovers its tools, and registers them with Pi. You can also install the Extension directly:

pi install npm:@luffysolution/omnischolar-pi

WorkBuddy/CodeBuddy uses ~/.codebuddy/.mcp.json for user scope and .mcp.json for project scope. It does not publish a portable Skills path, so its installer configures MCP and reports Skills as manual_required.

The MCP command is:

omnischolar mcp

Normally the agent starts this process from its MCP configuration. The installer checks initialize, tools/list, and omnischolar_status after writing a supported configuration.

Full host and update instructions are in Installation.

Try it

Find five recent reviews about solid-state battery interfaces. Deduplicate by DOI and show open-access copies.

Find this DOI in my Zotero library and summarize my notes and annotations without changing Zotero.

After I approve the upload, parse this PDF with MinerU and save a reading note in my Obsidian vault.

Query stable Li-Fe-P-O materials in Materials Project and export the selected records as CSV and CIF.

Create a labelled illustration of this mechanism. Treat it as a draft, not experimental data.

Configuration

Copy omnischolar.config.example.json to omnischolar.config.json. Keep API keys in environment variables and refer to their names with apiKeyEnv.

A small local configuration can start with Zotero and the output directory:

{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "runtime": { "workspaceRoots": ["./research-inputs"] },
  "zotero": {
    "enabled": true,
    "baseUrl": "http://127.0.0.1:23119/api"
  },
  "output": { "rootDirectory": "./research-output" }
}

OpenAlex, PubMed, arXiv, and Crossref work without API keys. Other services are enabled separately. Configuration fields and provider examples are in Configuration.

Files, uploads, and charges

• Zotero requests go only to the local API on port 23119 and use GET.

• MinerU receives a PDF only when allowExternalUpload is enabled in the config and confirmed again in that tool call.

• Image services receive prompts and any reference images selected for upload. Generation may use account credit.

• Ai4Scholar calls may use account credit. A stored key does not by itself approve a paid call.

• A failed paid request is not retried automatically when the provider may already have accepted it.

• Generated images are illustrations. They are not measurements, experimental evidence, or scientific results.

See PRIVACY.md and Configuration before enabling uploads or paid services.

Included Skills

Documentation

• Installation and agent setup

• Configuration and service credentials

• Literature, Zotero, MinerU, citations, and output

• Materials and chemistry

• Scientific image providers

• Tool list

Support and license

OmniScholar is open source under the MIT License. Open a GitHub issue or email LuffySolution@gmail.com. Remove keys, signed URLs, private paper content, and personal Zotero data before sending a report.

Third-party services and datasets keep their own terms and licenses. See THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.