@pipeworx/unpaywall

Unpaywall MCP — open-access paper lookup, no API key (polite-pool email).

Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1394+ live data sources.

Tools

• get_oa(doi) — OA status + best free legal copy for a DOI.

• search_papers(query, is_oa?, page?) — keyword search, optionally OA-only.

Related MCP server: OpenAlex MCP Server

Auth

Unpaywall requires a contact email as a polite-pool identifier.

• Platform email: gateway env PLATFORM_UNPAYWALL_EMAIL (injected as _email).

• BYO: ?_email=you@example.com on the gateway URL.

Data source

https://api.unpaywall.org/v2/ — public, email-identified.

Quick Start

Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unpaywall": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/unpaywall/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway for access to all 1394+ data sources:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Using with ask_pipeworx

Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English:

ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Unpaywall data" })

The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.

More

• Docs and guides

• pipeworx.io

License

MIT