scholar-mcp
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCHOLAR_MCP_CACHE | No | Path to the SQLite TTL cache file. | ~/.cache/scholar-mcp/cache.sqlite |
| SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY | No | Free Semantic Scholar API key. Optional but strongly recommended for reliable 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 | {
"listChanged": false
} |
| prompts | {
"listChanged": false
} |
| resources | {
"subscribe": false,
"listChanged": false
} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| search_papersA | Search papers on Semantic Scholar (all venues, with citation counts and abstracts). Best for finding established or influential work. Use search_arxiv for brand-new preprints. |
| search_arxivA | Search arXiv directly. Use sort_by='newest' to find the latest preprints in a category. Results have no citation counts; call get_paper_details for those. |
| get_paper_detailsA | Full metadata for one paper: complete abstract, authors, venue, citation counts, links. |
| get_citationsB | Papers that cite the given paper (forward citations), from a window of up to 200. |
| get_referencesA | Papers the given paper cites (its bibliography), from a window of up to 200. |
| find_related_papersB | Papers similar to a seed paper, using Semantic Scholar's recommendation model. |
| build_citation_graphA | Build a bounded citation graph around a seed paper. Returns nodes, edges (source cites target), and key_papers ranked by how often they are cited within the graph - a quick way to find foundational work in a subfield. The graph is a top-cited sample, not the full network (see the 'truncated' flag). |
| export_bibtexB | Generate BibTeX entries for papers. Done in code, so entries are exact and reproducible. |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| related_work_review | Write a grounded related-work section on a topic using the tools. |
| literature_map | Map the intellectual neighbourhood of one paper: foundations, followers, open directions. |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| cache_stats | Cache size and hit/miss counters for this server process. |
TDQS
Scored across 8 tools
Each tool targets a distinct operation: discovery (search_papers vs search_arxiv, explicitly differentiated by venue and citation availability), metadata retrieval, forward/backward citation traversal, recommendation, graph construction, and export. The descriptions actively disambiguate the one potentially confusable pair (search_papers / search_arxiv) and cross-reference get_paper_details for missing data.
Uniform snake_case verb_noun pattern (search_*, get_*, find_*, build_*, export_*) with verbs that accurately signal the action type. No mixing of conventions, and the small verb variety reflects genuinely different operations rather than stylistic drift.
Eight tools is a tight, well-scoped surface for an academic literature server, with no redundant entries. Each tool covers a distinct step in the research workflow and none appear to be filler.
The surface covers the core scholarly lifecycle: discovery, metadata, forward/backward citation traversal, recommendation, graph analysis, and citation export. Minor gaps remain—no author-centric tools (search/list papers by author, author profiles) and no batch multi-paper details fetch, which agents must work around with repeated calls.