NIH RePORTER MCP Server
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCP_HTTP_HOST | No | HTTP bind address | 127.0.0.1 |
| MCP_HTTP_PATH | No | HTTP endpoint path | /mcp/ |
| MCP_HTTP_PORT | No | HTTP port | 8000 |
| MCP_LOG_LEVEL | No | Logging level | INFO |
| MCP_TRANSPORT | No | Transport: stdio or http | stdio |
| MCP_HOT_RELOAD | No | Enable hot-reload for development | 0 |
| MCP_SERVER_NAME | No | Server name in MCP responses | fastmcp-unified |
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": true
} |
| logging | {} |
| prompts | {
"listChanged": false
} |
| resources | {
"subscribe": false,
"listChanged": false
} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| nih_search_projectsA | Search the NIH RePORTER database for federally funded research projects. NIH RePORTER (Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools) provides access to data on all research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health. This includes grants, contracts, and intramural projects across all 27 NIH institutes and centers. Text search supports multi-word queries. With text_operator="and" (default), all words must appear in the searched fields. With "or", any word matching is sufficient. Wrap phrases in quotes for exact phrase matching within the text parameter. Multiple criteria are combined with AND logic (e.g., text + agency narrows results to projects matching both). Within list parameters like agencies or activity_codes, values use OR logic. Common activity codes: R01 - Research Project Grant (most common) R21 - Exploratory/Developmental Research R03 - Small Research Grant P01 - Program Project Grant U01 - Research Project Cooperative Agreement K01 - Mentored Research Scientist Career Development K08 - Mentored Clinical Scientist Career Development K23 - Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development T32 - Institutional Training Grant F31 - Predoctoral Fellowship F32 - Postdoctoral Fellowship Common agency abbreviations: NCI (Cancer), NIMH (Mental Health), NIGMS (General Medical Sciences), NIAID (Allergy/Infectious Diseases), NHLBI (Heart/Lung/Blood), NIA (Aging), NINDS (Neurological Disorders), NIDA (Drug Abuse), NICHD (Child Health), NIDDK (Diabetes/Digestive/Kidney) |
| nih_get_projectA | Get full details for a specific NIH-funded project. Use this after finding a project of interest via nih_search_projects. Accepts either an application ID (numeric, e.g. 10878415) or a full project number (e.g. '5R01CA123456-03'). Returns the complete record including abstract, all PIs, funding breakdown, and study section. |
| nih_find_publicationsA | Find publications linked to NIH-funded projects. Returns PubMed IDs (PMIDs) associated with grants. Search by core project number (e.g. 'R01CA123456', supports wildcard *), application ID, or PubMed ID. Use PMIDs with PubMed APIs for full citation details. Note: publication linkage may lag behind award dates. |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No prompts | |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No resources | |
TDQS
Scored across 3 tools
The three tools have clearly distinct purposes: searching for projects, retrieving full project details, and finding linked publications. Each tool's description clarifies its specific role, leaving no ambiguity for an agent to choose the appropriate tool.
All tool names follow a consistent snake_case convention with a common 'nih_' prefix and verb_noun structure: nih_search_projects, nih_get_project, nih_find_publications. This pattern is predictable and easy to parse.
With only 3 tools, the set is minimal but well-scoped for the core read-only operations of the NIH RePORTER database. Each tool serves a distinct essential function without overlap or redundancy.
The tools cover the primary read operations: search, detail retrieval, and publication linkage. However, there is no support for listing related entities (e.g., all projects by a PI or organization) or exporting results, which could be useful but are not critical for the stated purpose.