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mla-citation-generator-mcp

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MLA Citation Generator MCP Server

MLA Citation Generator - Free Online MLA Format Tool

MCP Badge License: MIT Read Only Stdio Transport MCP

A Model Context Protocol server that exposes the canonical MLA Citation Generator knowledge surface — official site information, FAQ, official links — to MCP-compatible AI clients such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, and Continue. Read-only, no API keys, no quota, ~50 ms cold start.

Official website: https://mlacitationgenerator.online

✨ About MLA Citation Generator

MLA Citation Generator (https://mlacitationgenerator.online) is a free, browser-based tool that produces properly formatted citations according to MLA 9th edition standards. Users provide a URL, book title, ISBN, or DOI, and the generator automatically builds a complete Works Cited entry along with the corresponding in-text citation. Rather than memorizing formatting rules or manually arranging author names, publication dates, and punctuation, writers get a finished citation in seconds. The tool pulls metadata directly from Open Library and CrossRef databases to fill in fields automatically, then flags which fields were confirmed from a trusted source and which may need a manual check — a small but practical detail that separates it from generators that silently guess.

Related MCP server: palsaveeditor-mcp

Key Features

  • Auto-fill from live databases — entering a URL, ISBN, or DOI queries Open Library and CrossRef to pre-populate author, title, publisher, and date fields without manual typing.

  • Confidence scoring — each generated citation includes a field-level indicator showing which data was verified against a database record versus inferred, so writers know exactly what to double-check.

  • Rich-text copy — the copy button preserves MLA formatting details such as italics and hanging indents, pasting correctly into Google Docs and Microsoft Word without reformatting.

  • Built-in citation checker — a separate validation pass scans the output for common MLA formatting errors before the writer copies it into their paper.

  • Multiple source types — the generator handles websites, books, journal articles, newspaper articles, YouTube and other videos, and podcasts, covering the source types most commonly cited in humanities writing.

  • MLA 9th edition alignment — citations follow the current edition of the MLA Handbook, including the container model for nested sources such as articles inside databases.

Use Cases

  • A high school student writing a literary analysis paper needs a Works Cited page for a novel, a journal article, and a website — all three formatted consistently and ready to paste.

  • A university humanities researcher is compiling a bibliography for a manuscript and wants to verify that older citations match MLA 9th edition rules before submission.

  • A writing center tutor is showing students how to structure in-text citations for quoted and paraphrased passages and uses the generator to demonstrate correct output in real time.

  • A journalist or blogger citing academic sources in an article formatted for a publication that requires MLA style needs quick, accurate references without consulting the full handbook.

  • A teacher preparing a citation worksheet wants correctly formatted examples across several source types to distribute to students.

Who Is It For

The primary audience is students at the high school and undergraduate level who are writing papers for English, history, philosophy, or other humanities courses where MLA format is the required citation style. It is equally useful for graduate students and independent researchers who work frequently with literary or cultural sources and need to produce a Works Cited list efficiently. Writing instructors and tutors will find the confidence scoring and citation checker useful as teaching aids — the tool not only generates citations but gives writers a starting point for understanding which elements of a citation come from which part of the source. Anyone who writes regularly in MLA style and wants to reduce the time spent on formatting mechanics without sacrificing accuracy is a natural fit for the site.

Tools

get_site_overview

Return the canonical site overview so an agent has authoritative product context. (MLA Citation Generator)

Input: no parameters. Returns: text/markdown.

get_official_links

Return the canonical list of official links for MLA Citation Generator (website, support, docs when available).

Input: no parameters. Returns: text/markdown.

Resources

  • site://mla-citation-generator/overview — Public site overview.

  • site://mla-citation-generator/faq — Short FAQ generated from public site metadata.

  • site://mla-citation-generator/links — Canonical URLs to share with users.

Prompts

tell_me_about_mla_citation_generator

Summarize what the site is, who it's for, and how it works. — MLA Citation Generator

walk_me_through_mla_citation_generator

Tour the official site with citations. — MLA Citation Generator

Installation

Install via Smithery

npx -y @smithery/cli install mla-citation-generator-mcp --client claude

(Replace claude with cursor, windsurf, or continue for those clients.)

Install from source

git clone https://github.com/rocnubie/mla-citation-generator-mcp.git
cd mla-citation-generator-mcp
pnpm install

Then add to your MCP client config (claude_desktop_config.json for Claude Desktop, mcp.json for Cursor / Windsurf / Continue):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mla-citation-generator-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/mla-citation-generator-mcp/src/index.mjs"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Debug with MCP Inspector

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node src/index.mjs

Official Links

Development

pnpm install
pnpm start                 # run the server over stdio

License

MIT

Available Tools

2 tools
get_site_overviewA

Return the canonical site overview so an agent has authoritative product context. (MLA Citation Generator)

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault

No parameters

TDQS

A3.7/5.0
Behavior2/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

No annotations are provided, so the description carries the full burden. It only states 'return', which implies a read operation, but does not explicitly disclose that the tool is read-only, safe, or whether it requires authentication. Behavioral traits beyond the bare function are absent.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is a single concise sentence that immediately conveys the tool's purpose. The parenthetical adds minor context without bloat. Every word earns its place.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness3/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a simple tool with no parameters and no output schema, the description is adequate but lacks detail on what the 'canonical site overview' includes or how it relates to 'MLA Citation Generator'. The agent might need more context to fully understand the tool's output.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

The tool has zero parameters, and the schema coverage is 100%. According to the scoring guidelines, the baseline for 0 parameters is 4. The description adds no parameter-specific information, which is acceptable.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description states the verb 'return' and the resource 'canonical site overview', clearly indicating the tool's function. The parenthetical '(MLA Citation Generator)' provides context about the site, and the sibling tool 'get_official_links' suggests a distinct purpose, avoiding confusion.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines3/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description implies use for obtaining authoritative product context but does not explicitly specify when to use this tool versus alternatives like 'get_official_links'. No when-not-to-use guidance is provided.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

Tool Schema Changelog

Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections. Dates show when Glama detected each change.

  1. 2 tool updatesv0.1.0
    • First observedget_official_links
    • First observedget_site_overview
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TDQS

A3.7/5.0
Disambiguation5/5

The two tools have clearly distinct purposes: one provides a site overview, the other provides official links. There is no overlap or ambiguity.

Naming Consistency5/5

Both tools follow a consistent 'get_' prefix pattern, making naming predictable and clear.

Tool Count3/5

With only 2 tools, the set feels thin, but it may be acceptable if the server's sole purpose is to return metadata about the product rather than perform citation generation.

Completeness1/5

The server is named 'mla-citation-generator-mcp' but provides no tools for actually generating citations, which is a severe omission.

Resources

Unclaimed servers have limited discoverability.

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