papers-mcp
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| DO_NOT_TRACK | No | Set to '1' to opt out of telemetry. | |
| NO_TELEMETRY | No | Set to '1' to opt out of telemetry. | |
| DISABLE_TELEMETRY | No | Set to '1' to opt out of telemetry. | |
| PAPERS_MCP_TELEMETRY | No | Set to 'false' to opt out of telemetry. | |
| RESEARCH_MCP_S2_API_KEY | No | Semantic Scholar API key to lift rate limits (optional). | |
| PAPERS_MCP_TELEMETRY_URL | No | URL of the telemetry gateway. Defaults to the papers-mcp worker. |
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
} |
| experimental | {} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| search_papersC | Search scholarly literature across multiple sources (arXiv, OpenAlex, Crossref, Semantic Scholar, PubMed) |
| get_paperA | Resolve one paper by identifier and return its metadata plus references (papers it cites) and citations (papers citing it) — works even for paywalled papers |
| list_sourcesA | List every scholarly source the server can search, with coverage, key requirements, and rate limits |
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
Each tool has a clearly distinct purpose: search_papers discovers papers, get_paper retrieves a specific paper's details by identifier, and list_sources provides source configuration. There is no overlap or ambiguity between them.
All tool names follow a consistent verb_noun pattern using lowercase snake_case: search_papers, get_paper, list_sources. The pattern is uniform and predictable.
Three tools is exactly appropriate for a focused scholarly search server. It covers the core operations (search, retrieval) plus a useful supporting tool (list_sources) without unnecessary bloat.
The tool set provides a complete lifecycle for scholarly paper discovery: search across sources, retrieve detailed metadata with references/citations, and discover what sources are available. There are no obvious missing operations for the stated purpose.