Paper Search
A MCP for searching and downloading academic papers from multiple sources like arXiv, PubMed, bioRxiv, etc.
Installation
Installing for Claude Desktop
Option 1: One-Command Installation
npx mcpbar@latest install openags/paper-search-mcp -c claude
This command will automatically install and configure the Paper Search MCP server for your selected client.
Option 2: Manual Configuration
Run the command below to open your configuration file:
npx mcpbar@latest edit -c claude
After opening your configuration file, copy and paste this configuration:
View JSON configuration
{
"mcpServers": {
"Paper Search": {
"command": "uv",
"args": [
"run",
"--directory",
"/path/to/your/paper-search-mcp",
"-m",
"paper_search_mcp.server"
]
}
}
}
Paper Search MCP
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for searching and downloading academic papers from multiple sources, including arXiv, PubMed, bioRxiv, and Sci-Hub (optional). Designed for seamless integration with large language models like Claude Desktop.
Table of Contents
Overview
paper-search-mcp
is a Python-based MCP server that enables users to search and download academic papers from various platforms. It provides tools for searching papers (e.g., search_arxiv
) and downloading PDFs (e.g., download_arxiv
), making it ideal for researchers and AI-driven workflows. Built with the MCP Python SDK, it integrates seamlessly with LLM clients like Claude Desktop.
Features
- Multi-Source Support: Search and download papers from arXiv, PubMed, bioRxiv, and Sci-Hub (optional).
- Standardized Output: Papers are returned in a consistent dictionary format via the
Paper
class. - Asynchronous Tools: Efficiently handles network requests using
httpx
. - MCP Integration: Compatible with MCP clients for LLM context enhancement.
- Extensible Design: Easily add new academic platforms by extending the
academic_platforms
module.
Installation
paper-search-mcp
can be installed using uv
or pip
. Below are two approaches: a quick start for immediate use and a detailed setup for development.
Installing via Smithery
To install paper-search-mcp for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:
npx -y @smithery/cli install @openags/paper-search-mcp --client claude
Quick Start
For users who want to quickly run the server:
-
Install Package:
uv add paper-search-mcp
-
Configure Claude Desktop: Add this configuration to
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
(Mac) or%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
(Windows):{ "mcpServers": { "paper_search_server": { "command": "uv", "args": [ "run", "--directory", "/path/to/your/paper-search-mcp", "-m", "paper_search_mcp.server" ] } } }
Note: Replace
/path/to/your/paper-search-mcp
with your actual installation path.
For Development
For developers who want to modify the code or contribute:
-
Setup Environment:
# Install uv if not installed curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh # Clone repository git clone https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp.git cd paper-search-mcp # Create and activate virtual environment uv venv source .venv/bin/activate # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
-
Install Dependencies:
# Install project in editable mode uv add -e . # Add development dependencies (optional) uv add pytest flake8
Contributing
We welcome contributions! Here's how to get started:
-
Fork the Repository: Click "Fork" on GitHub.
-
Clone and Set Up:
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/paper-search-mcp.git cd paper-search-mcp pip install -e ".[dev]" # Install dev dependencies (if added to pyproject.toml)
-
Make Changes:
- Add new platforms in
academic_platforms/
. - Update tests in
tests/
.
- Add new platforms in
-
Submit a Pull Request: Push changes and create a PR on GitHub.
Demo

TODO
Planned Academic Platforms
- [√] arXiv
- [√] PubMed
- [√] bioRxiv
- [√] medRxiv
- [√] Google Scholar
- Semantic Scholar
- PubMed Central (PMC)
- Science Direct
- Springer Link
- IEEE Xplore
- ACM Digital Library
- Web of Science
- Scopus
- JSTOR
- ResearchGate
- CORE
- Microsoft Academic
License
This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.
Happy researching with paper-search-mcp
! If you encounter issues, open a GitHub issue.
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