academic-search-mcp-server

Overview

The academic-search-mcp-server is a specialized MCP server that connects AI assistants with academic paper databases. It provides three primary tools: searching for papers by query, fetching detailed information about specific papers, and searching by topic with date filtering. The server uses Semantic Scholar and Crossref APIs as data sources, returning structured metadata including titles, authors, abstracts, and when available, full-text links. The implementation uses Python with the MCP SDK and FastMCP framework, making it lightweight and efficient.

Try asking AI

After installing, here are 5 things you can ask your AI assistant:

• search_paperssearch_papers(query: str, limit: int = 10)

  Search for academic papers across multiple sources

  Try:Find papers about machine learningTry:Search for recent papers on climate changeTry:Show me 5 papers about quantum computing
• fetch_paper_detailsfetch_paper_details(paper_id: str, source: str = "crossref")

  Retrieve detailed information for a specific academic paper

  Try:Get details for paper DOI 10.1234/exampleTry:Fetch information for paper 123456789 from Semantic ScholarTry:Show me metadata for this paper
• search_by_topicsearch_by_topic(topic: str, year_start: int = null, year_end: int = null, limit: int = 10)

  Search for papers by topic with optional date range filter

  Try:Find papers about artificial intelligence from 2020 to 2023Try:Search for papers on renewable energy published since 2022Try:Show me papers about COVID-19 with limit 5

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Installation

npx -y @smithery/cli install @afrise/academic-search-mcp-server --client claude

uv add "mcp[cli]" httpx

SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY=your_key_here
CROSSREF_API_KEY=your_key_here

uv run server.py

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "academic-search": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run ", "/path/to/server/server.py"],
      "env": {
        "SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY": "your_key_here",
        "CROSSREF_API_KEY": "your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

What APIs does this server use?

The server primarily uses Semantic Scholar API and Crossref API to retrieve academic paper information and metadata.

Are API keys required to use this server?

While API keys are mentioned in the documentation, the note indicates they are 'not actually implemented,' suggesting the server can function without them at this time.

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