openalex-research-mcp

Overview

The openalex-research-mcp server provides comprehensive access to the OpenAlex API, enabling AI assistants to conduct literature reviews, analyze research trends, and map collaboration networks in academia. It offers advanced search capabilities with Boolean operators, citation analysis, credibility-gated searches using journal presets, and tools for discovering influential papers and researchers. The server implements robust features including in-memory caching, retry logic with exponential backoff, and input validation for reliable API interaction.

Try asking AI

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

• search_works

  Advanced search with Boolean operators, venue filters, and citation thresholds

  Try:Find papers on machine learning with over 100 citationsTry:Search for papers published in Nature in 2023
• get_work

  Get complete metadata for a specific work including all authors and abstract

  Try:Get details for paper DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.1706.03762Try:Show me all information for work 123456789
• get_related_works

  Find similar papers based on citations and topics

  Try:Find papers similar to 'Attention Is All You Need'Try:What works are related to this paper?
• search_in_journal_list

  Search within a named preset list of journals or conferences

  Try:Find AI papers in UTD24 journalsTry:Search for quantum computing in top AI conferences
• get_work_citations

  Get papers that cite a specific work

  Try:Who cites this paper?Try:Show me papers that reference foundational ML work
• get_work_references

  Get papers that a specific work cites

  Try:What papers does this one cite?Try:Show me the references for this research
• search_authors

  Find researchers with h-index and citation metrics

  Try:Find researchers working on climate changeTry:Show me authors with high citation counts
• get_author_profile

  Get detailed profile for a specific researcher including h-index and top works

  Try:Profile of Geoffrey HintonTry:Show me the research profile of this author
• get_author_collaborators

  Map co-authorship network for a researcher

  Try:Who collaborates with this researcher?Try:Show me the collaboration network for this author
• find_seminal_papers

  Find foundational papers with high citation counts

  Try:Find must-cite papers in transformer modelsTry:What are the seminal works in this field?
• analyze_topic_trends

  Track research evolution of a topic over time

  Try:How has AI research evolved over the past 10 years?Try:Show me trends in quantum computing research
• compare_research_areas

  Compare research activity across different fields

  Try:Compare deep learning vs reinforcement learning researchTry:Which field has more publications: AI or robotics?

Comparable tools

Installation

# Install globally
npm install -g openalex-research-mcp

# Or use directly with npx (no installation needed)
npx openalex-research-mcp

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/oksure/openalex-research-mcp.git
cd openalex-research-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the TypeScript code
npm run build

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openalex": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "openalex-research-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "OPENALEX_EMAIL": "your.email@example.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

How do I get better rate limits from the OpenAlex API?

Set your email as the OPENALEX_EMAIL environment variable to join the 'polite pool' for better rate limits. For premium users, you can also set an OPENALEX_API_KEY.

What journal presets are available?

The server includes presets like UTD24, FT50, AJG/ABS tiers, top AI conferences, and more. Institution group presets include Ivy League, Top US universities, and international business schools. Call list_journal_presets to see all available options.

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