# OpenAlex MCP server
> Search 250M+ scholarly works, citations and author profiles in OpenAlex and see the exact query behind each answer.
- Listing: https://mcp.tc/i/openalex
- Connect: use the server's own URL `https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp` (OAuth sign-in at the server); clients connect to it directly. The listing link is a page, not an MCP endpoint.
- Type: remote (Streamable HTTP)
- Auth: OAuth sign-in
- Category: [Docs & Knowledge](https://mcp.tc/c/docs-knowledge)
- Vendor: OurResearch (OpenAlex)
- Homepage:
## About
Connects an assistant to OpenAlex, an open catalog of research papers, authors, institutions and journals. You can ask about the literature in plain language: find and count papers, rank authors or institutions, check whether references exist, and follow citations. Answers include titles, authors, venues, citation counts, links and the query that was run.
The documentation describes sixteen tools: eleven read OpenAlex data and five let you fix your own author profile when you ask. The server is hosted at https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp over Streamable HTTP. You sign in with a free OpenAlex account through OAuth, and queries run on your own API key and daily budget.
## What it can do
- Search scholarly works by keyword with Boolean syntax
- Look up citation counts and who cites a given paper
- Find top authors and institutions by output or h-index
- Check whether references in a bibliography are real and get DOIs
- Summarize institutional research output and open-access share
- View the exact query behind every answer
- Correct your own author profile on request
## Example prompts
- "What are the most-cited papers on CRISPR off-target effects since 2020?"
- "Who cites 10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2? Summarize the follow-up work."
- "Check whether these references are real and give me DOIs."
- "Which open-access ecology journals charge no APC and have an h-index above 50?"
## Install
### Claude Code
1. Run this in a terminal, in your project folder:
```bash
claude mcp add --transport http openalex https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp
```
2. Start Claude Code, type `/mcp`, pick **openalex** and choose **Authenticate**. A browser window opens for the OurResearch (OpenAlex) sign-in.
Add `--scope user` to make it available in every project, not just this one.
### Claude Desktop
1. Open **Settings → Connectors** and click **Add custom connector**.
2. Name it **OpenAlex** and paste this URL:
```url
https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp
```
3. Click **Add**, then **Connect**, and sign in when OurResearch (OpenAlex) asks.
Claude Desktop’s JSON config file only starts local servers. Remote servers go through Connectors, and connectors you add on claude.ai show up here too.
### claude.ai
1. Open the connector form on claude.ai. This button fills in the name and URL for you:
[Add to claude.ai]() (opens connector settings)
2. Check that the URL reads `https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp` and click **Add**.
3. Click **Connect** and sign in when OurResearch (OpenAlex) asks.
Free plans allow one custom connector. On Team and Enterprise plans an owner adds it under **Organization settings → Connectors**.
### ChatGPT
1. On chatgpt.com, open **Settings → Security and login** and turn on **Developer mode**.
2. Go to `chatgpt.com/plugins` and click **+** to create an app for a remote MCP server.
3. Paste `https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp` as the server URL and choose **OAuth**. ChatGPT sends you to OurResearch (OpenAlex) to sign in.
Developer mode is available on the web for Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education accounts.
### Cursor
[Add to Cursor]() (opens Cursor)
Or add it by hand to `~/.cursor/mcp.json` (all projects) or `.cursor/mcp.json` (this project):
`mcp.json`:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"openalex": {
"url": "https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp"
}
}
}
```
Cursor shows **Needs login** next to the server. Click it to sign in.
### VS Code
[Install in VS Code]() (opens VS Code)
Or from a terminal:
```bash
code --add-mcp '{"name":"openalex","type":"http","url":"https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp"}'
```
Or commit it to the repo in `.vscode/mcp.json`:
`.vscode/mcp.json`:
```json
{
"servers": {
"openalex": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp"
}
}
}
```
VS Code asks you to sign in the first time the server starts.
### Devin Desktop
1. Add it to `~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json` (macOS and Linux) or `%APPDATA%\devin\mcp_config.json` (Windows):
`mcp_config.json`:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"openalex": {
"serverUrl": "https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp"
}
}
}
```
2. Refresh the MCP server list in Cascade and sign in when asked.
Devin Desktop is the new name for Windsurf. It reads `serverUrl` (or `url`) for remote servers.
### Codex
```bash
codex mcp add openalex --url https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp
codex mcp login openalex
```
Or edit `~/.codex/config.toml` directly:
`config.toml`:
```toml
[mcp_servers.openalex]
url = "https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp"
```
### Gemini CLI
```bash
gemini mcp add --transport http openalex https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp
```
Then, inside Gemini CLI, run `/mcp auth openalex` to sign in.
This adds it to the current project. Add `-s user` to use it everywhere.
### Any client
Most clients accept this shape. Some name the URL field differently: `serverUrl` in Devin Desktop, `httpUrl` in Gemini CLI’s settings file.
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"openalex": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp"
}
}
}
```
Zed puts servers under `context_servers` in its settings. Cline needs `"type": "streamableHttp"`, or it assumes SSE.
Client only starts local servers? Bridge it with `npx -y mcp-remote https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp`.
## Details
- Server version: 0.5.0
- Last checked: 2026-10-03 (reachable, asks for credentials)
- Listed: 2026-10-03
- Updated: 2026-10-03
---
Source: https://mcp.tc/i/openalex (mcp.tc is an independent directory, not affiliated with this server's publisher). Corrections: https://mcp.tc/report