# Paper Search MCP server

> Search and download academic papers from arXiv, PubMed, bioRxiv, Semantic Scholar and many other open sources.

- Listing: https://mcp.tc/i/paper-search
- Connect: this is a local (stdio) server; install it on your machine (see Install). The listing link is a page, not an MCP endpoint.
- Type: local (stdio)
- Auth: no API key needed
- Category: [Docs & Knowledge](https://mcp.tc/c/docs-knowledge)
- Vendor: OpenAGS
- Repository: <https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp>
- Package: pypi `paper-search-mcp`

## About

Paper Search queries academic sources such as arXiv, PubMed, bioRxiv, medRxiv, Semantic Scholar, Crossref, OpenAlex, PubMed Central, CORE, Europe PMC, dblp and Zenodo. It can run a multi-source search with deduplication, download PDFs, and extract text. Results come back in a standard format, and downloads follow an open-access fallback chain.

It runs locally over stdio with uvx paper-search-mcp and needs Python with uv. No API key is required. Optional keys, for example for Semantic Scholar or CORE, can improve rate limits and coverage. An optional Sci-Hub fallback is documented in the project README.

## What it can do

- Search papers across multiple academic sources at once
- Deduplicate results into a standard paper format
- Download paper PDFs with open-access fallbacks
- Extract text from downloaded papers
- Search specific sources like arXiv, PubMed, bioRxiv or Semantic Scholar
- Resolve open-access copies by DOI through Unpaywall

## Example prompts

- "Search arXiv and Semantic Scholar for recent papers on retrieval-augmented generation."
- "Find bioRxiv preprints about CRISPR base editing from this year."
- "Download the PDF for this DOI and summarize its methods."
- "Look up PubMed articles on intermittent fasting and list their abstracts."

## Install

### Claude Code

1. Run this in a terminal, in your project folder:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport stdio paper-search -- uvx paper-search-mcp
```

2. Start Claude Code and type `/mcp`. **paper-search** should show as connected.

Add `--scope user` to make it available in every project.

### Claude Desktop

1. Open **Settings → Developer → Edit Config**. It opens `claude_desktop_config.json`. Add:

`claude_desktop_config.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "paper-search": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "paper-search-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

2. Save the file and restart Claude Desktop.

Needs uv (Python) on your computer. The file lives in `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/` on macOS and `%APPDATA%\Claude\` on Windows.

### Cursor

[Add to Cursor](<https://cursor.com/install-mcp?name=paper-search&config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoidXZ4IiwiYXJncyI6WyJwYXBlci1zZWFyY2gtbWNwIl19>) (opens Cursor)

Or add it by hand to `~/.cursor/mcp.json` (all projects) or `.cursor/mcp.json` (this project):

`mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "paper-search": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "paper-search-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

Needs uv (Python) on your computer.

### VS Code

[Install in VS Code](<https://vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=paper-search&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%22stdio%22%2C%22command%22%3A%22uvx%22%2C%22args%22%3A%5B%22paper-search-mcp%22%5D%7D>) (opens VS Code)

Or from a terminal:

```bash
code --add-mcp '{"name":"paper-search","type":"stdio","command":"uvx","args":["paper-search-mcp"]}'
```

Or commit it to the repo in `.vscode/mcp.json`:

`.vscode/mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "paper-search": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "paper-search-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

Needs uv (Python) on your computer.

### 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": {
    "paper-search": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "paper-search-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

2. Refresh the MCP server list in Cascade.

Devin Desktop is the new name for Windsurf.

### Codex

```bash
codex mcp add paper-search -- uvx paper-search-mcp
```

Or edit `~/.codex/config.toml` directly:

`config.toml`:

```toml
[mcp_servers.paper-search]
command = "uvx"
args = ["paper-search-mcp"]
```

Needs uv (Python) on your computer.

### Gemini CLI

```bash
gemini mcp add paper-search uvx paper-search-mcp
```

This adds it to the current project. Add `-s user` to use it everywhere.

### Any client

Most clients that start local servers accept this shape:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "paper-search": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "paper-search-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

Zed puts servers under `context_servers` in its settings, with the same `command`, `args` and `env` fields.

Needs uv (Python) on your computer.

## Details

- Server version: 0.1.4
- Last checked: 2026-10-03
- Listed: 2026-10-03
- Updated: 2026-10-03

---
Source: https://mcp.tc/i/paper-search (mcp.tc is an independent directory, not affiliated with this server's publisher). Corrections: https://mcp.tc/report