Scholar MCP Server
Local academic paper tool MCP server — 9-source search, multi-source download, AI-powered analysis, citation graph, code-based paper recommendation.
Quick Install
pip install scholar-mcp-server[all]
scholar-mcp-install --all
That's it. Restart your IDE and start using it.
Features
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
paper_search |
9-source concurrent search: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed, arXiv, CORE, Europe PMC, DOAJ, dblp |
paper_download |
Multi-source PDF download: Unpaywall → Publisher OA → Sci-Hub → arXiv |
paper_batch_download |
Batch download multiple papers by DOI list |
paper_ai_analyze |
AI full-text analysis — downloads PDF, extracts text, sends to any OpenAI-compatible API |
paper_recommend |
Scan your workspace code → auto-recommend related papers |
paper_citation_graph |
Generate Mermaid citation/reference network visualization |
paper_health |
Check download source availability |
AI Analysis
paper_ai_analyze works with any OpenAI-compatible API. Set AI_API_BASE, AI_API_KEY, and AI_MODEL to point to your preferred provider.
Alternative Install (Git Clone)
git clone https://github.com/45645678a/scholar-mcp.git
cd scholar-mcp
pip install -r requirements.txt
python install.py --all
Environment Variables
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
AI_API_KEY |
API key for AI analysis | For paper_ai_analyze |
AI_API_BASE |
API base URL (any OpenAI-compatible endpoint) | Optional (default: https://api.deepseek.com) |
AI_MODEL |
Model name | Optional (default: deepseek-chat) |
UNPAYWALL_EMAIL |
Email for Unpaywall API | Optional |
Supported IDEs
- Antigravity (Gemini)
- Cursor
- Windsurf
- Claude Code / Claude Desktop
- VS Code (Copilot)
Search Sources (9)
All free, no API keys required:
| Source | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Semantic Scholar | Broad academic (primary) |
| OpenAlex | 250M+ works, global |
| Crossref | DOI metadata |
| PubMed | Biomedical |
| arXiv | Physics, CS, Math |
| CORE | Open Access aggregator |
| Europe PMC | European biomedical |
| DOAJ | Open Access journals |
| dblp | Computer Science |
License
MIT
