OpenAlex Author Disambiguation MCP Server

A streamlined Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for author disambiguation and academic research using the OpenAlex.org API. Specifically designed for AI agents with optimized data structures and enhanced functionality.

🎯 Key Features

🔍 Core Capabilities

• Advanced Author Disambiguation: Handles complex career transitions and name variations
• Institution Resolution: Current and past affiliations with transition tracking
• Academic Work Retrieval: Journal articles, letters, and research papers
• Citation Analysis: H-index, citation counts, and impact metrics
• ORCID Integration: Highest accuracy matching with ORCID identifiers

🚀 AI Agent Optimized

• Streamlined Data: Focused on essential information for disambiguation
• Fast Processing: Optimized data structures for rapid analysis
• Smart Filtering: Enhanced filtering options for targeted queries
• Clean Output: Structured responses optimized for AI reasoning

🤖 Agent Integration

• Multiple Candidates: Ranked results for automated decision-making
• Structured Responses: Clean, parseable output optimized for LLMs
• Error Handling: Graceful degradation with informative messages
• Enhanced Filtering: Journal-only, citation thresholds, and temporal filters

🏛️ Professional Grade

• MCP Best Practices: Built with FastMCP following official guidelines
• Tool Annotations: Proper MCP tool annotations for optimal client integration
• Resource Management: Efficient HTTP client management and cleanup
• Rate Limiting: Respectful API usage with proper delays

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10 or higher
• MCP-compatible client (e.g., Claude Desktop)
• Email address (for OpenAlex API courtesy)

Installation

For detailed installation instructions, see INSTALL.md.

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/drAbreu/alex-mcp.git
   cd alex-mcp
   

2. Create a virtual environment:

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
   

3. Install the package:

   pip install -e .
   

4. Configure environment:

   export OPENALEX_MAILTO=your-email@domain.com
   

5. Run the server:

   ./run_alex_mcp.sh
   # Or, if installed as a CLI tool:
   alex-mcp
   

⚙️ MCP Configuration

Claude Desktop Configuration

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alex-mcp": {
      "command": "/path/to/alex-mcp/run_alex_mcp.sh",
      "env": {
        "OPENALEX_MAILTO": "your-email@domain.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace /path/to/alex-mcp with the actual path to the repository on your system.

🤖 Using with AI Agents

OpenAI Agents Integration

You can load this MCP server in your OpenAI agent workflow using the agents.mcp.MCPServerStdio interface:

from agents.mcp import MCPServerStdio

async with MCPServerStdio(
    name="OpenAlex MCP For Author disambiguation and works",
    cache_tools_list=True,
    params={
        "command": "uvx",
        "args": [
            "--from", "git+https://github.com/drAbreu/alex-mcp.git@4.1.0",
            "alex-mcp"
        ],


... [View full README on GitHub](https://github.com/drAbreu/alex-mcp#readme)