Scholar Mcp
Local academic paper MCP server — 9-source search, multi-source download, AI analysis, translation, citation graph, code-based paper recommendation
ActiveNot tested
53CNo CVEsactive7 toolsMIT
Quick Install
{
"mcpServers": {
"scholar-mcp": {
"args": [
"scholar-mcp-server"
],
"command": "uvx"
}
}
}Are you the author?
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[](https://mcppedia.org/s/scholar-mcp)
Should you use this server?
Local academic paper tool MCP server — 9-source search, multi-source download, AI-powered analysis, citation graph, code-based paper recommendation.
✓
Is it safe?
No known CVEs for scholar-mcp-server.
No authentication — any process on your machine can connect.
MIT. View license →
✓
Is it maintained?
Last commit 4 days ago. 33 stars.
i
Will it work with my client?
Transport: stdio. Works with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Claude Code, and most MCP clients.
F
Context cost
7 tools.
README
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 with relevance scoring (Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed, arXiv, CORE, Europe PMC, DOAJ, dblp) |
paper_download | Multi-source PDF download: Unpaywall → Publisher OA → arXiv → Sci-Hub → scidownl |
paper_batch_download | Batch download multiple papers by DOI list |
paper_ai_analyze | AI analysis — downloads PDF, extracts full text (up to 20 pages / 12k chars), sends to any OpenAI-compatible API |
paper_recommend | Scan your workspace code → multi-query auto-recommend related papers |
paper_citation_graph | Generate Mermaid citation/reference network visualization |
paper_health | Check download source availability |
Search Quality
Search results are ranked by a 4-factor composite score:
| Factor | Weight | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Query relevance | 0–40 | Title + abstract term matching |
| Citation impact | 0–30 | Log-scaled citation count |
| Source quality | 0–10 | Data source reliability weighting |
| Year recency | 0–15 | Boost for recent publications |
Deduplication uses DOI matching + Jaccard title similarity (≥0.7 threshold) across all 9 sources. Each source connector has built-in retry with exponential backoff.
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 |
Development
pip install .[all] pytest
pytest tests/ -v
40 tests covering search dedup, download chain, keyword extraction, and connector mocking.
⚠️ Disclaimer
This tool includes optional Sci-Hub integration for personal academic use. Sci-Hub may be illegal in some jurisdictions. Users are solely responsible for ensuring compliance with local laws and institutional policies. The authors do not endorse copyright infringement. If you are in a compliance-sensitive environment (university, company, lab), consult your institution's policy before using the Sci-Hub download source.
License
MIT
Test This Server
Run this in your terminal to verify the server starts. Then let us know if it worked — your result helps other developers.
uvx 'scholar-mcp-server' 2>&1 | head -1 && echo "✓ Server started successfully"
After testing, let us know if it worked:
Tools (7)
paper_search9-source concurrent search with relevance scoring (Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed, arXiv, CORE, Europe PMC, DOAJ, dblp)
paper_downloadMulti-source PDF download: Unpaywall → Publisher OA → arXiv → Sci-Hub → scidownl
paper_batch_downloadBatch download multiple papers by DOI list
paper_ai_analyzeAI analysis — downloads PDF, extracts full text (up to 20 pages / 12k chars), sends to any OpenAI-compatible API
paper_recommendScan your workspace code → multi-query auto-recommend related papers
paper_citation_graphGenerate Mermaid citation/reference network visualization
paper_healthCheck download source availability
Score Breakdown
Security
22/30No known vulnerabilities.
✓
○
Tool safety — No tools to analyze
○
Tool poisoning — No tools to analyze
○
Injection vectors — No tools to analyze
○
Tool stability — First scan — baseline recorded
○
Dependency health — found on deps.dev, recently updated
✓
License — License: MIT
○
Authentication — No authentication required
○
Repository — active repo
CVEs checked daily via OSV.dev. Score algorithm is open source.
Reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Scholar Mcp safe to use?
- Scholar Mcp has no known CVEs as of the latest MCPpedia security scan. It does not require authentication, so any local process can connect — keep this in mind in shared environments. Licensed under MIT.
- How do I install Scholar Mcp?
- Scholar Mcp supports copy-paste install configs on its MCPpedia page for Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Claude Code. Scroll to the Quick Install section and select your client.
- What can Scholar Mcp do?
- Scholar Mcp provides 7 tools: paper_search, paper_download, paper_batch_download, paper_ai_analyze, paper_recommend and 2 more. See the full tools list on the server page for descriptions and parameters.
- What AI clients work with Scholar Mcp?
- Scholar Mcp is compatible with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Claude Code, and most MCP clients that support stdio transport. It uses stdio transport.
- Is Scholar Mcp actively maintained?
- Scholar Mcp is actively maintained — last commit was 4 days ago. It has 33 GitHub stars.
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Discussion
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