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Paper Search MCP Server

Academic paper retrieval from multiple sources via unified search and download tools.

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559 tools★ 2,292PythonMIT

Overview

Paper Search MCP Server provides a specialized interface for finding and downloading scholarly articles. It utilizes a two-layer architecture that combines high-level unified search and download capabilities with specific platform connectors to fetch academic materials for LLM-integrated workflows. The project emphasizes a free-first strategy, prioritizing open-access data sources while offering optional API key support to improve metadata quality and stability. It is designed for use as an MCP server with Claude Desktop or as a CLI skill within Claude Code environments.

Our verdict

With a security score of 55/100, this server is classified as high-risk. A primary security concern is that it lacks a read-only mode, meaning every installation provides full write access to the underlying system. Given the lack of formal authentication reviews and its community-maintained status, it is best suited for users comfortable with the security implications of running experimental tools in isolated environments.

Zero direct dependencies reduce the supply-chain attack surface.
Active development with a recent commit history.
Supports multiple search sources with deduplication for LLMs.
Detailed README documentation for multiple installation methods.

Lacks a read-only mode, defaulting to full write access.
No detected OAuth support for managing external platform permissions.
Community-maintained without official vendor oversight.
No homepage link provided in the repository configuration.

Tools

Tool	Description	Risk
search_papers	High-level tool for multi-source concurrent search & deduplication.	low
download_with_fallback	Download tool relying on publisher open access links with sequential fallbacks.	low
search_ieee	Search IEEE Xplore.	low
search_acm	Search ACM Digital Library.	low
download_ieee	Download paper from IEEE Xplore.	low
download_acm	Download paper from ACM Digital Library.	low
read_ieee_paper	Read paper from IEEE Xplore.	low
read_acm_paper	Read paper from ACM Digital Library.	low
search_unpaywall	Standalone lookup for Unpaywall DOI-centric OA metadata.	low

Compatibility

Client	Local	Docker	Remote	Read-only
ChatGPT
Claude Desktop
Cursor
VS Code
Windsurf

Frequently asked questions

›What are the Python version requirements for running this server?

This server requires Python 3.10 or higher.

›Are paid API keys required to use the paper search functionality?

No, the project follows a free-first strategy focusing on open and public data sources. While optional API keys can improve stability or coverage for certain sources like Semantic Scholar, the server is designed to be usable without them.

›Can I use this server with Claude Desktop?

Yes, it is compatible with MCP clients including Claude Desktop and can be installed via methods such as Smithery or standard package managers like pip and uv.

›Does the server support direct full-text reading for all academic platforms?

No, platform capabilities vary. While sources like arXiv and bioRxiv support search, download, and reading, others like PubMed currently only provide information, and Google Scholar is restricted by bot-detection.

›What is the role of the download_with_fallback tool?

This tool attempts to retrieve papers by following an open-access priority chain, starting with source-native downloads and falling back through various open repositories and Unpaywall resolution before reaching optional Sci-Hub workflows.