A MCP server to search for accurate academic articles. More scholarly vendors will be added soon.
MCP.Pizza Chef: adityak74
Two searches sit behind this. One covers arXiv, the free archive where physics, maths and computer science research is posted; the other covers Google Scholar across every field. Each returns up to ten results with titles, summaries, authors and links you can open. There is nothing to sign up for and no key of any kind. Two things worth knowing: arXiv results come back newest first rather than most relevant, and the Google Scholar side goes through free public proxies, so it fails outright some of the time.
Web/Research
Writing
Use This MCP server To
Find recent papers on a topic I am researching Get real citations instead of invented ones Check whether anyone has already published my idea Skim ten summaries before deciding what to read Pull a paper's link so I can download it
README
mcp-scholarly FAQ
Do I need an API key?
No. Neither search needs an account, a key or a payment method. arXiv is a free public archive, and the Google Scholar side routes through free proxies rather than a paid service.
How many tools does it actually have?
Two, one for arXiv and one for Google Scholar. The readme still says one, because it was written before the Google Scholar search was added.
Does the Google Scholar search work reliably?
Not always. Google blocks automated searching from data centres, so the code hops through free rotating proxies. Expect it to be slow when it works and to fail some of the time.
Are the arXiv results the most relevant ones?
No. They come back newest first, ten at a time, rather than ranked by relevance or by how often they are cited. Word your search tightly to compensate.
Can I use this to build a reading list?
Yes. Ask for papers on your topic and you get titles, summaries and links you can save, open or hand back for a plain-language explanation.
Can I filter by year or by author?
Not directly. The only thing you pass is a keyword. There is no date range, no author filter and no way to ask for more than ten results.
Which apps does it work in?
Claude Desktop is documented, with a one-command install available, and any other app that can launch a local command will work.
Is it still maintained?
Yes. It had code changes within the past week, so it is being actively worked on.