scopus-mcp

MCP.Pizza Chef: qwe4559999

This server links your AI assistant with Elsevier Scopus, letting you search academic papers, read abstracts, and explore author profiles directly inside apps like Claude Desktop or Cursor. To use it, you need an Elsevier API key (usually via your institution) and some setup involving configuration files and environment variables. Once set up, your AI can help you find and analyze scholarly research efficiently.

Other
Web/Research

Use This MCP server To

Search academic papers by topic or keyword Retrieve detailed abstracts of research articles Look up profiles of authors in academic databases Analyze publication trends by sorting search results Access Scopus data within AI chat apps like Claude Desktop

README

Scopus MCP Server

δΈ­ζ–‡ | English

πŸ’‘ Check out the Interaction Guide & Prompt Examples to see how to chat with this tool!

This is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to the Elsevier Scopus API. It allows AI assistants to search for academic papers, retrieve abstracts, and look up author profiles.

Please note that requesting an Elsevier Scopus API key generally requires that your organization or institution has a subscription to Elsevier database services. Additionally, to run this tool without manual setup, your device must have the uv package manager installed.

Configuration

Setup Steps

  1. Go to Elsevier Developer Portal to apply for an API key.
  2. Create a config.json file in the project root (or copy from config.json.example) and fill in your key:
    {
      "api_key": "YOUR_KEY_HERE"
    }
  3. Edit MCP_tool_config.json, modifying the folder path (pay attention to the slash direction).
  4. Finally, import the configuration into your MCP client (e.g., Claude Desktop) by copying the content of MCP_tool_config.json.

πŸš€ Quick Start (Zero Setup)

Prerequisite: You must have uv installed.

  • Windows: powershell -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"
  • macOS/Linux: curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

If you use Claude Desktop, you can skip downloading the code and just configure it directly:

  1. Get Key: Get a free API Key from Elsevier Developer Portal. (⚠️ Note: Educational/Institutional email is recommended; public email domains may be rejected).
  2. Configure: Edit %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows) or ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS).
  3. Add:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scopus-assistant": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "scopus-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SCOPUS_API_KEY": "PUT_YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

(If you don't have uv, see Installation for manual setup)

Using with Trae

In Trae Settings -> MCP Servers -> Click Add -> Select Manual Configuration (JSON), then paste:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scopus-assistant": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "scopus-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SCOPUS_API_KEY": "PUT_YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using with Cursor

  1. Open Cursor Settings -> Features -> MCP Servers.
  2. Click + Add New MCP Server.
  3. Fill in the details:
    • Name: scopus-mcp
    • Type: command (stdio)
    • Command: uvx scopus-mcp
  4. Important: You need to set SCOPUS_API_KEY in your system environment variables.

Installation

  1. Ensure you have Python 3.10+ installed.
  2. Install dependencies:
    pip install .

Usage

Running the Server

You can run the server using uvx (recommended) or directly with python.

# Using uvx
uvx --from . scopus-mcp

# Or directly
python -m scopus_mcp.server

Available Tools

  1. search_scopus

    • Searches the Scopus database using the standard query syntax.
    • Arguments:
      • query (string): The search query (e.g., TITLE("Artificial Intelligence")).
      • count (integer): Number of results to return (default: 5).
      • sort (string): Sort order (e.g., coverDate).
  2. get_abstract_details

    • Retrieves detailed information for a specific document.
    • Arguments:
      • scopus_id (string): The Scopus ID of the document.
  3. get_author_profile

    • Retrieves an author's profile information.
    • Arguments:
      • author_id (string): The Scopus Author ID.

Development

Run tests with:

pytest

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments & Contributors

contributors

scopus-mcp FAQ

Can I use this to search for academic papers and get abstracts?
Yes β€” you can search Elsevier Scopus for papers, retrieve abstracts, and view author profiles using AI assistants like Claude Desktop or Cursor.
Do I need an API key to use scopus-mcp?
Yes β€” you must get an Elsevier Scopus API key, usually requiring an institutional subscription.
Which apps support scopus-mcp?
It works with Claude Desktop and Cursor, both supporting MCP servers.
Is setup difficult for a non-developer?
Setup is developer-level since it involves API keys, config files, and environment variables.
Can I use this without installing extra software?
You need the 'uv' package manager installed or Python 3.10+ with pip to run the server.
Can I use public email to get an API key?
Usually no β€” Elsevier recommends using an educational or institutional email for API access.