crossref-mcp-server

An MCP server that resolves DOIs to full metadata records, searches across 188 million scholarly works, fetches outgoing reference lists, and looks up journals, funders, and publishers via the Crossref REST API. It supports STDIO or Streamable HTTP transports and provides tools for academic search, bibliometrics, and citation analysis.

Package and access

Local package with source-attributed installation metadata. Koskamo does not execute packages during review.

Community listingLocal stdioSource reviewed; not executedPublished by cyanheads

Vendor documentation

What you can do with it

Resolve a DOI to its full metadata record including title, authors, and abstract
Search the Crossref works index by free text or structured filters
Fetch outgoing reference lists for a specific DOI
Look up journal, funder, and publisher records

Source and maintenance

Community listingRegistry 0.5.0

mcp-registry: io.github.cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server@0.5.0 Source repository

Maintenance checked: Oct 31, 2026, 10:59 PM UTC

Packages and installation

Source-provided package data. Koskamo has not executed or live-probed this package.

@cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server 0.5.0

npmnpx

@cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server package definition

{
  "version": "0.5.0",
  "transport": "stdio",
  "identifier": "@cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server",
  "runtimeHint": "npx",
  "registryType": "npm",
  "registryBaseUrl": "https://registry.npmjs.org",
  "environmentVariables": [
    {
      "name": "CROSSREF_MAILTO",
      "format": "string",
      "description": "Email for polite-pool User-Agent header — optional. Without: anonymous pool with stricter rate limits."
    },
    {
      "name": "CROSSREF_BASE_URL",
      "format": "string",
      "default": "https://api.crossref.org",
      "description": "Override the Crossref API base URL. Defaults to https://api.crossref.org."
    },
    {
      "name": "CROSSREF_TIMEOUT_MS",
      "format": "string",
      "default": "10000",
      "description": "Per-request timeout in milliseconds."
    },
    {
      "name": "MCP_LOG_LEVEL",
      "format": "string",
      "default": "info",
      "description": "Sets the minimum log level for output (e.g., 'debug', 'info', 'warn')."
    }
  ]
}

Tools

Reported by the attributed source; not independently observed by Koskamo.

No tool definitions available.

Connect from your client

Each snippet configures the same source-provided package; replace placeholders before use.

This server is operated by the named third party. Listing and endpoint checks are not an endorsement or a security audit. Review the operator's permissions, terms, and data handling before connecting. How listings are checked and corrected.

Cursor

Merge this local stdio configuration, replace every placeholder environment value, and restart Cursor. Koskamo has not executed this package.

Cursor configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "crossref-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server@0.5.0"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CROSSREF_MAILTO": "<YOUR_CROSSREF_MAILTO>",
        "CROSSREF_BASE_URL": "<YOUR_CROSSREF_BASE_URL>",
        "CROSSREF_TIMEOUT_MS": "<YOUR_CROSSREF_TIMEOUT_MS>",
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "<YOUR_MCP_LOG_LEVEL>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cline

Merge this local stdio configuration, replace every placeholder environment value, and restart Cline. Koskamo has not executed this package.

Cline configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "crossref-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server@0.5.0"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CROSSREF_MAILTO": "<YOUR_CROSSREF_MAILTO>",
        "CROSSREF_BASE_URL": "<YOUR_CROSSREF_BASE_URL>",
        "CROSSREF_TIMEOUT_MS": "<YOUR_CROSSREF_TIMEOUT_MS>",
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "<YOUR_MCP_LOG_LEVEL>"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code

Merge this local stdio configuration, replace every placeholder environment value, and restart VS Code. Koskamo has not executed this package.

VS Code configuration

{
  "servers": {
    "crossref-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server@0.5.0"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CROSSREF_MAILTO": "<YOUR_CROSSREF_MAILTO>",
        "CROSSREF_BASE_URL": "<YOUR_CROSSREF_BASE_URL>",
        "CROSSREF_TIMEOUT_MS": "<YOUR_CROSSREF_TIMEOUT_MS>",
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "<YOUR_MCP_LOG_LEVEL>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Merge this local stdio configuration, replace every placeholder environment value, and restart Claude Desktop. Koskamo has not executed this package.

Claude Desktop configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "crossref-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server@0.5.0"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CROSSREF_MAILTO": "<YOUR_CROSSREF_MAILTO>",
        "CROSSREF_BASE_URL": "<YOUR_CROSSREF_BASE_URL>",
        "CROSSREF_TIMEOUT_MS": "<YOUR_CROSSREF_TIMEOUT_MS>",
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "<YOUR_MCP_LOG_LEVEL>"
      }
    }
  }
}

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