Unpaywall MCP Server

This community-built MCP server integrates the Unpaywall API to provide open-access availability for over 120 million scholarly articles. It allows AI agents to look up OA status by DOI, search for articles with OA filtering, and export results in RIS or BibTeX formats. It retrieves details such as OA type, PDF links, license information, and journal metadata.

Package and access

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

Community listingLocal stdioSource reviewed; not executedPublished by SMABoundless

You need:Unpaywall requires an email address as your API identifier (no API key needed).

Vendor documentation

What you can do with it

Look up open-access availability by DOI
Search for scholarly articles with OA filtering
Export search results as RIS for Zotero
Export search results as BibTeX

Source and maintenance

Community listingRegistry 1.0.1

mcp-registry: io.github.SMABoundless/unpaywall@1.0.1 Source repository

Maintenance checked: Nov 1, 2026, 6:05 AM UTC

Packages and installation

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

unpaywall-mcp-server 1.0.1

pypiuvx

unpaywall-mcp-server package definition

{
  "version": "1.0.1",
  "transport": "stdio",
  "identifier": "unpaywall-mcp-server",
  "runtimeHint": "uvx",
  "registryType": "pypi",
  "environmentVariables": [
    {
      "name": "UNPAYWALL_EMAIL",
      "isRequired": true,
      "description": "Your email address — required by the Unpaywall API as an identifier (no API key needed). See https://unpaywall.org/products/api"
    }
  ]
}

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": {
    "unpaywall-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "unpaywall-mcp-server==1.0.1"
      ],
      "env": {
        "UNPAYWALL_EMAIL": "<YOUR_UNPAYWALL_EMAIL>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cline

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

Cline configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unpaywall-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "unpaywall-mcp-server==1.0.1"
      ],
      "env": {
        "UNPAYWALL_EMAIL": "<YOUR_UNPAYWALL_EMAIL>"
      }
    }
  }
}

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": {
    "unpaywall-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "unpaywall-mcp-server==1.0.1"
      ],
      "env": {
        "UNPAYWALL_EMAIL": "<YOUR_UNPAYWALL_EMAIL>"
      }
    }
  }
}

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": {
    "unpaywall-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "unpaywall-mcp-server==1.0.1"
      ],
      "env": {
        "UNPAYWALL_EMAIL": "<YOUR_UNPAYWALL_EMAIL>"
      }
    }
  }
}

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