# Does OpenAlex have an MCP server?

**Yes — Official.** OpenAlex maintains an official MCP server.

> Requires a free OpenAlex account; queries count against your own daily API budget.

## Facts

- Verdict: Official (Yes)
- Access: Remote server — Hosted by the vendor — no install, connect over HTTP with OAuth or a token.
- Endpoint: `https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp`
- Category: [Search & Data Extraction](https://mcpyet.com/category/search-data-extraction/)
- Verified against vendor docs: 2026-09-29
- GitHub data refreshed: 2026-09-29 (re-checked every 6 hours)

## The receipts

- **Vendor-hosted (remote):** `https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp` — a remote server run by OpenAlex itself, nothing to install. Documented at <https://help.openalex.org/access/connector/>.

## How to connect it

Hosted by the vendor — no install, connect over HTTP with OAuth or a token.

### Claude Code

```sh
claude mcp add --transport http openalex https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp
```

Add `--scope user` to make it available in every project.

### Claude Desktop

1. Open **Settings → Connectors**
2. Click **Add custom connector**
3. Paste `https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp`
4. Finish the sign-in prompt, then enable it in the chat's tools menu

### Cursor

Add to `.cursor/mcp.json` in your project, or `~/.cursor/mcp.json` for every project:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openalex": {
      "url": "https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

Add to `.vscode/mcp.json`, then pick the server from Copilot's agent-mode tools menu:

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "openalex": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### ChatGPT

1. Enable **Developer mode** under Settings → Apps & Connectors → Advanced
2. Choose **Create** and paste `https://mcp.openalex.org/mcp`
3. Complete sign-in, then enable the connector in a new chat

## How we know

Published to the MCP Registry under OpenAlex's verified namespace org.openalex; the OAuth endpoint mcp.openalex.org/mcp answers MCP initialize (401) and is documented at help.openalex.org/access/connector.

- GitHub data refreshed 2026-09-29, then every 6 hours.
- Vendor docs verified on 2026-09-29.
- Corrections: hello@mcpyet.com.

## Also in Search & Data Extraction

- [Perplexity](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/perplexity.md) — Official (Yes)
- [Tavily](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/tavily.md) — Official (Yes)
- [Exa](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/exa.md) — Official (Yes)
- [Bright Data](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/bright-data.md) — Official (Yes)
- [Brave Search](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/brave-search.md) — Official (Yes)
- [SearXNG](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/searxng.md) — Community only (Sort of)

---

Source: https://mcpyet.com/mcp/openalex/ — data refreshed 2026-09-29