Summary
Wraps the OpenAlex API to give Claude access to scholarly research data without authentication. You can search academic papers, authors, institutions, and citation networks directly from your MCP client. Part of the Pipeworx gateway ecosystem, which means you can either connect to this specific server or tap into their full gateway for 250+ data sources. Includes an ask_pipeworx tool that lets you query in natural language instead of calling specific endpoints. Useful when you need to pull academic metadata, track research trends, or build literature reviews without managing API keys or rate limits yourself.
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Tools
Public tool metadata for what this MCP can expose to an agent.
3 tools
openalex_resolve_nameResolve a name or partial name to an OpenAlex ID. Returns up to 10 matches with disambiguation hints. ALWAYS use this before filtering by entity — names are ambiguous, IDs are not. Also accepts DOIs directly for quick lookup. Response time ~200ms.3 params
Resolve a name or partial name to an OpenAlex ID. Returns up to 10 matches with disambiguation hints. ALWAYS use this before filtering by entity — names are ambiguous, IDs are not. Also accepts DOIs directly for quick lookup. Response time ~200ms.
Parameters* required
querystringName or partial name to resolve. Also accepts DOIs for quick lookup.
filtersobjectNarrow autocomplete results with filters. Example: restrict to a specific country or publication year range.
entity_typestringEntity type to search. Omit for cross-entity search (useful when entity type is unknown).one of
works · authors · sources · institutions · topics · keywordsopenalex_search_entitiesSearch, filter, sort, or retrieve by ID. Covers all OpenAlex entity types (works, authors, sources, institutions, topics, keywords, publishers, funders). Pass `id` to retrieve a single entity (free, unlimited API calls). Otherwise, use `query` and/or `filters` for discovery. S...9 params
Search, filter, sort, or retrieve by ID. Covers all OpenAlex entity types (works, authors, sources, institutions, topics, keywords, publishers, funders). Pass `id` to retrieve a single entity (free, unlimited API calls). Otherwise, use `query` and/or `filters` for discovery. S...
Parameters* required
idstringRetrieve a single entity by ID. Supports: OpenAlex ID ("W2741809807"), DOI ("10.1038/nature12373"), ORCID ("0000-0002-1825-0097"), ROR ("https://ror.org/00hx57361"), PMID ("12345678"), PMCID ("PMC1234567"), ISSN ("1234-5678"). When provided, other search/filter/sort params are ignored. Use openalex_resolve_name to find the ID if unknown.
sortstringSort field. Prefix with "-" for descending. Common: "cited_by_count", "-publication_date", "relevance_score" (default when query present).
querystringText search query. Supports boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), quoted phrases ("exact match"), wildcards (machin*), fuzzy matching (machin~1), and proximity ("climate change"~5). Omit for filter-only queries.
cursorstringPagination cursor from a previous response. Pass to get the next page.
selectarrayOpenAlex top-level field names to return. Searches apply a curated default per entity type; pass to override. Single-entity lookups (by `id`) return the full record unless set. Invalid field names produce an error listing the valid ones. Example: ["id", "doi", "display_name", "authorships", "primary_topic"].
filtersobjectFilter criteria as field:value pairs. AND across fields (multiple keys). OR within field: pipe-separate ("us|gb"). NOT: prefix "!" ("!us"). Range: "2020-2024". Comparison: ">100", "<50". AND within same field: "+"-separate. Use OpenAlex IDs (not names) for entity filters — resolve names first.
per_pageintegerResults per page (1-100). Default 25.default: 25
entity_typestringType of scholarly entity to search.one of
works · authors · sources · institutions · topics · keywordssearch_modestringSearch strategy. "keyword": stemmed full-text (default). "exact": no stemming, matches individual words (use quoted phrases for multi-word exact match). "semantic": AI embedding similarity (max 50 results, 1 req/sec).one of
keyword · exact · semanticdefault: keywordopenalex_analyze_trendsAggregate OpenAlex entities into groups and count them. Use for trend analysis (group works by publication_year), distribution analysis (group by oa_status, type, country), and comparative analysis (group by institution or topic). Combine with filters to scope the analysis. Re...5 params
Aggregate OpenAlex entities into groups and count them. Use for trend analysis (group works by publication_year), distribution analysis (group by oa_status, type, country), and comparative analysis (group by institution or topic). Combine with filters to scope the analysis. Re...
Parameters* required
cursorstringPagination cursor from a previous response. Group-by returns max 200 groups per page. Pass cursor to get the next page. Note: paginated groups are sorted by key, not by count.
filtersobjectFilter criteria (same syntax as openalex_search_entities filters). Narrows the population before aggregation. Example: group works by year, filtered to a specific topic.
group_bystringField to group by. Works examples: "publication_year", "type", "oa_status", "primary_topic.field.id", "authorships.institutions.country_code", "is_retracted". Authors: "last_known_institutions.country_code", "has_orcid". Sources: "type", "is_oa", "country_code". Not all fields support group_by — check entity docs if unsure.
entity_typestringEntity type to aggregate.one of
works · authors · sources · institutions · topics · keywordsinclude_unknownbooleanInclude a group for entities with no value for the grouped field. Hidden by default.default: false
mcp-openalex
OpenAlex MCP — wraps the OpenAlex API (scholarly works, free, no auth)
Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 673+ live data sources.
Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|
Quick Start
Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):
{
"mcpServers": {
"openalex": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/openalex/mcp"
}
}
}
Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway for access to all 673+ data sources:
{
"mcpServers": {
"pipeworx": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
}
}
}
Using with ask_pipeworx
Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English:
ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Openalex data" })
The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.
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License
MIT
Featured
Keep your Mac awake while Claude Code and 40+ AI agents run. Sleeps when they're idle.
One time payment $9 →Integrate web data into your AI product. One API to scrape website & brand data.
Get API Key Now →Agent, run crypto. Access onchain data & trade routes via 1inch.
Install now →On Capafy, your Skill runs online 24/7 as an agent product, and you get paid every time someone uses it.
Start earning →