Semantic Scholar MCP Server

MCP server · by smaniches

Search Python v1.7.8

MCP server for the Semantic Scholar API: search 200M+ papers, citations, authors, recommendations.

View source ↗ Generate config for multiple servers More servers

Install

Run one of the commands below, then pick your client in the next section.

Python
uvx s2-mcp-server

Setup by client

Pick your client — the config below is generated for this server (local stdio).

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "semantic-scholar-mcp-smaniches": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "s2-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY": "<YOUR_SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Format verified against the official Claude Desktop docs ↗.

terminal

claude mcp add --env SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY=<YOUR_SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY> semantic-scholar-mcp-smaniches -- uvx s2-mcp-server

Format verified against the official Claude Code docs ↗.

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "semantic-scholar-mcp-smaniches": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "s2-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY": "<YOUR_SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Format verified against the official Cursor docs ↗.

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "semantic-scholar-mcp-smaniches": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "s2-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY": "<YOUR_SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Format verified against the official VS Code docs ↗.

mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "semantic-scholar-mcp-smaniches": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "s2-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY": "<YOUR_SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Format verified against the official Windsurf docs ↗.

Environment variables

Defined in the server's official registry manifest. Required secrets are shown as <YOUR_…> placeholders in the configs above.

SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY secret — Semantic Scholar API key; introductory keys are currently assigned 1 request/second across all endpoints
SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_MIN_SECONDS_BETWEEN_REQUESTS — Minimum seconds between authenticated requests. Default 1.1; lower only when Semantic Scholar has explicitly assigned the key a higher quota.

About this server

Distributed as Python, listed under Search. Review our MCP security guide before granting access to real data.

Frequently asked questions

How do I install Semantic Scholar MCP Server?

Run the install command shown above, then paste the config for your client (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code or Windsurf) into its MCP settings and restart the client.

Is Semantic Scholar MCP Server free to use?

The MCP server itself is free to install. The source is public on https://github.com/smaniches/semantic-scholar-mcp. Any third-party service it calls may require its own API key and account.

Which clients support Semantic Scholar MCP Server?

Any MCP-compatible client can use it, including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf and custom agents.

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