Nature Academic Search
wp-a/nature-academic-search
A skill your agent uses when users ask to 找文献、做文献检索、查论文、查临床试验、核验引用、去重文献、设计 PubMed/MeSH 检索式、追踪上下游引文、解析 DOI/PMID/PMCID/arXiv/OpenAlex/Semantic Scholar/NCT ID， 或导出 RIS、BibTeX、NBIB、ENW；also use for…
Search, download, and read academic papers from 20+ sources (arXiv, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, CrossRef, etc).
Install Paper Search
$ npx skills add openags/paper-search-mcp --skill paper-search -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install openags/paper-search-mcp paper-search --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude-code .claude/skills/paper-search && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "paper-search" agent skill from https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp/tree/main/claude-code into .claude/skills/paper-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "paper-search", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp/tree/main/claude-codeType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add openags/paper-search-mcp --skill paper-search -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install openags/paper-search-mcp paper-search --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude-code .agents/skills/paper-search && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "paper-search" agent skill from https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp/tree/main/claude-code into .agents/skills/paper-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "paper-search", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add openags/paper-search-mcp --skill paper-search -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install openags/paper-search-mcp paper-search --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude-code .cursor/skills/paper-search && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "paper-search" agent skill from https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp/tree/main/claude-code into .cursor/skills/paper-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "paper-search", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp.git --path claude-code--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add openags/paper-search-mcp --skill paper-search -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install openags/paper-search-mcp paper-search --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude-code .gemini/skills/paper-search && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "paper-search" agent skill from https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp/tree/main/claude-code into .gemini/skills/paper-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "paper-search", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install openags/paper-search-mcp paper-searchInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add openags/paper-search-mcp --skill paper-search -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude-code .github/skills/paper-search && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "paper-search" agent skill from https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp/tree/main/claude-code into .github/skills/paper-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "paper-search", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add openags/paper-search-mcp --skill paper-search -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install openags/paper-search-mcp paper-search --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude-code .opencode/skills/paper-search && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "paper-search" agent skill from https://github.com/openags/paper-search-mcp/tree/main/claude-code into .opencode/skills/paper-search/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "paper-search", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
paper-search- GitHub stars
- 2.8k
- Token cost
- ~1.2k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 503 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 2
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Search, download, and read academic papers from 20+ sources (arXiv, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, CrossRef, etc).
- Works in 4 steps: Search with targeted sources to find… → Present results as a table: title,… → If the user wants full text, use read → …
- The user asks to find papers
- SKILL.md covers CLI Usage, Output, Sources and Workflow
- Calls uv; needs IEEE_API_KEY
What it does
Paper Search is an agent skill from openags/paper-search-mcp. Search, download, and read academic papers from 20+ sources (arXiv, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, CrossRef, etc). Use when the user asks to find papers, search for research, look up academic literature, download a paper PDF, or extract text from a paper.
Its SKILL.md is about 1.2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
It sits in Research & Science, covering Academic paper search. It works with arXiv, PubMed, Semantic Scholar and Model Context Protocol. The repository describes itself as: MCP, CLI, Skills for searching and downloading academic papers from multiple sources like arXiv, PubMed, bioRxiv, etc. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- The user asks to find papers
- Search for research
- Look up academic literature
- Download a paper PDF
Example prompts
- “/paper-search”
Requirements
- A credential in IEEE_API_KEY
Workflow steps
4 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Search with targeted sources to find papers
- Present results as a table: title, authors, year, source, DOI/URL
- If the user wants full text, use read
- If the user wants the PDF, use download and report the saved path
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit cab1b5c. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
uv
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use uv, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names these keys or tokens, usually read from environment variables:
IEEE_API_KEY
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Paper Search loads about 1.2k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 66 tokens; SKILL.md has 503 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check: notes
The automated check noted patterns worth knowing about, such as sudo or a known installer.
- NoteMentions a .env fileSKILL.md:17
onfigured in `~/.config/paper-search-mcp/.env`.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from openags/paper-search-mcp at commit cab1b5c, republished under its MIT licence (© openags). 503 words, ~1,155 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/paper-search/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- paper-search
- description
- Search, download, and read academic papers from 20+ sources (arXiv, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, CrossRef, etc). Use when the user asks to find papers, search for research, look up academic literature, download a paper PDF, or extract text from a paper.
Paper Search
Search, download, and read academic papers via the paper-search CLI.
CLI Usage
All commands run via:
paper-search <command> [args]If paper-search is not available, install it with uv tool install paper-search-mcp. Optional API keys can be configured in ~/.config/paper-search-mcp/.env.
Search
paper-search search "<query>" -n <max_per_source> -s <sources> -y <year>-n: results per source (default: 5)-s: comma-separated sources, "fast", "fastest", or "all" (default: all)--exhaustive: compatibility no-op (broad search is already the default); explicit-salways takes precedence-y: year filter for Semantic Scholar (e.g. "2020", "2018-2022")
For speed, use -s fast (OpenAlex, Crossref, arXiv, PubMed, Europe PMC; also Semantic Scholar when its API key is nonblank) or -s fastest (OpenAlex and Crossref). Explicit source choices are never expanded, even for DOI queries. Use -s unpaywall for DOI lookup; "all" already includes it. These presets do not enable optional paid sources.
Download PDF
paper-search download <source> <paper_id> [-o ./downloads]Read (extract text)
paper-search read <source> <paper_id> [-o ./downloads]List sources
paper-search sourcesMCP tools from the CLI
paper-search tool calls the same registered tools as the MCP server, including
source-specific options and DOI lookup. Required arguments are positional;
optional arguments use kebab-case flags. Boolean flags use --flag and
--no-flag; omitted options retain their MCP defaults.
paper-search tool --help
paper-search tool --list # JSON tool list, schemas, and annotations
paper-search tool search_crossref --help
paper-search tool search_crossref "transformer attention" --filter from-pub-date:2024-01-01 --sort published --order desc --max-results 2
paper-search tool get_crossref_paper_by_doi 10.1038/nature12373
paper-search tool search_iacr "cryptography" --no-fetch-detailsObjects and lists return JSON; text and download paths return plain text. An
exception returns a JSON error with exit code 1; invalid CLI syntax exits with
code 2. A normal MCP result retains its original meaning, including error or
partial-result fields returned by the tool itself. --list shows only tools
enabled by the current configuration, so IEEE tools still require their API
key. The existing search, download, read, and sources commands are
unchanged. Tool calls keep the MCP tools' source selection and timeout behavior;
Sci-Hub fallback remains opt-in through --use-scihub.
Output
search and download return JSON. read returns plain text. Config warnings go to stderr and can be ignored.
Show full SKILL.md (212 more words)Show less
Sources
arxiv, pubmed, biorxiv, medrxiv, google_scholar, iacr, semantic, crossref, openalex, pmc, core, europepmc, dblp, openaire, citeseerx, doaj, base, zenodo, hal, ssrn, openreview, unpaywall, acm
Optional (env vars): ieee (IEEE_API_KEY). ACM search is keyless and uses Crossref metadata; publisher PDF access may require the OA fallback.
Web of Science (wos) and Scopus (scopus) require their runtime API keys and
explicit source selection; they are never added to all, fast, or fastest.
Use --wos-db or the --scopus-view, --scopus-sort, --scopus-field, and
--scopus-date options on ordinary search, or inspect their corresponding tool
help. read scopus <id> returns structured abstract metadata; --full-text
explicitly attempts identity-verified article text and returns a nonzero exit
when full text remains unavailable. An abstract-only result is not full text.
The tool command also exposes get_citing_papers, get_referenced_papers,
get_search_cache_status, and clear_search_cache. Relationship lookups accept
DOIs/OpenAlex IDs, with bounded one-hop retrieval. Caching is off by default;
enabling it persists queries and public results, and requires an explicit
operator choice. Clearing the search cache does not remove downloaded PDFs.
Workflow
- Search with targeted sources to find papers
- Present results as a table: title, authors, year, source, DOI/URL
- If the user wants full text, use
read <source> <paper_id> - If the user wants the PDF, use
download <source> <paper_id>and report the saved path
© openags, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in claude-code of openags/paper-search-mcp.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit cab1b5c
Compare with similar skills
Paper Search next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper Search this skillopenags/paper-search-mcp | 2.8k | — | ~1.2k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Nature Academic Searchwp-a/nature-academic-search | 301 | — | ~1.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Nature Academic Searchjing1312/nature-figure-skill | 168 | — | ~1.3k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Paper Searchdr-dumpling/paper-search-cli | 135 | — | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Ai4scholar ResearchDrchronx/ai-agent-research-starter-kit | 137 | — | ~1.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence | |
| Literature Reviewneflibata-feng/MyArxiv-Agent | 126 | 20 repos | ~5.9k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT |
Similar skills
Nature Academic Search
jing1312/nature-figure-skill
Multi-source literature search, citation verification, MeSH search strategy, citation file management (.nbib/.ris/.bib conversion), and reference management (BibTeX, related articles, ID conversion)…
Paper Search
dr-dumpling/paper-search-cli
学术文献检索与论文获取调度器，基于 paper-search CLI，而不是 MCP server. An agent skill from dr-dumpling/paper-search-cli.
Ai4scholar Research
Drchronx/ai-agent-research-starter-kit
Use AI4Scholar for real scholarly literature tasks through MCP or the OpenClaw plugin: paper search, Google Scholar/Semantic Scholar/PubMed/arXiv/bioRxiv/medRxiv queries, PDF download and reading…
Literature Review
neflibata-feng/MyArxiv-Agent
Conduct comprehensive, systematic literature reviews using multiple academic databases (PubMed, arXiv, bioRxiv, Semantic Scholar, etc.).
PaperSeek Literature Search
MingfengHong/paperseek
Routes literature searches through the PaperSeek launcher, picks suitable scholarly sources, parses JSON output and keeps API keys out of the chat.
More from openags/paper-search-mcp
Paper Search
openags/paper-search-mcp
Search, download, and read academic papers through the paper-search MCP tools (mcppaper-search), covering arXiv, PubMed, bioRxiv, Semantic Scholar, Crossref, OpenAlex and 15+ other sources.
Related
Categories
Questions about Paper Search
What does Paper Search do?
Search, download, and read academic papers from 20+ sources (arXiv, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, CrossRef, etc). Paper Search is an agent skill from openags/paper-search-mcp. Search, download, and read academic papers from 20+ sources (arXiv, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, CrossRef, etc).
When should I use Paper Search?
Paper Search fits situations like: the user asks to find papers; search for research; look up academic literature; download a paper PDF.
How do I install Paper Search in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add openags/paper-search-mcp --skill paper-search -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (claude-code in openags/paper-search-mcp) into .claude/skills/paper-search in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Paper Search in Codex?
Run `npx skills add openags/paper-search-mcp --skill paper-search -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (claude-code in openags/paper-search-mcp) into .agents/skills/paper-search in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Paper Search in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add openags/paper-search-mcp --skill paper-search -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/paper-search, .gemini/skills/paper-search, .github/skills/paper-search and .opencode/skills/paper-search in your project.
What does Paper Search need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Paper Search needs the command-line tools its instructions call (uv) and credentials named IEEE_API_KEY. Our summary lists: A credential in IEEE_API_KEY.
Does Paper Search access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use uv, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Paper Search safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found notes only (mentions a .env file), nothing it rates as a warning. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Paper Search use?
Paper Search is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Paper Search use?
About 1.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.6k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Paper Search?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Paper Search: Nature Academic Search (wp-a/nature-academic-search, 301 stars), Nature Academic Search (jing1312/nature-figure-skill, 168 stars), Paper Search (dr-dumpling/paper-search-cli, 135 stars) and Ai4scholar Research (Drchronx/ai-agent-research-starter-kit, 137 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Paper Search?
openags (a GitHub organization) maintains it in openags/paper-search-mcp, which has 2,768 GitHub stars. The repository holds 2 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 2, 2026.
Source: openags/paper-search-mcp on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.