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 through the paper-search MCP tools (mcppaper-search), covering arXiv, PubMed, bioRxiv, Semantic Scholar, Crossref, OpenAlex and 15+ other sources.
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/dsh/skills/paper-search .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/dsh/skills/paper-search 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/dsh/skills/paper-searchType 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/dsh/skills/paper-search .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/dsh/skills/paper-search 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/dsh/skills/paper-search .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/dsh/skills/paper-search 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 dsh/skills/paper-search--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/dsh/skills/paper-search .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/dsh/skills/paper-search 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/dsh/skills/paper-search .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/dsh/skills/paper-search 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/dsh/skills/paper-search .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/dsh/skills/paper-search 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
- ~794 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 325 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 2
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
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.
- Works in 3 steps: Search: search_papers for broad… → Present results as a table: title,… → Full text: read__paper; PDF: download_…
- The user asks to find papers
- SKILL.md covers Core tools, Source-specific tools, Workflow and Notes
- Needs PAPER_SEARCH_MCP_IEEE_API_KEY
What it does
Paper Search is an agent skill from 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. Use when the user asks to find papers, search research literature, download a paper PDF, or extract text from a paper.
Its SKILL.md is about 790 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 Model Context Protocol, arXiv, PubMed and Semantic Scholar. 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 research literature
- Download a paper PDF
- Extract text from a paper
Example prompts
- “/paper-search”
Requirements
- A credential in PAPER_SEARCH_MCP_IEEE_API_KEY
Workflow steps
3 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Search: search_papers for broad coverage, search_ for targeted queries.
- Present results as a table: title, authors, year, source, DOI/URL.
- Full text: read__paper; PDF: download_ or download_with_fallback, then 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
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names these keys or tokens, usually read from environment variables:
PAPER_SEARCH_MCP_IEEE_API_KEY
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Paper Search loads about 794 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 82 tokens; SKILL.md has 325 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:43
, …) live in `~/.config/paper-search-mcp/.env` and are loaded by the server automatically.
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). 325 words, ~794 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 through the paper-search MCP tools (mcp__paper-search__*), covering arXiv, PubMed, bioRxiv, Semantic Scholar, Crossref, OpenAlex and 15+ other sources. Use when the user asks to find papers, search research literature, download a paper PDF, or extract text from a paper.
- whenToUse
- Use when the user asks to find, download, or read academic papers or literature. Prefer these MCP tools over a raw web search for paper discovery.
Paper Search
Academic paper discovery and retrieval in this harness runs through the mcp__paper-search__* tools (the paper-search-mcp MCP server). Do not run the paper-search CLI or hand-write API requests — use these tools.
Core tools
mcp__paper-search__search_papers— multi-source concurrent search with deduplication and DOI backfill. Prefer it for broad queries; one call covers many sources at once.mcp__paper-search__download_with_fallback— OA-first PDF download with a source-native → repository → Unpaywall fallback chain.mcp__paper-search__search_unpaywall— DOI-centric open-access metadata lookup.
Source-specific tools
Per source the pattern is search_<source> / download_<source> / read_<source>_paper, with availability varying by source. Sources: arxiv, pubmed, biorxiv, medrxiv, iacr, semantic, crossref, openalex, pmc, core, europepmc, dblp, openaire, citeseerx, doaj, base, zenodo, hal, ssrn, openreview, google_scholar. ACM search is available without an API key. IEEE tools require PAPER_SEARCH_MCP_IEEE_API_KEY. Discover the current tool list rather than assuming every source supports full text.
Web of Science (search_wos) and Scopus (search_scopus, read_scopus_paper)
require runtime keys and explicit source selection; default/all searches never
include them. Scopus full-text retrieval requires explicit full_text=true;
respect its full_text, abstract_only, or unavailable status. Do not describe
an abstract or metadata record as retrieved full text.
get_citing_papers and get_referenced_papers provide bounded one-hop OpenAlex
lookups from a DOI or OpenAlex ID. Search caching is disabled by default; enabling
it persists queries and public results and is an operator choice. Use
get_search_cache_status to inspect it and clear_search_cache only when the
user asks to remove cached results. Clearing does not remove downloaded PDFs.
For speed, prefer a targeted set (search_arxiv, search_semantic, search_crossref) over multi-source search when the field is clear.
Workflow
- Search:
search_papersfor broad coverage,search_<source>for targeted queries. - Present results as a table: title, authors, year, source, DOI/URL.
- Full text:
read_<source>_paper; PDF:download_<source>ordownload_with_fallback, then report the saved path.
Notes
- Many public sources work without API keys; optional keys (Semantic Scholar, CORE, Unpaywall email, …) live in
~/.config/paper-search-mcp/.envand are loaded by the server automatically. - Google Scholar and SSRN can be bot-blocked upstream; fall back to other sources rather than retrying.
© 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 dsh/skills/paper-search 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 | — | ~794 | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Nature Academic Searchwp-a/nature-academic-search | 304 | — | ~1.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Nature Academic Searchjing1312/nature-figure-skill | 171 | — | ~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 | 139 | — | ~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.).
Rival Search MCP
damionrashford/RivalSearchMCP
Deterministic deep research via RivalSearchMCP. An agent skill from damionrashford/RivalSearchMCP.
More from openags/paper-search-mcp
Paper Search
openags/paper-search-mcp
Search, download, and read academic papers from 20+ sources (arXiv, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, CrossRef, etc).
Related
Categories
Questions about Paper Search
What does Paper Search do?
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. Paper Search is an agent skill from 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.
When should I use Paper Search?
Paper Search fits situations like: the user asks to find papers; search research literature; download a paper PDF; extract text from a paper.
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 (dsh/skills/paper-search 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 (dsh/skills/paper-search 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 credentials named PAPER_SEARCH_MCP_IEEE_API_KEY. Our summary lists: A credential in PAPER_SEARCH_MCP_IEEE_API_KEY.
Does Paper Search access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. 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 794 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.2k 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, 304 stars), Nature Academic Search (jing1312/nature-figure-skill, 171 stars), Paper Search (dr-dumpling/paper-search-cli, 135 stars) and Ai4scholar Research (Drchronx/ai-agent-research-starter-kit, 139 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 2,776 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.