io.github.federicodeponte/openpaper-mcp

OpenPaper MCP Server

Use OpenPaper from Claude Desktop or another MCP client to start an academic paper, check its progress, and retrieve the finished files. OpenPaper is for researchers who want to generate a cited draft from a prompt. Open OpenPaper or run uvx openpaper-mcp after setting OPENPAPER_API_TOKEN.

Read the agent-friendly project summary or MIT license.

OpenPaper uses 18 specialized AI agents to search 500M+ academic sources (OpenAlex, Crossref, Semantic Scholar) and write thesis-level papers with every citation linked to a real publication.

Generate an academic paper from an MCP client

Ask your connected client to generate a paper on a topic. The server starts the job, returns a generation ID, and lets you check the status and download links. See MCP tools for paper generation and status for the exact calls.

Connect OpenPaper to Claude Desktop

1. Get your API token

1. Go to openpaper.dev and sign in
2. Open DevTools (F12) → Application tab → Storage → Cookies → https://openpaper.dev
3. Copy the value of the auth_token cookie — that's your token

This auth_token is a durable 30-day token and works whether you signed in with Google or email. Do not copy the Authorization header from the Network tab: on most pages the browser sends no such header (the app forwards the cookie server-side), and where one does appear it is a short-lived session token that expires in about an hour, so the MCP server would stop working soon after. When the token expires, repeat these steps to get a fresh one.

2. Configure Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json (no manual install needed — uvx fetches the published package on first run):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openpaper": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["openpaper-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "OPENPAPER_API_TOKEN": "your-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run from source instead

pip install mcp httpx

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openpaper": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["/path/to/openpaper-mcp/server.py"],
      "env": {
        "OPENPAPER_API_TOKEN": "your-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

MCP tools for paper generation and status

start_paper_generation

Start generating a paper. Returns a generation_id immediately.

Generate a graduate-level paper on "The neurobiological basis of PTSD"
using APA 7th citation style, 20-30 pages

check_paper_status

Poll for progress and get download links when done.

Check the status of generation abc123

list_my_papers

See all your previous papers with download links.

List my last 5 papers

Example workflow

User: Write a paper on the impact of social media on adolescent mental health

Claude: [calls start_paper_generation("impact of social media on adolescent mental health")]
→ Generation started (ID: abc123). Checking back in a few minutes...

[later]
Claude: [calls check_paper_status("abc123")]
→ Status: processing, phase: writing, 65% complete

[later]
Claude: [calls check_paper_status("abc123")]
→ Status: completed! PDF: https://... DOCX: https://...

Use this with Edge

Prefer to write the draft inside your coding agent, without an OpenPaper token? The OpenDraft research skill runs in Claude Code, Codex or Cursor and checks every printed DOI. With Edge, your agent loads it automatically when you ask for a paper. Paste this into your agent once:

Set up Edge for me: fetch https://getedge.cc/SKILL.md?ref=gh-openpaper-mcp with curl, read it, and follow it

Then ask: Write a paper on <topic>.

Frequently asked questions

Can I generate a research paper with Claude Desktop?

Yes. Add this MCP server to Claude Desktop, then ask it to start a paper. The server returns a generation ID that you can use to check progress.

How do I check a paper or find a previous draft?

Use check_paper_status with its generation ID, or list_my_papers to retrieve recent papers and their download links.

Which file formats can I download?

The OpenPaper workflow returns PDF and DOCX links when those files are available. The product also supports ZIP export.

Do I need an OpenPaper account?

Yes. Sign in at openpaper.dev and provide your own token through OPENPAPER_API_TOKEN. Keep the token private.

Credits

Papers cost 1-3 credits depending on length:

• 5-30 pages: 1 credit
• 30-50 pages: 2 credits
• 50-60 pages: 3 credits

New accounts get free credits. Buy more at openpaper.dev.