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io.github.SMABoundless/unpaywall

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Open-access availability for 120M+ scholarly articles via the Unpaywall API

Source code Documentation

Install

Add this to your client's MCP configuration (Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json; Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json; VS Code and others use the same "mcpServers" shape).

PYPI package unpaywall-mcp-server
Claude Code 
claude mcp add unpaywall -e 'UNPAYWALL_EMAIL=<UNPAYWALL_EMAIL>' -- uvx unpaywall-mcp-server==1.0.1
JSON configuration (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code) 
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "unpaywall": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "unpaywall-mcp-server==1.0.1"
            ],
            "env": {
                "UNPAYWALL_EMAIL": "<UNPAYWALL_EMAIL>"
            }
        }
    }
}

Environment variables

  • UNPAYWALL_EMAIL required Your email address — required by the Unpaywall API as an identifier (no API key needed). See https://unpaywall.org/products/api

Documentation

From the project's README on GitHub, refreshed weekly. Links open on GitHub.

Contents
  1. Unpaywall MCP Server
  2. Tools
  3. What you get
  4. Setup
  5. Usage examples
  6. License

Unpaywall MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for the Unpaywall API — open-access availability for 120M+ scholarly articles.

Built with FastMCP.

Tools

ToolDescription
unpaywall_lookupLook up open-access availability by DOI — returns OA status, PDF/landing page URLs, license, all OA locations
unpaywall_searchSearch 120M+ article titles with OA filtering and pagination
unpaywall_export_risExport results as RIS (for Zotero, EndNote, etc.)
unpaywall_export_bibtexExport results as BibTeX

What you get

  • Open-access status and OA type (gold, green, hybrid, bronze)
  • Best OA location with direct PDF link
  • All OA locations across repositories and publishers
  • Journal OA status, ISSN, publisher info
  • Author lists, publication dates, DOIs
  • License information per location

Setup

1. Get your email ready

Unpaywall requires an email address as your API identifier (no API key needed). See the Unpaywall API docs.

2. Install
pip install unpaywall-mcp-server

Or install from source:

cd unpaywall-mcp-server
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
3. Add to Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unpaywall": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["unpaywall-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "UNPAYWALL_EMAIL": "your-email@example.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Or if using Claude Code CLI:

claude mcp add unpaywall \
  uvx unpaywall-mcp-server \
  -e UNPAYWALL_EMAIL=your-email@example.com

Usage examples

  • "Is there an open-access version of DOI 10.1038/nature12373?"
  • "Search Unpaywall for open-access papers on CRISPR gene editing"
  • "Export these results as RIS for Zotero"
  • "Find OA articles about climate change mitigation"

License

MIT

Frequently asked questions

What is io.github.SMABoundless/unpaywall?

Open-access availability for 120M+ scholarly articles via the Unpaywall API

How do I install io.github.SMABoundless/unpaywall?

It runs on your machine. In Claude Code: claude mcp add unpaywall -e 'UNPAYWALL_EMAIL=<UNPAYWALL_EMAIL>' -- uvx unpaywall-mcp-server==1.0.1. For other clients, paste the JSON configuration from this page into their MCP settings.

Does io.github.SMABoundless/unpaywall need an API key?

Yes. It expects UNPAYWALL_EMAIL, which you set in its configuration.

Is io.github.SMABoundless/unpaywall open source?

Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT license.

Who maintains io.github.SMABoundless/unpaywall?

It is published by SMABoundless. AI.tn lists it but does not maintain or endorse it.

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