# Lens Org [Health: Active]

**Category:** 🔬 Research  
**Repository:** https://github.com/pipeworx-io/mcp-lens-org  
**GitHub Stars:** 1  
**npm Downloads (last month):** 293  
**Views:** 2  
**Installs:** 0  
**Upvotes:** 0  
**Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/lens-org

## Description
Lens.org patent + scholarly search (free academic key required)

## Claude Desktop Quick Installation
Install path detected from listing signals. Uses `npx` (confidence: high):

```json
"mcpServers": {
  "lens-org": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y","@pipeworx/mcp-lens-org"],
    "env": {
      "PLATFORM_LENS_KEY": "",
      "PIPEWORX_API_KEY": "",
      "PIPEWORX_META_TOOLS": "",
      "NODE_USE_ENV_PROXY": ""
    }
  }
}
```

**Requires environment variables:** `PLATFORM_LENS_KEY`, `PIPEWORX_API_KEY`, `PIPEWORX_META_TOOLS`, `NODE_USE_ENV_PROXY` — the values above are empty placeholders; fill in real credentials before running (see the repository for what each one is for).

## Documentation

## What Lens Org does

Lens Org brings The Lens patent and scholarly search APIs into MCP clients. Its four domain tools cover two search workflows and two record-retrieval workflows:

- `patents_search(query, size?, from?)` searches the Lens patent index with a Lucene-style query.
- `scholarly_search(query, size?, from?)` searches scholarly works.
- `patent(lens_id)` retrieves one patent record.
- `scholarly(lens_id)` retrieves one scholarly work.

The underlying data source is `https://api.lens.org/`. This makes the server suitable for research tasks that require finding relevant documents first and then examining a specific Lens record.

## How it works

The hosted MCP endpoint is `https://gateway.pipeworx.io/lens-org/mcp`. It exposes the Lens Org tools through Pipeworx and also includes shared gateway tools such as `ask_pipeworx`, `discover_tools`, `search_within`, and `remember`/`recall`. The exact tool scope is returned during MCP initialization, so the visible tool set can be larger than the four Lens-specific tools.

`ask_pipeworx` can accept a plain-English question and route it to an appropriate tool, including tools outside the Lens Org pack. A full Pipeworx gateway endpoint is also available when an agent needs every pack listed directly.

For local use, the `@pipeworx/mcp-lens-org` npm package acts as a stdio bridge. It forwards calls to the same hosted endpoint, so it requires network access and does not provide offline operation.

## Setup and configuration

Add the hosted URL to an MCP client such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lens-org": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/lens-org/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

The local alternative starts the package with `npx`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lens-org": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-lens-org"]
    }
  }
}
```

Authenticated Lens access uses a Bearer token from the Lens subscriptions page, configured as `PLATFORM_LENS_KEY`, or a token passed as `_apiKey` on the gateway URL. The local bridge can use `PIPEWORX_API_KEY` for a Pipeworx account. Without that key, local calls are anonymous and limited to 50 per day; a free Pipeworx account raises the limit to 200 per day. Set `PIPEWORX_META_TOOLS=1` to include gateway-wide meta-tools in the local tool listing.

## Limitations and notes

The integration is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or published by The Lens. Local operation still depends on the hosted Pipeworx gateway and network access. When running behind an HTTPS proxy, newer Node.js releases can use the proxy environment setting when `NODE_USE_ENV_PROXY=1` is enabled. The project is released under the MIT license.

_Full upstream README: https://allmcps.com/mcp/lens-org/readme_