Alexandria vs Endnote MCP
A side-by-side look at the Alexandria and Endnote MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Alexandria for research work as a local process; choose Endnote MCP for research as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Alexandria when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
library_list_sources.
Choose Endnote MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search_references, search_fulltext, search_library.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Research | Research |
| Quality signal | 52/100 · Good | 55/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 2 | 53 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 1 | 12 |
| Full listing | View Alexandria | View Endnote MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Alexandria tools 1
library_list_sourcesList all 152 sources with descriptions and full-text capabilities
Endnote MCP tools 12
search_referencesSearch by author, title, year, keywords, abstract (BM25 ranked, with DOI links)search_fulltextSearch inside PDF content — find concepts, quotes, methodssearch_libraryCombined metadata + PDF search in one callsearch_semanticSearch by meaning using AI embeddings (requires `endnote-mcp[semantic]`)get_reference_detailsFull metadata for a reference (abstract, keywords, DOI, etc.)get_citationFormat as APA 7th, Harvard, Vancouver, Chicago, or IEEEget_bibtexExport references as BibTeX entries for LaTeXget_bibliographyGenerate a formatted bibliography for multiple referencesfind_relatedFind similar references (uses embeddings when available)read_pdf_sectionRead specific pages from a PDF attachmentlist_references_by_topicBroad topic-based listingrebuild_indexRe-index after updating your EndNote library
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Alexandria
{
"mcpServers": {
"alexandria": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@the-40-thieves/alexandria-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Endnote MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"endnote-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"endnote-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Alexandria is categorized under Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. Endnote MCP belongs to Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Alexandria for research work and Endnote MCP for research.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Alexandria has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Endnote MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add alexandria and endnote-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Alexandria has a quality signal of 52/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 2 GitHub stars. Endnote MCP has 55/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 53 GitHub stars.