Alexandria vs Openalex MCP Server
A side-by-side look at the Alexandria and Openalex MCP Server 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 Openalex MCP Server 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 Openalex MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
openalex_search_entities, openalex_analyze_trends, openalex_resolve_name.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Research | Research |
| Quality signal | 52/100 · Good | 59/100 · 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 | 16 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 1 | 5 |
| Full listing | View Alexandria | View Openalex MCP Server |
Tools & capabilities
Alexandria tools 1
library_list_sourcesList all 152 sources with descriptions and full-text capabilities
Openalex MCP Server tools 5
openalex_search_entitiesSearch, filter, sort, or retrieve by ID across all 8 entity typesopenalex_analyze_trendsGroup-by aggregation for trend and distribution analysisopenalex_resolve_nameResolve a name or an identifier (DOI, ORCID, ROR, PMID, ISSN, OpenAlex ID) to an OpenAlex IDopenalex_get_citation_graphWalk the citation graph one hop from a seed work: `cites`, `cited_by`, or `related_toopenalex_describe_fieldsList valid filter, group_by, and select field names for an entity type
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"
]
}
}
}
Openalex MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"openalex-mcp-server": {
"command": "bunx",
"args": [
"@cyanheads/openalex-mcp-server@latest"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Alexandria is categorized under Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. Openalex MCP Server belongs to Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Alexandria for research work and Openalex MCP Server 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. Openalex MCP Server 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 openalex-mcp-server 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. Openalex MCP Server has 59/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 16 GitHub stars.