Arxivsub MCP vs Lune Research
A side-by-side look at the Arxivsub MCP and Lune Research MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Arxivsub MCP for research work as a local process; choose Lune Research 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 Arxivsub MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
ARXIVSUB_SKILL_KEY. - You want tools like
search_papers, find_similar_papers, research_insight.
Choose Lune Research when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
LUNE_API_KEY. - You want tools like
search_papers, search_papers_many, search_related_papers.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Research | Research |
| Quality signal | 49/100 · Fair | 53/100 · 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 | ARXIVSUB_SKILL_KEY | LUNE_API_KEY |
Tools & capabilities
Arxivsub MCP tools 5
search_papersSemantic + keyword search over arXiv and conferences. Filters: venues, recency, year, `has_code`. Returns each paper's 6-part summary, authors, PDF, and code link.find_similar_papersNearest-neighbour "related work" for a paper you already found. Chainable for a mini literature review.research_insightPivot analytics (the website's Custom Chart engine): trends, rankings, breakdowns. *Pro / trial.*library_saveSave/update a paper in your personal library — notes, reading status, collections.library_listList your saved papers and collections.
Lune Research tools 12
search_papersHybrid vector + BM25 search over the corpussearch_papers_manyMany query variants in one call, merged by reciprocal rank fusionsearch_related_papersThe nearest neighbors of a paper you already havelist_conferencesIndexed venues, optionally filtered by categoryget_conference_papersOne venue's papers, paginatedget_paper_fulltextParsed full text, as markdown or JSONget_paper_citationsThe citation graph, in either directionextract_from_papersPull the same structured fields out of a set of papersverify_claimsCheck each claim against the corpus, with a verbatim quote when one exists
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.
Arxivsub MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"arxivsub-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"arxivsub-mcp"
],
"env": {
"ARXIVSUB_SKILL_KEY": "YOUR_ARXIVSUB_SKILL_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Lune Research
{
"mcpServers": {
"lune-research-2": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@retrograde-labs/lune-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"LUNE_API_KEY": "YOUR_LUNE_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Arxivsub MCP is categorized under Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. Lune Research belongs to Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Arxivsub MCP for research work and Lune Research 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.
Arxivsub MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Lune Research 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 arxivsub-mcp and lune-research-2 as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Arxivsub MCP has a quality signal of 49/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Lune Research has 53/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 4 GitHub stars.