Arxivsub MCP vs Paperswithcode
A side-by-side look at the Arxivsub MCP and Paperswithcode 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 Paperswithcode 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 Paperswithcode when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search_papers, trending_papers, get_paper.
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 | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 5 | 4 |
| Full listing | View Arxivsub MCP | View Paperswithcode |
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.
Paperswithcode tools 4
search_papersSearch machine-learning / AI research papers (via Hugging Face Papers, the successor to Papers with Code). Returns arXiv id, title, authors, community upvotes, and a linked GitHub repo when available. Use for "papers on <topic>", "recent ML research about X".trending_papersToday's trending ML/AI papers (or a given day's), ranked by community upvotes, via Hugging Face Papers. Use for "what are the hot AI papers", "trending ML research", "top papers this week".get_paperGet full detail for a paper by its arXiv id (e.g. "2312.00752"): title, authors, abstract, AI-generated summary and keywords, community upvotes, and counts of linked models / datasets / demo Spaces.get_repositoriesFind IMPLEMENTATIONS of a paper (by arXiv id): the linked GitHub repository plus the most popular Hugging Face models, demo Spaces, and datasets that implement or reproduce it — the "papers with code" view. Use for "code/implementation for <paper>", "models trained on <paper>".
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"
}
}
}
}
Paperswithcode
{
"mcpServers": {
"paperswithcode": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-paperswithcode"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Arxivsub MCP is categorized under Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. Paperswithcode belongs to Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Arxivsub MCP for research work and Paperswithcode 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. Paperswithcode 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 paperswithcode 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. Paperswithcode has 53/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.