Arxivsub MCP vs Research Papers MCP
A side-by-side look at the Arxivsub MCP and Research Papers MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
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Research Papers MCPResearchResearch papers for AI agents: PubMed, arXiv, Crossref; citations, references, open access texts39FairAuth: no auth requiredVerdict: choose Arxivsub MCP for research work as a local process; choose Research Papers MCP for research. 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.
RChoose Research Papers MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | R Research Papers MCP | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Research | Research |
| Quality signal | 55/100 · Good | 39/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Not confirmed yet |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | — |
| Auth | Not declared | No auth required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | ARXIVSUB_SKILL_KEY | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | — |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 5 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Arxivsub MCP | View Research Papers MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Arxivsub MCP tools 5
search_papersSearch academic papers from arXiv and major AI/CV/ML/robotics/NLP conferences via arXivSub (semantic + keyword search over a structured, summarized corpus). Use for 'find papers on X', 'latest research about Y', 'recent conference work on Z', or to start a literature review. Returns each paper with a 6-part summary (what it's about, innovations, techniques, datasets, results, limitations), authors + affiliations, pdf_url, and github_url when code is available.find_similar_papersGiven ONE paper you already have (from a prior search result), return the most similar papers from the same corpus — semantic nearest neighbours, each with the full summary and code link. Use for 'more like this', 'related work', 'what else is in this line of work', or to expand a literature review. You can chain it: search -> pick a seed -> find_similar_papers -> repeat on a strong neighbour.research_insightBuild aggregate pivot statistics over the arXivSub corpora — the same engine as the website's Custom Chart. Use for trends, rankings, breakdowns and comparisons: 'how has interest in diffusion models trended', 'top institutions in RL', 'papers per month by keyword', 'avg citations by affiliation'. Returns rows of {dim, breakdown, value} for you to interpret and visualize. Requires Pro or active trial days.library_saveSave (or update) a paper in the user's personal arXivSub library. Use for 'save this', 'bookmark that paper', 'add it to my <X> collection', 'note that ...', 'mark as read'. Idempotent: saving the same paper again updates only the fields you pass and never duplicates. Cannot delete — removals are done on the website.library_listList the user's personal arXivSub library — collections and saved items, optionally filtered. Use for 'what have I saved', 'show my library', 'which papers are in my <name> collection', 'what am I reading'.
Research Papers MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
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"
}
}
}
}
Research Papers MCP
No confirmed install command for Research Papers MCP yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Frequently asked questions
Arxivsub MCP is categorized under Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. Research Papers MCP belongs to Research and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Pick Arxivsub MCP for research work and Research Papers 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. Research Papers MCP has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
Arxivsub MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Research Papers MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Auth: no auth required. 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 research-papers-mcp 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 55/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Research Papers MCP has 39/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.