Crossref MCP vs Crossref MCP Server

In-depth architectural comparison of the Crossref MCP and Crossref MCP Server MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Crossref MCP when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Crossref MCP Details

Choose Crossref MCP Server when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Crossref MCP Server Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Crossref MCP Developer Tools	Crossref MCP Server Developer Tools
Summary	MCP server wrapping the Crossref REST API for scholarly metadata.	Resolve DOIs, search ~155M scholarly works, and fetch references via the Crossref REST API.
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "crossref-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "crossref-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "crossref-mcp-server-2": {
      "command": "bunx",
      "args": [
        "@cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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