Opencitations vs Git

A side-by-side look at the Opencitations and Git MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.

Opencitations logoOpencitationsResearch · Local subprocess (stdio)OpenCitations COCI — open-license citation index by DOI59GoodAuth: not declaredGit logoGitVersion Control · Local subprocess (stdio)Tools to read, search, and manipulate Git repositories.81ExcellentAuth: no auth required

Verdict: choose Opencitations for research work as a local process; choose Git for version control as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.

Which MCP server should you choose?

Opencitations logoChoose Opencitations when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
  • You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
  • You want tools like references, citations, citation_count.
Explore Opencitations

Git logoChoose Git when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Version Control domain.
  • You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
  • Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
  • You want tools like repo_path, context_lines, target.
Explore Git

Feature & specification comparison

Rows where the two servers differ are marked.

SpecOpencitations logoOpencitationsGit logoGit
CategoryResearchVersion Control
Quality signal59/100 · Good81/100 · Excellent
Install commandConfirmedConfirmed
TransportLocal subprocess (stdio)Local subprocess (stdio)
AuthNot declaredNo auth required
PricingNot declaredFree
Required env varsNone listedNone listed
Verified ownerCommunity listing Verified
GitHub stars091,512
Directory activity 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes 49 views 0 installs 0 upvotes
Tools616

Tools & capabilities

Opencitations tools 6

  • references"What does paper [DOI] cite" / "references in [paper]" / "what sources does this paper use" — DOIs cited BY the given DOI (the paper's reference list / bibliography). Use for citation-graph traversal, literature review, source tracking.
  • citations"Who cites paper [DOI]" / "what papers reference [DOI]" / "incoming citations to [paper]" / "what work has cited [study]" — DOIs that CITE the given DOI (reverse-direction from references). Use for impact analysis, follow-on research discovery, "is this paper influential" questions.
  • citation_count"How many times has paper [DOI] been cited" / "citation count for [paper]" / "is [study] highly cited" — incoming citation count for a DOI. Fast version of `citations` when you only need the number, not the citing DOIs.
  • references_count"How many references does paper [DOI] have" / "how big is the bibliography of [paper]" — outgoing reference count for a DOI. Fast version of `references` when you only need the number.
  • metadata"Get paper info for [DOI]" / "bibliographic details for [paper]" / "title / authors / year of [DOI]" — bibliographic metadata for one or more DOIs (up to 50 at once). Returns title, authors, year, journal, publisher.
  • citationFetch one citation record by its Open Citation Identifier (OCI — a compound ID of the form citing-DOI__cited-DOI). Returns citing/cited DOI pair, creation date, and journal self-citation flag. Use `citations` or `references` instead when you only have a DOI.

Git tools 16

  • repo_path
  • context_lines
  • target
  • message
  • MERGE_HEAD
  • HEAD
  • files
  • max_count
  • start_timestamp
  • end_timestamp
  • branch_name
  • base_branch
  • +4 more on 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.

Opencitations

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "opencitations": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-opencitations"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Git

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "git": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "installations"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently asked questions

Opencitations is categorized under Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. Git belongs to Version Control and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Opencitations for research work and Git for version control.

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.

Opencitations has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Git is listed as free. 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 opencitations and git as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.

On AllMCPs, Opencitations has a quality signal of 59/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Git has 81/100 (Excellent) with 49 views, 0 installs and 91,512 GitHub stars.