What is the key difference between Paper Distill MCP and Scholar RAG MCP?

Paper Distill MCP belongs to the Knowledge & Memory category with local stdio execution, while Scholar RAG MCP belongs to the Knowledge & Memory category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Paper Distill MCP or Scholar RAG MCP in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Paper Distill MCP and Scholar RAG MCP free or paid?

Paper Distill MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Scholar RAG MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Paper Distill MCP lists 0 tools with 2 views and 67 GitHub stars. Scholar RAG MCP lists 0 tools with 0 views and 4 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Paper Distill MCP and Scholar RAG MCP together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Paper Distill MCP vs Scholar RAG MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Paper Distill MCP and Scholar RAG MCP 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.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Paper Distill MCP

Knowledge & Memory · Local stdio

Quality: 40/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Scholar RAG MCP

Knowledge & Memory · Local stdio

Quality: 37/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Paper Distill MCP if you need specialized Knowledge & Memory tools running via a local process. Choose Scholar RAG MCP if your workspace requires Knowledge & Memory integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Paper Distill MCP when:

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

Explore Paper Distill MCP Details

Choose Scholar RAG MCP when:

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

Explore Scholar RAG MCP Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Paper Distill MCP Knowledge & Memory	Scholar RAG MCP Knowledge & Memory
Summary	Academic paper search across 11 sources with AI curation, ranked push, Zotero and Obsidian support.	Academic paper knowledge-base MCP server: PDF ingest, vector search with reranking, KB management.
Category & Scope	Knowledge & Memory	Knowledge & Memory

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Paper Distill MCP Tools (0)

No explicit tool names declared in metadata yet. Check project README on main listing page.

Scholar RAG MCP Tools (0)

No explicit tool names declared in metadata yet. Check project README on main listing page.

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).

Paper Distill MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

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

Scholar RAG MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Paper Distill MCP is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Scholar RAG MCP belongs to Knowledge & Memory using local stdio subprocess. Select Paper Distill MCP when you need capabilities focused on knowledge & memory and Scholar RAG MCP when you require tools for knowledge & memory.

More alternatives to Paper Distill MCP More alternatives to Scholar RAG MCP Knowledge & Memory category hub