PDF Reader MCP vs Scholar

In-depth architectural comparison of the PDF Reader MCP and Scholar 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 PDF Reader 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 PDF Reader MCP Details

Choose Scholar 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 Scholar Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	PDF Reader MCP Developer Tools	Scholar Developer Tools
Summary	Evidence-first PDF MCP. Agent Document Twin with citeable page+bbox evidence.	Hardened Scholar MCP for deep academic research (Scopus, OpenAlex, Unpaywall) with PDF vision.
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools
Quality signal

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": {
    "pdf-reader-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@sylphx/citra"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

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