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Retractions

Retractions / research-integrity MCP.

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Install Retractions

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "retractions": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-retractions"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Install not yet sandbox-tested— we haven't run this command through our automated sandbox yet. Not a red flag; we're working through the catalog.

Overview

Tools2

What Retractions lets your agent do. Expand a tool for its parameters.

Self-reported~135 tokens of context

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked 3d ago

Recent health check succeeded.

4/4 checks healthy over the last 45d

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 3d ago via OSV.dev · @pipeworx/mcp-retractions (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

npm downloads459Package downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit1mo agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Tools exposed2Callable tools this server registers over MCP.

From the project README

mcp-retractions

Retractions / research-integrity MCP.

Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1683+ live data sources.

Tools

ToolDescription
check_retractionCheck whether a paper (by DOI) has been retracted, according to Crossref/Retraction Watch (keyless). Returns retracted:true/false with the evidence (title marker + retraction-notice link). NOTE: 'not retracted' means no retraction is on record — coverage depends on the publisher, so it is not definitive proof the paper is clean.
search_retractionsSearch the retracted literature (Crossref update-type:retraction, ~73k works) by keyword, optionally filtered by subject and publication year range. Returns retracted works with DOI, title, journal and date.

Quick Start

Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):

config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "retractions": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/retractions/mcp"
    }
  }
}

What this endpoint actually serves

tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/retractions/mcp returns the tools in the table above plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools — ask_pipeworx, discover_tools, search_within, remember/recall and the rest of the gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the pack's own. The connection's initialize response states its exact scope, and is the authoritative answer for a given day.

This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via ask_pipeworx, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth, connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.

Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed directly, instead of just this one's:

config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1683+ data sources. The only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx reaches all of them from either one.

No MCP client? Call it over HTTP

Terminal
curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/check_retraction \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"doi":"10.1016/j.micpro.2020.103768"}'

No account needed for the first calls. Inspect any tool: GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/check_retraction. Find one: POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_packs with {"query":"..."}.

Standalone (no gateway account)

This package also runs as a local stdio MCP server — no Pipeworx account, no gateway round-trip:

config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "retractions": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-retractions"]
    }
  }
}

Or run it directly to confirm it starts:

Terminal
npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-retractions

It speaks MCP over stdin/stdout and answers initialize/tools/list/tools/call for only this pack's tools — none of the shared meta-tools the gateway connection above adds. Same source, same tools, no ask_pipeworx routing.

Using with ask_pipeworx

Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English — this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:

Code
ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Retractions data" })

The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.

More

License

MIT

Read the full README View source on GitHub

Reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to share how it worked for you.

Frequently Asked Questions about Retractions

Retractions is an MCP server that helps developers check papers for recorded retractions and search retracted literature. It provides DOI-based checks using Crossref/Retraction Watch evidence, plus keyword searches across roughly 73,000 works identified through Crossref retraction updates, with optional subject and publication-year filters.

Use the `check_retraction` tool with the paper's DOI. It returns `retracted: true` or `false`, along with evidence such as a title marker and a retraction-notice link.

Use `search_retractions` with a keyword, optionally adding a subject and publication-year range. Results include retracted works with their DOI, title, journal, and date.

Add `https://gateway.pipeworx.io/retractions/mcp` as an MCP server URL in clients such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf. You can also run the standalone server with `npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-retractions` using an MCP client's stdio configuration.

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