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Scopus MCP

Search Scopus literature, retrieve document details, and look up author profiles through MCP.

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Install Scopus MCP

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

STDIOPython
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scopus-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "scopus-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SCOPUS_API_KEY": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

Values are written into the snippet above so you can paste it as is. They never leave your browser.

We couldn’t confirm it starts correctly

We ran the install command but it didn't respond within our test window — this can mean a slow first-time install rather than a real problem.

uvx scopus-mcp

No response to initialize.

This is an experimental automated check and can have false negatives — missing environment variables, a slow cold install, etc. It doesn’t necessarily mean something’s wrong. Last checked 8d ago.

Overview

The scopus-mcp MCP server connects AI assistants to the Elsevier Scopus API for literature searches, document details, and author profiles. It accepts Scopus query syntax, result-count and sort parameters, and identifiers for documents or authors. Use it for research workflows that need Scopus-indexed academic metadata, provided you have an Elsevier API key. The server runs locally over stdio through uvx or a Python installation.

Use cases

  • Search Scopus for papers matching structured research queries
  • Retrieve abstracts and details for identified documents
  • Look up Scopus author profiles by author ID
  • Sort literature results by publication date

Key features

  • Scopus query search
  • Configurable result counts
  • Sortable search results
  • Document detail and abstract lookup
  • Author profile lookup
  • Local stdio deployment

Tools6

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

Self-reported~10 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 1d ago

Recent health check succeeded.

5/5 checks healthy over the last 46d

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 12d ago via OSV.dev · scopus-mcp (PyPI)

Adoption & maintenance

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

GitHub stars47Stargazers on the source repository.
Last commit5mo agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Install checkInconclusiveDidn't respond in our test window — often a slow first install.
Tools exposed6Callable tools this server registers over MCP.
Directory activity1 viewsConfig copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

How Scopus MCP works

What scopus-mcp MCP server does

The scopus-mcp MCP server exposes selected Elsevier Scopus operations to an MCP-compatible assistant. It can search the Scopus database using standard query syntax, return a chosen number of results, and apply a sort order such as publication date. For example, a query can target titles with syntax such as TITLE("Artificial Intelligence").

It also supports document and researcher lookups. Given a Scopus document identifier, the server retrieves detailed information including abstract data. Given a Scopus Author ID, it retrieves the corresponding author profile. These capabilities suit literature discovery, paper review, and basic author-focused research tasks.

How it works

The server acts as a local MCP process and sends requests to the Elsevier Scopus API using an API key. An MCP client presents the available operations to an AI assistant, which can then supply search terms, pagination-related result counts, sort options, document IDs, or author IDs as appropriate.

The repository describes three higher-level operations: Scopus search, abstract and document detail retrieval, and author profile retrieval. The exposed parameters include query, count, sort, scopus_id, and author_id. Search results default to five items when no result count is supplied. The client configuration starts the process with uvx scopus-mcp, although the module can also be launched directly with Python.

Setup and configuration

Using the scopus-mcp MCP server requires an Elsevier Scopus API key. The README directs users to the Elsevier Developer Portal to request one and notes that access commonly depends on an institutional or organizational Elsevier subscription. Public email domains may be rejected during the key request process.

For a local project setup, create config.json in the repository root, or copy the example file, and add the key under api_key. You then adjust the path in MCP_tool_config.json and import that configuration into the MCP client. The quick-start configuration instead passes the key as the SCOPUS_API_KEY environment variable.

The recommended launch method uses uvx, so uv must be installed for that route. Alternatively, install Python 3.10 or newer, run pip install ., and start the module with python -m scopus_mcp.server. Claude Desktop configuration files differ by operating system; Cursor can add the server as a command-type, stdio MCP server. The README also provides configuration instructions for Trae.

Tools and capabilities

The scopus-mcp MCP server supports these functional areas:

  • Search Scopus with a query string and optional result count and sort order.
  • Retrieve detailed information for a document using its Scopus ID.
  • Retrieve profile information for an author using a Scopus Author ID.
  • Use coverDate as a documented sort option for search results.

The server is intended for retrieving information available through the Scopus API. It does not document facilities for modifying Scopus records, managing subscriptions, or performing general web searches.

Limitations and notes

API availability depends on Elsevier credentials and the access granted to those credentials. An MCP client alone does not provide Scopus access. The documented setup requires a valid API key, and the README warns that institutional access may be relevant.

The repository lists Python 3.10 or newer for manual installation. The zero-setup path is not literally dependency-free because it relies on the uv package manager. Configuration paths and slash conventions must be adjusted for the host operating system.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

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Frequently Asked Questions about Scopus MCP

scopus-mcp is an MCP server that connects AI assistants to the Elsevier Scopus API for academic literature searches, document abstract details, and author profiles. Its main tools support Scopus queries with result counts and sorting, lookups by Scopus document ID, and lookups by Scopus Author ID. It requires an Elsevier API key.

Install it with Python 3.10 or newer and run `pip install .`, or use `uvx`, which the README recommends. You can start the installed module with `python -m scopus_mcp.server`; the quick-start client configuration uses `uvx scopus-mcp`.

Set the `SCOPUS_API_KEY` environment variable in the MCP client configuration, or add the key as `api_key` in the project's `config.json`. You must obtain the key from the Elsevier Developer Portal, and access may depend on an institutional or organizational subscription.

Yes, scopus-mcp works with Cursor through a command-type stdio MCP server. In Cursor's MCP settings, add `uvx scopus-mcp` as the command and make `SCOPUS_API_KEY` available in the system environment.

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