---
title: "MCP"
description: "Connect AI agents and developer tools to ScholarXIV through the Model Context Protocol. 36 tools for paper search, collections, bookmarks, comments, and research."
canonical_url: "https://scholarxiv.com/developers/docs/mcp"
markdown_url: "https://scholarxiv.com/developers/docs/mcp.md"
---

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt).

# MCP
URL: /developers/docs/mcp
LLM index: /llms.txt
Description: Connect AI agents and developer tools to ScholarXIV through the Model Context Protocol. 36 tools for paper search, collections, bookmarks, comments, and research.
Related: mcp/quickstart, mcp/connect, mcp/tools

# ScholarXIV MCP

The ScholarXIV MCP server lets AI agents and developer tools interact with ScholarXIV through the [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io). It provides 36 tools covering paper search, collections, bookmarks, comments, AI research chat, and more. Tool availability is tailored to the API key's plan.

## MCP vs Papers API

| Feature      | Papers API                               | MCP                                                                |
| ------------ | ---------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Protocol** | REST (HTTP)                              | Model Context Protocol (Streamable HTTP)                           |
| **Endpoint** | `GET/POST /api/v1/papers/search`         | `POST /api/mcp`                                                    |
| **Tools**    | 2 search routes (standard and federated) | 36 tools (search, collections, bookmarks, comments, chat, account) |
| **Auth**     | Same `sxv_` API key                      | Same `sxv_` API key                                                |
| **Best for** | Direct integration into apps             | AI agents, IDE assistants, research workflows                      |

Use the **Papers API** if you need programmatic paper search in a traditional app. Use **MCP** if you want an AI agent to autonomously search papers, build collections, bookmark findings, and discuss research.

## What You Can Do

- **Search** — find papers by title, author, abstract, category, or keyword
- **Read** — get full paper metadata and abstracts
- **Organize** — create collections, add/remove papers, manage members
- **Interact** — bookmark, like, comment on papers
- **Research** — ask AI research questions with paper context
- **Discover** — browse public collections from other researchers

## Prerequisites

1. A ScholarXIV account
2. An API key (create one at [/developers/dashboard](/developers/dashboard))
3. An MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, etc.)

## Quick Example

Add this to your MCP client config:

```json
{
	"mcp": {
		"scholarxiv": {
			"type": "remote",
			"url": "https://www.scholarxiv.com/api/mcp",
			"headers": {
				"Authorization": "Bearer sxv_your_api_key_here"
			}
		}
	}
}
```

Then ask your AI agent: _"Search for recent papers on protein folding and bookmark the top 3."_

## Next Steps

- [Quick Start](/developers/docs/mcp/quickstart) — go from zero to first tool call in 5 minutes
- [How to Connect](/developers/docs/mcp/connect) — endpoint, auth, and transport details
- [Client Configuration](/developers/docs/mcp/clients) — config examples for every major client
- [Tool Catalog](/developers/docs/mcp/tools) — all 36 tools with parameters and examples
- [Usage Examples](/developers/docs/mcp/examples) — multi-step research workflows

> [!NOTE]
> MCP calls share the same rate limit as the REST API. Your plan's hourly limit applies to both.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.
Docs-scoped sitemap: [/docs/sitemap.md](/docs/sitemap.md).
Well-known sitemap: [/.well-known/sitemap.md](/.well-known/sitemap.md).