Bibtex MCP Server

Multi-provider academic reference search with BibTeX generation. Searches arXiv, DBLP, Semantic Scholar, and OpenAlex concurrently.

Remote serverstreamable-httpPython

What is the Bibtex MCP MCP server?

Connect Bibtex MCP to Claude, Cursor or any other MCP client and it stops being a tab you switch to. Multi-provider academic reference search with BibTeX generation. Searches arXiv, DBLP, Semantic Scholar, and OpenAlex concurrently. The bibtex mcp mcp server is what makes that connection.

Available tools

The toolset is worth reading before you wire it up, because it tells you what the integration is really for:

  • Transport — SSE (Server-Sent Events)
  • Authentication — None required

Credentials and setup notes

Configuration is passed through the environment: SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.

Installation

Because this one is hosted, setup is mostly authentication — you point your client at the endpoint and approve access. Nothing runs on your machine, so there is no runtime to keep patched.

Where it fits

Among the developer tooling options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Bibtex MCP's toolset — Transport, Authentication — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by Xceron; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Worth knowing first

  • Your data travels to the provider's service, so the usual questions apply about what you send and what they retain.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
TransportSSE (Server-Sent Events)
AuthenticationNone required

How to install the Bibtex MCP MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bibtex": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/bibtex-mcp", "python", "-m", "reference_mcp", "--stdio"],
      "env": {
        "SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Bibtex MCP to Transport.
  • Use Bibtex MCP to Authentication.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Bibtex MCP to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 2 tools (Transport, Authentication) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Bibtex MCP directly.