Eprint MCP Server

MCP Server for IACR Cryptology ePrint Archive - enables AI assistants to search and retrieve cryptographic research papers

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What is the Eprint MCP server?

Connect Eprint to Claude, Cursor or any other MCP client and it stops being a tab you switch to. MCP Server for IACR Cryptology ePrint Archive - enables AI assistants to search and retrieve cryptographic research papers. The eprint mcp server is what makes that connection.

What the server does

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to the IACR Cryptology ePrint Archive, enabling AI assistants to search and retrieve cryptographic research papers.

Available tools

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

  • search_papers — Search for papers
  • get_paper — Get paper details
  • get_recent_papers — Get recent papers
  • download_paper — Get download info
  • get_paper_url — Get paper URLs
  • Installation — The Installation tool exposed by this server
  • Prerequisites — The Prerequisites tool exposed by this server
  • Setup — The Setup tool exposed by this server

Installation

eprint-mcp-server on npm is all you need. Most clients run it directly, so configuration is a few lines and a restart.

Credentials and setup notes

Configuration is passed through the environment: DEBUG, MAX_RESULTS. 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.

  • Node.js 18.0.0 or higher - npm or yarn

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. Eprint's toolset — search_papers, get_paper, get_recent_papers and 5 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by heewon-chung; 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

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
search_papersSearch for papers
get_paperGet paper details
get_recent_papersGet recent papers
download_paperGet download info
get_paper_urlGet paper URLs
InstallationThe Installation tool exposed by this server.
PrerequisitesThe Prerequisites tool exposed by this server.
SetupThe Setup tool exposed by this server.

How to install the Eprint MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "eprint": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["./dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "DEBUG": "0",
        "MAX_RESULTS": "50"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

Configuration

  • Node.js 18.0.0 or higher - npm or yarn
VariableDescriptionRequired
DEBUGConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
MAX_RESULTSConfiguration value read at startup.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • Use Eprint to search papers.
  • Use Eprint to get paper.
  • Use Eprint to get recent papers.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Eprint to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 8 tools (search_papers, get_paper, get_recent_papers, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Eprint directly.