Ncbi MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for searching NCBI databases, designed for researchers across all life sciences and biomedical fields. This

Local serverstdioPython

What is the Ncbi MCP Server?

Ncbi mcp server connects Ncbi to AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for searching NCBI databases, designed for researchers across all life sciences and biomedical fields. This server provides seamless access to PubMed's vast collection of 35+ million scientific articles through natural language queries, enabling AI assistants.

What Ncbi does

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for searching NCBI databases, designed for researchers across all life sciences and biomedical fields. This server provides seamless access to PubMed's vast collection of 35+ million scientific articles through natural language queries, enabling AI assistants to help with literature reviews, research discovery, and scientific analysis.

Requirements

Practical notes

  • Maintained by vitorpavinato, written in Python.

Recorded tools

  • search_pubmed — Primary search tool for PubMed database - query: Search terms (supports field tags like [ti] for title, [au] for author, [mh] for MeSH terms) - max_results: Number of results (1-100, default: 20) - sort: Sort
  • get_article_details — Fetch complete information for specific articles - pmids: List of PubMed IDs (up to 50)
  • search_mesh_terms — Find standardized Medical Subject Headings - term: Term to search in MeSH database
  • get_related_articles — Discover articles related to a specific paper - pmid: PubMed ID of reference article - max_results: Number of related articles (1-50, default: 10)
  • advanced_search — Complex searches with multiple criteria - terms: List of search terms to combine - operator: "AND", "OR", or "NOT" to combine terms - authors: List of author names - journals: List of journal names - **pu
  • get_analytics_summary — Get comprehensive analytics overview "Show me my research analytics summary" Returns: - Total requests and uptime - Operation breakdown (searches, fetches, etc.) - Cache performance metrics - Recent activity and error ra
  • get_detailed_metrics — Detailed performance metrics for specific time periods "Get detailed metrics for the last 24 hours" - hours: Time period to analyze (default: 24) - Operation-specific performance data - Timeline analysis with hourly
  • reset_analytics — Reset analytics data (use with caution) "Reset all analytics data" Note: This permanently clears all collected metrics.

More MCP options

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Maintainer setup documentation.

Recorded tools

Check the linked publisher documentation and your connected client's tool list. Names and availability can vary with the server version and account permissions.

ToolWhat it does
search_pubmed
get_article_details
search_mesh_terms
get_related_articles
advanced_search

How to install the Ncbi MCP Server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ncbi-literature": {
      "command": "poetry",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "python",
        "src/ncbi_mcp_server/server.py"
      ],
      "cwd": "/FULL/PATH/TO/YOUR/ncbi-mcp-server"
    }
  }
}

From the project documentation. Replace placeholders and example paths before connecting.

Configuration

Example prompts to try

  • “Use Ncbi to Prerequisites.”
  • “Use Ncbi to search pubmed.”
  • “Use Ncbi to get article details.”

Frequently asked questions

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for searching NCBI databases, designed for researchers across all life sciences and biomedical fields. This server provides Confirm the tools offered by your installed version in the connected client. Tool availability and permissions depend on the server and account configuration.