MCP server exposing PaperQA2 for deep synthesis across scientific papers
If you already use Paperqa, the paperqa mcp server is the piece that lets your assistant work with it directly. MCP server exposing PaperQA2 for deep synthesis across scientific papers.
Give Claude the ability to read, search, and synthesize across your entire PDF library. Built on PaperQA2.
Configuration is passed through the environment: OPENAI_API_KEY, PAPER_DIRECTORY, PQA_LLM, PQA_SUMMARY_LLM, ANTHROPIC_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 goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at paperqa-mcp-server on PyPI and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.
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SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.
{
"mcpServers": {
"paperqa": {
"command": "/Users/yourname/.local/bin/uvx",
"args": ["--from", "git+https://github.com/menyoung/paperqa-mcp-server", "paperqa-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"OPENAI_API_KEY": "sk-your-key-here"
}
}
}
}Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| OPENAI_API_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
| PAPER_DIRECTORY | Filesystem location the server is allowed to use. | Optional |
| PQA_LLM | Configuration value read at startup. | Optional |
| PQA_SUMMARY_LLM | Configuration value read at startup. | Optional |
| ANTHROPIC_API_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
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