MCP MCP Server

An unofficial MCP interface to interact with the PapersWithCode API

Local serverstdio

What is the MCP MCP server?

Connect MCP to Claude, Cursor or any other MCP client and it stops being a tab you switch to. An unofficial MCP interface to interact with the PapersWithCode API. The mcp mcp server is what makes that connection.

What the server does

This MCP server provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) client that interfaces with the PapersWithCode API.

Installation

The server ships on npm as @smithery/cli, so your MCP client can launch it on demand — there is no separate build step. Add the server block to your client's configuration, restart it, and the tools register themselves.

Available tools

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

  • search_papers — The search_papers tool exposed by this server
  • get_paper — The get_paper tool exposed by this server
  • read_paper_from_url — The read_paper_from_url tool exposed by this server
  • list_paper_results — The list_paper_results tool exposed by this server
  • list_paper_tasks — The list_paper_tasks tool exposed by this server
  • list_paper_methods — The list_paper_methods tool exposed by this server
  • list_paper_repositories — The list_paper_repositories tool exposed by this server
  • list_paper_datasets — The list_paper_datasets tool exposed by this server
  • search_research_areas — The search_research_areas tool exposed by this server
  • get_research_area — The get_research_area tool exposed by this server
  • list_research_area_tasks — The list_research_area_tasks tool exposed by this server
  • search_authors — The search_authors tool exposed by this server

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.
  • With 14 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch MCP.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

Where it fits

Plenty of developer tooling servers cover similar ground. The differences that matter in practice are scope of access and how much setup stands between you and a working tool call. MCP's toolset — search_papers, get_paper, read_paper_from_url and 11 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by hbg; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
search_papersThe search_papers tool exposed by this server.
get_paperThe get_paper tool exposed by this server.
read_paper_from_urlThe read_paper_from_url tool exposed by this server.
list_paper_resultsThe list_paper_results tool exposed by this server.
list_paper_tasksThe list_paper_tasks tool exposed by this server.
list_paper_methodsThe list_paper_methods tool exposed by this server.
list_paper_repositoriesThe list_paper_repositories tool exposed by this server.
list_paper_datasetsThe list_paper_datasets tool exposed by this server.
search_research_areasThe search_research_areas tool exposed by this server.
get_research_areaThe get_research_area tool exposed by this server.
list_research_area_tasksThe list_research_area_tasks tool exposed by this server.
search_authorsThe search_authors tool exposed by this server.
get_paper_authorThe get_paper_author tool exposed by this server.
list_papers_by_author_idThe list_papers_by_author_id tool exposed by this server.

How to install the MCP MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "paperswithcode": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@smithery/cli"]
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Example prompts to try

  • Use MCP to search papers.
  • Use MCP to get paper.
  • Use MCP to read paper from url.

Frequently asked questions

It connects MCP to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 14 tools (search_papers, get_paper, read_paper_from_url, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with MCP directly.